Folkestone Racecourse
 Folkestone Racecourse logo |
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| Location | Westenhanger, Kent |
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| Owned by | Arena Leisure Plc |
| Screened on | At The Races |
| Course type | Flat National Hunt |
| Official website | |
Folkestone Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue in southeast England. It is located in Westenhanger, by junction 11 of the M20 motorway and about two miles west of Folkestone.
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[edit] History
The history of the Westenhanger estate dates back to 1035 when it was owned by King Canute. The 14th century Westenhanger Castle can still be seen next to the main grandstand.
The course was established in 1898, and is a right-handed undulating oval with a run in of 3f and a 7f straight chute. The centre of the course is farmed, and has a reservoir fed by a pumping station on the west side of the oval. The East Stour river runs along the western edge of the oval and under the straight course.
[edit] RAF Westenhanger
The racecourse was first used by aviation when a flying meeting was held in September 1910, three aircraft were present watched by a large crowd.[1] Between 1940 and 1941 the racecourse was used as a decoy airfield with dummy aircraft placed to look like an active airfield.[1] On 23 April 1944 660 Squadron, an army cooperation squadron of the Royal Air Force, arrived at what was then known as RAF Westenhanger after the nearby village.[1] The squadron based in a tented camp was equipped with Auster Mark IV single-engined liaison aircraft and used the racecourse to practice operations with local army units.[1] On 12 July 1944 the squadron of 12 Austers escorted by a Supermarine Walrus rescue flying boat left Westenhangar for France.[1] The airfield was then restored back to use as a racecourse.[1] Rubble from wartime buildings can be seen on the north side of the straight course where it meets the oval.
[edit] See also
- Westenhanger railway station - 100m from the entrance
[edit] References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Lee, David W. (2010). Action Stations Revisited, Volume 3 South East England. Crecy Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9 780859 791106.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 51°5′38″N 1°2′1″E / 51.09389°N 1.03361°E
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