Earliest meeting: Saturday 27th August 1729
Final meeting: Friday 6th June 1823
The first recorded races in the Cheshire town of Nantwich took place in August 1729. Baily’s Racing Register provided detailed results from those races on Saturday 27th August 1729 when the £30 Plate was won by Molly-in-the-Moor owned by the racing fanatic Mr Watkin Williams Wynn. From this date onwards it became an annual event to coincide with the Fair which took place in late June or early July. There would be Ordinaries served at the Griffin Inn, and after the meeting some racegoers would be entertained at the Old Barn Theatre, whilst others would go to Assemblies at the Crown Assembly Rooms. The racecourse was situated on Beam Heath in Alvaston and was described as circular but, unusually for the day, had its own wooden pavilion. Although the exact location of the course is not known, it is believed to have been close to Alvaston Hall which, in those days, was known as The Grove. Today Alvaston Hall Hotel, a half-timbered Victorian country house hotel, has its own nine-hole golf course in its extensive grounds. A two day meeting was held on Monday 25th and Tuesday May 26th 1772 when Mr Leigh’s Slow and East won the £50 Handicap, while the £50 Purse went to Mr Clifton’s Cadmus. After the meeting on Friday 6th June 1823 the land on which the racecourse was situated was acquired by two local businessmen, Mr Davies and Mr White, who chose to plough the fields instead of continuing to use it for the purposes of racing.
Saturday 27th August 1729
Nantwich £30 Plate
1. Molly-in-the-Moor owned by Mr Williams Wynn
2. Vulcan owned by Mr Egerton
Nantwich £50 Handicap over 4 miles
1. Slow And East owned by Mr Leigh
2. Minister owned by Mr Vernon
Nantwich £50 Purse over 4 miles
1. Cadmus owned by Mr Clifton
Nantwich Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Subscription Purse of £50 over 2 miles
1. Monitor owned by Mr T Douglas
Nantwich Town Purse of £50 over 4 miles
1. Strawberry owned by Mr W Passman
2. Frowning owned by Mr Lloyd
3. Boreas owned by Mr W W Wynne
Nantwich £50 stakes for 4 year olds over 2 miles
1. Venture owned by Sir H Harpur
Nantwich £50 purse over 4 miles
1. Intrepid owned by Mr Norcop
Nantwich Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Purse of £50 over 4 miles
1. Changeling owned by Mr Bowyer
2. Intrepid owned by Mr Norcop
Nantwich Town Purse of £50 over 4 miles
1. Intrepid owned by Mr Norcop
2. Prospero owned by Lord Stanley
Nantwich Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Purse of £50 over 4 miles
1. Scramble owned by Lord Grosvenor
2. Euphemia owned by Mr Norcop
3. Automatia owned by Mr Hoyland
Nantwich Town Purse of £50 over 4 miles
1. Intrepid owned by Mr Norcop
Nantwich Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Purse of £50 for 4 year olds over 2 miles
1. Royal owned by Mr Swinfen
2. Nimble owned by Lord Grosvenor
3. Jessamin owned by Mr Lloyd
4. Larkcatcher owned by Mr Webb
Nantwich Town Purse of £50 over 4 miles
1. Omiah owned by Mr Wilkins
Nantwich Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Purse of £50 for 4 year olds over 2 miles
1. Macheath owned by Mr Hebden
2. Athenais owned by Mr H Vernon
3. Armida owned by Sir H Harpur
4. Adamant owned by Mr Butler
5. Virgin owned by Mr P Rock
Nantwich Town Purse of £50 over 4 miles
1. Royal owned by Mr Swinfen
Nantwich Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Subscription of £50 for 4 y-olds over 2 miles
1. Young Morwick owned by Mr Vever
2. Castalia owned by Mr Davison
Nantwich Town Purse of £50 over 4 miles
1. Cannibal owned by Mr Stapleton
Nantwich Subscription Purse of £50 over 2 miles
1. Moses, bay colt by Metaphysician, owned by Mr Barlow
Nantwich Town Purse of £50 over 4 miles
1. Druggist owned by Mr Lloyd
2. Pilot owned by Sir H Harpur
3. Bagatelle owned by Mr Fernyhough
4. Riot owned by Mr Aldridge
Perdita on Nantwich Racecourse, owned by Mr Walsh, with thanks to Nantwich Museum.
Tuesday 27th to Thursday 29th August 1782
Nantwich Noblemen and Gentlemens’ Purse over 3 miles
1. Young Cicero owned by Mr Sanders
2. Patriot owned by Mr Archer
3. King Richard owned by Mr Lloyd
Nantwich Town Plate over 4 miles
1. Druggist owned by Mr Lloyd
2. Mistake owned by Mr James Barry
3. Patriot owned by Mr Archer
Wednesday 9th to Friday 11th July 1794
Nantwich Sweepstakes over 3 miles
1. Tommy owned by Sir R Brooke
2. Ninety-Three owned by Mr Clifton
Nantwich Plate over 4 miles
1. Chariot owned by Mr Clifton
2. Bergamot owned by Mr Barry
3. Weasel owned by Lord Donegall
The map shown below indicates the location of the racecourse in 1819. Just 5 years later the course was ploughed and racing discontinued.
On Beam Heath in Alvaston. After the 1823 meeting the land on which the racecourse was situated was acquired by two local businessmen, Mr Davies and Mr White, who chose to plough the fields instead of continuing to use it for the purposes of racing.
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
