Description: This view shows the Racecourse grandstand, demolished in 1912. In The History of Nottingham, 1815, John Blackner is able to tell of the building of the Grandstand in 1777, 'a handsome brick building of two stories high'. A subscription, with a minimum of £20, was collected the year before, and those contributing were 3 Dukes, 2 Earls, 4 Lords, 6 Baronets and 37 other wealthy people. Each subscriber was to receive 'two silver tickets, to be transferable; each ticket to admit a lady or a gentleman to the Grandstand'. He says that 'the sport always continues three days', and, 'While the eye is delighted with the sports of the turf, the soul is swelled with exultation on beholding, in front, all bounteous nature presenting her autumnal tribute'; i.e. the fields of Hyson Green and beyond were covered with ripening corn and other crops, 'while, in the rear, thirteen windmills are preparing food for use of man'. The races were organised by, and for, the nobility and gentry of the district and beyond. For them it was an important social gathering with an opportunity to meet people from other parts of the country, and to introduce unmarried sons and daughters to suitable partners at the races, theatre, ball and evening parties. The committee dealing with the Grandstand also organised the building and running of the Assembly Rooms on Low Pavement. Then in 1795 Lenton and Radford parishes were trying, by Act of Parliament, to inclose their fields and wastes. Part of the racecourse ran through these parishes. Some of the subscribers for the Grandstand, built only 18 years before, and Assembly Rooms met, horrified ---- 'the intended inclosure, carried into effect, would make the Stand useless, and the assembly rooms of less value; and the £813 laid out in improving the raceground would be entirely lost'. They set about alerting the subscribing Lords and Members of Parliament so that they would vote against the planned inclosure. They questioned whether Mr. Gregory really owned the outright the bit of Forest on his land, but it turned out that he did. The forest land had not, until then, been though worth the effort and expense of inclosing, but a nearby parish had recently inclosed some and the value had greatly increased. Mr. Gregory had 300 acres in all and wanted his profit. His permission had never been sought for improving the racecourse on his land. The inclosure went ahead and that bit of racecourse was lost. The shareholders in the Grandstand considered selling it, but decided not to, but to redesign the racecourse on the remaining land. They came up with a curious looped design but it proved unpopular and was eventually changed to an oval course. The races were an opportunity for amusement and holiday for the townsfolk, and all kinds of entertainments proliferated on the Forest. There were proposals to move the racecourse - James Orange in The History and Antiques of Nottingham, 1840, states: 'A meeting was held at Exchange Rooms, on Wed. 7 Nov. 1838, T. Wakefield Esq. In the Chair for the purpose of removing the Races from the Forest, to the ryehills, in the meadows, the ground being so hard on the old course as to injure the horses' feet, but that in the latter was everything that could be wished. It was stated by H. M. Wood that he had surveyed the site of the proposed new course and was of an opinion, that an excellent mile and a half course could be formed there. Resolutions were passed appointing a committee to take the necessary steps to carry into effect the proposed alterations'. However, the races remained on the Forest. The management of the Forest had remained in the hands of the Race Committee, but by 1889 protests were received against racing and in 1890 the Race Committee was disbanded and the Borough Council took over. The races were moved to a new course at Colwick and by 1894 the Forest was being re-designed to make it more suitable for other types of recreation. (information from www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk)