Earliest meeting: Thursday 10th May 1900
Final meeting: Thursday 25th May 1939
The Worcestershire village of Colwall is situated in the glorious countryside of the Malvern Hills which, coupled with Old Colwall and nearby Evendine, organised race meetings over almost 40 years in the earliest years of the 20th century. The racecourse, the brainchild of local resident Roland Cave-Brown-Cave, was at Brook Farm close to Colwall Railway Station and opened on Thursday 10th May 1900. Meetings continued annually on a regular basis, although Cave-Brown-Cave was not a particularly good businessman or gambler, and by 1915 was struggling financially. A grand auction was held and Brook Farm, which included the racecourse, became the property of Mr J Scott Bowden. During the War years racing ceased at almost every course in the country, but for some reason one of the exceptions was Colwall Park which was allowed to hold four meetings a year, each of them on Mondays in March, April, May and October. One such meeting was held on Monday 12th April 1915, opening with the Stewards Handicap Hurdle which was won by Topsy’s Bay from Gentilhomme and Tambour Battant, while the British Camp Handicap Steeplechase went to Rhine-Na-Shark ridden by W.J.Smith. After the War ended Colwall Park continued to hold minor quality jump meetings and in the 1930s was so popular that it sold annual membership badges. The final meeting took place on Thursday 25th May 1939, after which the War intervened and this time Colwall Park was not allowed to hold races. During the War Mr Scott Bowden decided to sell the land on which the racecourse stood to Dowsett McKay and they decided not to continue racing. However, in 1949 pony racing meetings were held on the course, and later it was used by the North Ledbury Hunt group to stage point to point meetings between 1960 and 1963.
Herefordshire Open Hunters Steeplechase, Colwall Stewards Hurdle
Monday 12th April 1915
Herefordshire Open Hunters’ Handicap Steeplechase over 3 miles
1. Topknot, 5 year old owned by Mr Sheedy
2. Stelleria, aged mare owned by Mr Hawkins
3. Adonis, aged horse owned by Mr Hickey
Very little evidence of the previous existence of a racecourse, with the ground now covered by arable fields.
Whenever you visit Colwall, the Colwall Park Hotel is highly recommended (http://colwall.co.uk/)
The rare handbill shown below is provided courtesy of the Robert Shaw collection.
Much of the information about this course has been found using internet research and is in the public domain. However, useful research sources have been:-
London Illustrated News
Racing Illustrated 1895-1899
The Sporting & Dramatic Illustrated
Northern Turf History Volumes 1-4 by J.Fairfax-Blakeborough
The Sporting Magazine
A Long Time Gone by Chris Pitt first published in 1996 ISBN 0 900599 89 8
Racing Calendars which were first published in 1727
