Newmarket
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With over 2,500 horses in training within the boundaries and some of the country’s most important thoroughbred studs just a stone’s throw away from the town centre, Newmarket is truly the centre of the Sports of Kings. Since the days when Queen Boadicea and the scythed chariots of the Iceni thundered across its great windswept heath, Newmarket has been proud of its Royal traditions. Visitors to Newmarket should arrive before noon to truly appreciate its truly unique character, for it is from the early morning that strings of thoroughbreds wend their way from stable to training gallop much as they always have done.
Queen Boadicea, to whom the Devil’s Dyke to the south of Newmarket stands as a silent monument, actually founded a stud just outside Newmarket at Exning, but it was not until the early years of the 17th century that racing closer to which we know today, began to take root. King James I enjoyed hunting in the area and soon established a headquarters in Newmarket, moving his whole court to the town. The first recorded race was run in 1622. Charles I did his best to maintain the royal connection, but it was through his son Charles II’s patronage that Newmarket really became a centre for racing.
The court was moved to Newmarket in the Spring and Autumn each year, and the Merry Monarch, keen to show of his own riding skills, instituted the Town Plate race, which, in a different form, is still competed for today. Charles remains the only British monarch to have ridden a winner on the Flat, having twice won the Plate. Newmarket’s importance in the racing world is further emphasised by its long association with the Jockey Club, the first governing body of the sport. Formed around 1750, the Club took a lease on the land in Newmarket high Street in 1752, and a coffee room was built. The present Newmarket offices of the Club are on the same site.
The present Newmarket Heath stages some of the greatest racing in the world, and its straight mile is reckoned to be the ultimate test of the thoroughbred. The timeless stretch of turf has changed little over the centuries, and where the ghost of the tragic Fred Archer now rides the wind, crowds are still being thrilled by the timeless brilliance of Lester Piggott as we go to press. Newmarket has two courses, the Rowley Mile, where the 1st two Classic races of the season are contested, and the July course, home of the town’s racing during mid-summer.
In Newmarket, today’s custodians pf the art of training racehorses are among the finest. Cecil, Stoute, Brittain, Gosden and Cumati, take up where the great names of the past like Boyd-Rochfort, Butters, Dawson and Murless, left off. Their stories and others connected with the history of the Turf are chronicled in Newmarket’s National Horseracing Museum, opened by the Queen in 1983. Further enrich your knowledge of this fascinating sport by visiting the National Stud, which is especially memorable in the spring. Newmarket is world famous for its racing and, as long as the horses continue to gallop on the heath, so its unique character will remain. Visitors are welcome throughout the year. Hotels, restaurants and shopping facilities are all of a high standard and your stay in the town will be a truly memorable one.
At the heart of East Anglia, Newmarket’s attraction is not just horseracing. The town is easy to reach by road, rail or sea and makes a superb base for exploring the surrounding attractive countryside nearby historic towns and cities. Cambridge is only around 10 miles away, and is one of the premier tourist attractions in the country. The world famous University was established in the 13th century, with later colleges such as Kings and Trinity, being built in or beside the town.
There is also the Fitzwilliam Museum, one of the principle museums of fine and applied arts in Britain. Don’t forget a visit to Ely. The Cathedral is a superb architectural achievement of the Middle Ages, and a dominating feature of the fenland skyline. Nearby is Oliver Cromwell’s house, which is home to a Tourist Information and Visitor centre. Bury St. Edmunds, an ancient market town, has played an important part in English history. The ruins of the great Abbey are set in attractive gardens by the River Lark. While you are there don’t miss the Manor house Museum and the Regency Theatre Royal. The smaller towns of Thetford, with its priory; Mildenhal with its wonderful ancient church, market place and museum, and Brandon with its Saxon history, traditional flint knapping and Heritage Centre, should not be missed.
The unspoilt countryside of the area offers a whole rang of activities, including walking, cycling, angling, golfing, boating and horse riding. Its heritage offers many architectural and cultural interested, including churches and museums set in attractive towns and villages. Its natural history, particularly the nearby Brecks and the Fens, is unique.
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