Historic horse racing grandstand left neglected and vandalised to undergo stunning transformation

5 months ago 30

THIS historic horse racing grandstand is to undergo a stunning transformation after years of neglect and vandalism.

Once a popular venue that attracted crowds of up to 6,000 on racedays, Cottenham racecourse in Cambridge was such a hit it even had direct trains from London running there.

The grandstand at Cottenham racecourse was left unloved and suffered £14,000 of vandalism[/caption]

It also hosted the National Hunt Chase contest before it became a fixture at Cheltenham Festival.

But the stand, built in 1925, has fallen into a state of disrepair in recent years after the final meeting at the track in 2019.

The once-packed stand has gone the same way of Folkestone in Kent – the abandoned racetrack bought for £25million but left totally unloved.

One act of needless vandalism evendid £14,000 of damage.

But plans for Cottenham are now in full swing after getting the go-ahead from council bosses.

The stand will be turned into a modern four-bedroom house and converted ‘sympathetically’ with regards the original features, said developers Dakin Estates.

A press release read: “Far from being just a viewing platform, the grandstand had doors, windows, plumbing, drainage and electricity.

“Inside there is a weighing in room, jockeys changing rooms, offices for stewards and secretaries and toilets and, on race days, its interior was a hive of activity.

“Nearby, a building from the 1950s, ‘The Masters Hut’ contained a hospitality suite, a sick bay and a changing room for female jockeys, (a radical departure not envisaged, or provisioned for, at the time of the grandstand’s design!).

“The footprint of this building is to be repurposed as an ancillary building to the dwelling created in the grandstand.

“The design of the proposed conversion will honour the grandstand’s previous use retaining the same build form, reusing existing windows and doors and re-purposing as many racing artefacts as possible.

“It is earnestly hoped that the finished conversion will keep alive the memory of, and provide a fitting memorial to, the long tradition of racing at Cottenham.”