This section is a story of 2 different Cleveland Houses, one started in 1730, the other at least 250 years later. The first chapter relates the history of Cleveland House on Old Station Road.
1730-1820
The original Cleveland House was built circa 1730 and is shown on both the John Chapman 1768 and 1787 maps of Newmarket, although it did not contain a label identifying the owner. Some of the original features, including the central entrance hall and a cellar below the entrance hall, were incorporated into the 1820 rebuild when the house was substantially remodelled and extended.
1820-34 Sam Chifney junior
Sam Chifney junior, born in 1786, son of Derby winning jockey Sam Chifney senior, and brother of trainer William Chifney, became apprentice to his uncle, Frank Smallman of Hertfordshire, in 1799 aged 13. He had his first ride in public in 1800 on a Fidget colt at Stockbridge, but was unsuccessful. He rode his first winner, Alegranti later in 1800 at Egham. In all he notched up 9 English Classic victories, and won the Ascot Gold Cup 3 times. In 1812 Sam rode CWRW (SR 1924) to victory in the 2000 Guineas at 7/1 for the 3rd Earl of Darlington, later the Marquess of Cleveland. His reward, 8 years later, was the chance to live in a splendid dwelling in the centre of Newmarket, Cleveland House. The house rivalled the house adjacent to it, Warren House, newly built by his brother, the trainer, William Chifney. Shortly afterwards William had to sell Warren House, as it had cost him so much to build that he was left close to bankruptcy, selling it to John Francis Clark, a judge and architect who lived at Fairstead House in Newmarket. Later on, Prince Batthyany bought Warren House from Clark. Sam enjoyed much success during his time living at Cleveland House, winning the 1820 Epsom Derby on Sailor (SR 2029), the 1825 Epsom Oaks on Wings (SR 1845) and, later, the 1843 1000 Guineas on Extempore (SR 1816), but by then he had moved from Cleveland House. In that year his loyal owner, Thomas Thornhill, a heavyweight 23-stone man who had owned the 1818 Epsom Derby winner Sam (SR 2060) ridden by Sam Chifney, as well as Sailor, Shoveler and Extempore, died. He left Sam, who by then was a declared bankrupt, the use of his Newmarket home after Sam had departed Cleveland House. Sam resided at Thornhill's House and Stables until November 1851 when he moved to Brighton. He still maintained his interest in horse racing, and was able to see his nephew, Frank Butler, partner the 1853 Epsom Derby winner West Australian (SR 2109). Sam died in Brighton on 29th August 1854 aged 68 and was buried in Hove churchyard.
1812 Newmarket 2000 Guineas CWRW (SR 1924) 7/1 owned by 3rd Lord Darlington, trained by William Chifney and ridden by Sam Chifney junior
1818 Epsom Derby SAM (SR 2060) 7/2 owned by Thomas Thornhill, trained by William Chifney and ridden by Sam Chifney junior
1819 Epsom Oaks SHOVELER (SR 1861) 2/1 fav owned by Thomas Thornhill, trained by William Chifney and ridden by Sam Chifney junior
1820 Epsom Derby SAILOR (SR 2029) 4/1 owned by Thomas Thornhill, trained by William Chifney and ridden by Sam Chifney junior
1825 Epsom Oaks WINGS (SR 1845) 13/1 owned by Thomas Grosvenor, trained by Robert Robson and ridden by Sam Chifney junior
1843 1000 Guineas EXTEMPORE (SR 1816) 7/1 owned by Thomas Thornhill, trained by Bobby Pettit and ridden by Sam Chifney junior
For over 4 centuries racing has been staged in Newmarket, but how have the racecourses evolved from an initial starting point at Fleam Dyke Pumping Station, some 8 miles from the town, with a winning post barely 200 metres from the town centre, into two world recognized, excellent racecourses and a universal acceptance that Newmarket is the Headquarters of racing?
To access an interactive racecourse map showing over 50 individually named racecourses CLICK HERE. The map will enable you to:-
1. Determine when extended races over 8 miles, 6 miles and 4 miles began to be replaced by the courses now visited by thousands annually;
2. Consider how the challenge of crossing the Devil's Dyke was overcome;
3. Contemplate why the town no longer has a steeplechase course despite having at least 5 courses during the past 2 centuries;
4. Examine the practicalities of having up to 48 starting posts and winning posts;
5. Appreciate that it was not financially viable to have an open racecourse spread widely across the heath, with a finishing post barely 200 metres from the town centre;
6. Research how and why the Cambridgeshire Handicap has been contested over 3 different courses.
NOTE: The map does not make mention of 2 particular courses:-
(i) Sefton Course (also known as the Cambridge Road Course)
Source: 1970 Raceform. Used from 1959 to 1975.
(ii) New Circular Course
The Circular Handicap was run on Friday 29th October 1875 on the New Circular Course of about two miles.
Source: London Standard (30th October 1875): ''the horses started near the Turn of the Lands, ran back way of the Cambridgeshire Course towards the Ditch, and afterwards proceeded down the side of the Tan Gallop, and turned into the Rowley Mile near the Bretby Stakes starting post, finishing at the stand at the end of the flat. Except in the hollow near the Cambridgeshire start the runners should have been visible all the way if the sky had been bright and clear''.
Another report hoped that the Circular Handicap would become a feature in future programmes, as it would be contested in front of the new grandstand which would be completed in about a year and would be able to accommodate thousands.
(I am grateful to Tim Cox for bringing attention to these 2 courses.)
Enjoy researching the intriguing history of Newmarket and its many racecourses.
1820-1842 Duke of Cleveland (3rd Earl of Darlington)
William Henry Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland, son of Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington and Lady Grace Fitzroy, was born on 27th July 1766. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, and became a Whig MP from 1788. Prior to 1792 he liked to be known as Viscount Barnard, but after he became Lord Lieutenant of the County of Durham in 1792 he was known as the 3rd Earl of Darlington. He married his cousin, Lady Catherine Powlett, on 17th September 1787 at Hackwood Park, her father's estate, and the couple had 8 children. He enjoyed racing, winning the 1812 2000 Guineas with Cwrw (SR 1924) at 7/1 trained by William Chifney and ridden by Sam Chifney junior. In 1820 he purchased Cleveland House in Newmarket, remodelling and restoring it, whilst keeping some of its original 1730s features, and allowed Sam Chifney to live there. He died on 29th January 1842 at St James's Square, Westminster, London.
1835-1870 Charles Hammond & Family
After Sam Chifney left Cleveland House, the Duke of Cleveland sold it to Charles Hammond, and members of the Hammond family resided there for almost a century. Charles and Ellen Hammond were certainly in residence by 1835 and they had 6 children, Charles Eaton Hammond, born in 1819, Edward Hammond, born in 1821, Henry Hammond, born in 1824, Louisa Hammond, born in 1834, Octavius Hammond, born at Cleveland House in 1835, and Frederick Hammond, also born at Cleveland House, in 1838. The family were a wealthy banking family.
1871-February 1885 Thomas F Sabin
Once the parents, Charles and Ellen Hammond had died, the house was rented out to Thomas Sabin and his family, although it remained in the ownership of the Hammond family. On 30th August 1871 Nancy Sabin, eldest daughter of Thomas F Sabin of Cleveland House, married Thomas Rogers, second son of Samuel Rogers of Newmarket. In February 1885 Thomas Sabin moved out of Cleveland House, selling all his household goods and furniture by auction.
1885-1924 Frederick Hammond, Louisa Hammond
The Hammond Family returned to Cleveland House in 1885, with Frederick Hammond taking up residence, while on 9th July 1889 Frederick married Florence Amy Gilbert, eldest daughter of the Reverend J Denny Gilbert of Chedgrave Manor, Norfolk. Edward Hammond died at Cleveland House on 2nd June 1904, and left an estate valued at £130,052, equivalent to £16 million in 2020. His estate and the residence, Cleveland House, was left to his sister Louisa who, at the time, was 70 years old. On Wednesday 21st August 1924 Miss Louisa Hammond, the last surviving member of the Hammond banking family, died aged 90.
1924-1929 Victor Gilpin
Peter Gilpin trained at Clarehaven Stables as soon as the stable was built at the turn of the 20th century. In the early 1920s Peter began spending more time in Ireland at his Dollanstown Stud in Kilcock county Kildare, while his son Victor was left in charge of Clarehaven. In 1927 Peter suffered a broken collar bone whilst hunting in Ireland, and in 1928 his sight began to fail. Victor lived at Cleveland House in 1924, after the death of Louisa Hammond, remaining there until September 1929 when Victor sold Cleveland House to Lord Rosebery.
Albert Edward Henry Meyer Archibald Primrose, or 6th Earl of Rosebery for short, was born at Delmeny House, Edinburgh on 8th June 1862, son of Prime Minister Archibald Primrose and his wife Hannah Primrose. He was educated at Eton and Sandhurst before joining the Grenadier Guards. In 1909 he married Dorothy Alice Grosvenor, daughter of Lord Grosvenor, and they had a son, Archie Primrose, and a daughter, Helen Dorothy Primrose. In September 1929 he purchased Cleveland House, Newmarket from trainer Victor Gilpin, where he resided for almost half a century, especially when he was in Newmarket for the races, or to see his racehorses trained at Park Lodge by Jack Jarvis and, later, Doug Smith. He was a lucky owner, winning the 1939 2000 Guineas and Derby with Blue Peter (SR 2089), later winning it a second time in 1944 with Ocean Swell (SR 2033). He owned Crafton Stud and Mentmore Studin Buckinghamshire, breeding many Classic winners in a racing career spanning over 50 years. He died on 1st May 1974, while his wife died before him on 11th January 1966.
1931 St Leger SANDWICH (SR 1913) 9/1 owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Harry Wragg
1932 Eclipse Stakes MIRACLE 10/1 owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Harry Wragg
1939 Blue Riband Trial Stakes BLUE PETER owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Eph Smith
1939 Epsom Derby BLUE PETER (SR 2089) 7/2 fav owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Eph Smith
1939 Eclipse Stakes BLUE PETER 2/7 fav owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Eph Smith
1942 Jockey Club Cup AFTERTHOUGHT owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Eph Smith
1944 New Derby OCEAN SWELL (SR 2033) 28/1 owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Billy Nevett
1944 Jockey Club Cup OCEAN SWELL owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Eph Smith
1945 Ascot Gold Cup OCEAN SWELL owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Eph Smith
1956 Jockey Club Cup DONALD evens fav owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Jack Jarvis and ridden by Bill Rickaby
1969 Epsom Oaks SLEEPING PARTNER (SR 1877) 100/6 owned by 6th Earl of Rosebery, trained by Doug Smith and ridden by John Gorton
Present Offices
At present Cleveland House, 39 Old Station Road, is used as offices, including Julie McDonald, a Family Law firm.
This section is a story of 2 different Cleveland Houses, one started in 1730, the other at least 250 years later. The second chapter relates the history of Cleveland House Stables on the Hamilton Road.
1992-2014 Barney Curley
Barney Curley came over from his native Ireland in 1982 to act as assistant to Dave Thom at Harraton Court Stables, branching out on his own as a trainer a few years later. Sometime afterwards he purchased the 34-box Cleveland House Stables on Hamilton Road, Newmarket, and racing directories still listed him at Cleveland House in 2014.
2015-2017 Conrad Allen
Conrad Allen, the son of an actor and grandson of a White City greyhound stadium bookmaker, was better known is his early days as the star of TV advertisements, eating Rice Krispies, Jaffa Cakes and Smarties, or having his blond hair washed with Vosene. He then began working in the Williams & Glyn Bank in London, reportedly earning £150 a week (equivalent to £650 a week in 2020) before choosing to work in stables for £15 a week (£65 in 2020). He began with Tim Moloney before moving on Alan Bailey, but then moved to Mick Ryan and earned a few rides. He became a moderately successful jockey, winning just 4 races from 60 rides, the first of which was aboard Habat Raaphorst at Folkestone in August 1983. That was followed in quick succession with a further win on the same horse at Newcastle just a week later. Maybe there was racing in his blood, passed down from his grandfather, for he launched his training career in 1987, going on to purchase Shadowfax Stables in 1989. He suffered an early setback at Shadowfax when, in August 1989, he had to close the stables for a few weeks and isolate his 35 horses due to an outbreak of equine flu. Nevertheless, he increased the number of boxes at Shadowfax over time until the estate contained his bungalow and a 40-box American barn. In 2003 Conrad replaced Paul D'Arcy at Grange House Stables, remaining there for a year before being replaced by Geoff Huffer. At some stage he spent a time at Saffron House Stables, although the exact dates are unknown, and was also at Cleveland House Stables.
Dec 2017-Dec 2018 Robyn Brisland
Robyn Brisland, born on 29th February 1976, joined Gary Moore at his Woodingdean Stables, near Brighton, once he had completed his full-time education. He was made an apprentice by Moore, having his first ride in public aged 19, and riding his first winner, Whatever's Right, on 20th July 1996 at Warwick. In all he had 1443 rides but had ambitions to train. He became assistant trainer to Nick Littmoden in February 2015, but when Nick decided to retire in December 2015 Robyn took over at Cadland Stables, although at that time he was employed by the Gazeley Stud owner Curran. In his first full season as a trainer he chalked up 12 winners from 87 runners, a strike rate sought by many. In December 2017 Robyn made the move to Cleveland House Stables, filling 18 boxes, and after a satisfactory season he upped sticks again, moving to Hilltop Equestrian Centre, Danethorpe in Nottinghamshire.
Eugene Stanford launched his training career in the North of England before moving south to Newmarket. After spending a few years in a number of stables at Headquarters he returned to the North to act as assistant to Mel Brittain. Eugene returned to Newmarket, his particular skills being recognised by world-famous trainers like John Dunlop, Ed Dunlop and Michael Bell, but he has also held a licence in his own right, training at Lemberg Stables and Cleveland House Stables from October 2019.
