Horse Racing in Leeds

[wiggy]

drapesy wrote: Reg - My original post was from memory - but I have since checked out my copy of Kevin Grady and Steven Burt's excellent "Illustrated History of Leeds"The Haigh Park race course was near Skelton Grange - where the sewage works are and I assume all trace of it has gone. It was even shorter-lived than I thought. It opened in June 1824 and a crowd of 15-20,000 attended the first day. In an evenly balanced and fair editorial the 'Leeds Mercury' of 26 June 1824 said" The town has been inundated with sharpers, brought from different parts of the kingdom, debauchery and licentiousness have been encouraged, the minds of the people have been unsettled and their morals are in a fair way to being contaminated. A disposition for gambling, so foreign to the prevailing habits of the people of Leeds, has already begun to display itself, and the industry of the labouring classes has suffered a shock from which it will not speedily recover" Despite the initial crowds the course struggled to attract support (too far from the centre of Leeds, perhaps). Burt and Grady mention that other attractions such as wrestling were tried, and I know from research of my own that Leeds Cricket Club used the ground on at least one occasion. The venue lasted only 7 seasons and closed for good in 1830.Previously the main venue for horse-racing had been Chapeltown Moor, which staged races from Ralph Thoresby's time in the 1600's (if not before) up to the Moor being divided up and built on in the early 1800s (the last races were in 1808 I believe) the race-track was in an area North of Potternewton Lane, west of Harrogate Road - roughly west of the 'Three Hullats' (previously the Mexborough Arms, previously The Bowling Green House)It should also be noted that right through to the Victorian era various Moors around Leeds staged Horse racing at more minor levels - particular Woodhouse, Hunslet and Holbeck Moors the copper works was built on the racecoarse site,and your sooo right about the EXCELLENT illustrated history of leeds.