Earliest meeting: Monday 19th June 1837
Final meeting: Wednesday 25th July 1866
Downham Market is a market town in Norfolk which first held racing in 1837. The racecourse, an oval with circumference of one mile, was on Crowe Hall Park and the meeting was staged on Monday 19th June 1837. Racing continued annually for each of the next nine years. The Norfolk Weekly News and Norwich Chronicle reported a meeting on Wednesday 22nd June 1842 when the card consisted of a Ladies Plate, the Downham Plate, the Park Plate, a Maiden Plate and the Hack Stakes. Although meetings then ceased, a prolonged spell of racing took place for 12 years starting in 1854 and ending on Wednesday 25th July 1866. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 1 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
West Norfolk Hunt, Mr Green, Mr Sparrow, Mr Weston |
| Principal Races |
Downham Stakes, East Anglian Plate, West Norfolk Handicap, Markham Stakes, Scurry Handicap, Downham Ladies Plate, Hunters Stakes |
Wednesday 1st August 1855 |
The Downham Stakes over 2 miles
1. Little Jack owned by Mr Smith
2. Tomyris owned by Mr Green
3. Ada owned by Mr Eden
The Hunters Stakes over 2 miles and hurdles
1. The Hawk owned by Mr Wigram
Downham Ladies Plate over 2 miles
1. Tomyris owned by Mr Green
2. Happy Go Lucky owned by Mr Bridges
3. Little Jack owned by Mr Smith
The East Anglian Plate over 2 miles
1. Don Pedro owned by Mr Sare |
Wednesday 25th July 1866 |
The West Norfolk Handicap over 1 ½ miles
1. Shakespeare owned by Mr Weston
2. Simonette owned by Mr Sparrow
The Marham Stakes over 1 ½ miles
1. Shakespeare owned by Mr Weston
2. Speculation
The Scurry Handicap over 6 furlongs
1. Shakespeare owned by Mr Weston
2. Simonette owned by Mr Sparrow |
| The final meeting took place on Wednesday 25th July 1866 and details from that meeting are shown above. |
| Course today |
An oval one mile course at Crowe Hall Park. |
| If you have photos, postcards, racecards. badges, newspaper cuttings or book references about the old course, or can provide a photo of how the ground on which the old racecourse stood looks today, then email johnwslusar@gmail.com |
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 |
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ISBN 978-0-9957632-0-3
652 pages
774 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-1-0
352 pages
400 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-2-7
180 pages
140 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-3-4
264 pages
235 former courses |
| Copies of the above books are only available by emailing johnwslusar@gmail.com stating your requirements, method of payment (cheque payable to W.Slusar) or Bank transfer, and the address where the book(s) should be sent. |
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