58-711: The National Horseracing Museum (NHRM) is a museum in Newmarket, Suffolk dedicated to the history of horseracing. It covers a 5-acre site on Palace Street in the centre of the town, having previously been housed in the Jockey Club Rooms on Newmarket High Street. Together with the British Sporting Art Trust and Retraining of Racehorses it is part of the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing & Sporting Art which
116-595: A Park and Ride service running from Studlands industrial estate to the town centre, which was replaced by an hourly bus route, the number 11 (formerly number 10), whilst at the same time parking charges were introduced to the town. Newmarket has a number of primary schools which feed into the 11–18 Newmarket Academy , the town's only secondary school. The town is also home to an Air Training Corps Squadron (2417 Newmarket Squadron) and an Army Cadet Detachment. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia .Television signals are received from
174-592: A breeding centre for thoroughbred horses . Other parts of the town are also surrounded by some of the world's largest and most successful horse breeding studs. The town is home to two of the most advanced equine hospitals in the world, the Newmarket Equine Hospital and Rossdales. Newmarket is home to Britain's National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art at Palace House , the National Horseracing Museum ,
232-577: A centre for many of Britain's finest sporting painters. The development of painting on sporting themes in the early eighteenth century was centred on the Newmarket Racecourse and the three founders of the sporting school, John Wootton , James Seymour and Peter Tillemans , painted many scenes of the racecourse and its environs. Newmarket is also the setting for some of Sir Alfred Munnings 's most famous paintings. The Save Historic Newmarket group, an organisation dedicated to maintaining
290-708: A converted theatre which had previously been used by the old local board for meetings. The first chairman of the urban district council was Joseph Rogers, who had been the last chairman of the local board. On 1 October 1895 the urban district was enlarged by absorbing the rest of Exning parish and additional areas from Woodditton parish (the latter being added to the civil parish of Newmarket All Saints). Thereafter Newmarket Urban District covered three civil parishes: Newmarket St Mary, Newmarket All Saints, and Exning. These were urban parishes and so did not have parish councils of their own, but were directly administered by Newmarket Urban District Council. The urban district council
348-637: A flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks. The track was active shortly after World War II and is known to have also been active during 1967. The date of closure is not known. An earlier instance of racing took place in 1933 at a venue described as the Duchess Drive Stadium. In 1866 a campaign started to build a cottage hospital in Newmarket. In 1878 the Jockey Club raised £5000 in memory of Admiral Rous. In
406-579: A horseracing town. The first palace building suffered from subsidence and sank on one side when King James was in residence in March 1613. Simon Basil , and later, Inigo Jones , were commissioned to build new lodgings for the King and the Prince of Wales . Jones's design had three storeys and was Italianate in style. In 1642, Charles I met a parliamentary deputation in Newmarket that demanded his surrender of
464-418: A key global centre of the business. Thoroughbred breeding lines are a core part of success in global horse racing, and key stallions are controlled by major global breeding operations, which operate studs around the town. Darley Stud , owners of New Approach , Cape Cross , Dubawi , Sepoy and Raven's Pass own large areas of land to the south of the town. Shadwell Stud , another major global operation, have
522-534: A number of studs nearby and own Nayef , Sakhee , Haafhd and Eswarah . Juddmonte Farms , owner of Frankel , Observatory , Dansili , Champs Elysees and Three Valleys, also have a large stud nearby. Cheveley Park Stud , owners of Pivotal, Mayson and Medicean are based next to the town, as are Lanwades Stud, owners of Aussie Rules, Hernando and Sir Percy . Newsells Park Stud , owners of Equiano and The Royal Studs, owners of Motivator also operate there. In 1967 Queen Elizabeth II opened The National Stud ,
580-651: Is Newmarket Town . In 2005–06 the club reached the quarter finals of the FA Vase . Newmarket Hockey Club play field hockey , and Newmarket Cycling and Triathlon club is an amateur cycling club in the town. A greyhound racing track was opened around the Cricket Field Road ground, the venue used by Newmarket Town FC. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club ) known as
638-506: Is Britain's biggest single art prize, and the largest single museum arts prize in the world. The prize and is presented to a museum or gallery, large or small, anywhere in the UK, whose entry, in the opinion of the judges, best demonstrates a track record of imagination, innovation and excellence through work mainly undertaken during the previous calendar year. The Museum of the Year was awarded by
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#1732787331568696-680: Is also a gift shop and second-hand bookshop in the Trainer's House, and a cafe and restaurant and statue of Frankel in the courtyard. Palace House, the only remaining part of the palace of Charles II, is home to the Fred Packard Museum and Galleries of British Sporting Art, as well as the offices of the British Sporting Art Trust. Equine artists represented in the collection include George Stubbs , Sir Alfred Munnings and Lucy Kemp-Welch . As well as paintings,
754-531: Is also a very historical area with the remains of 6th century living. This hill is part of the chalk formation the Newmarket Ridge . The town has 50 miles (80 km) of turf gallops and over 14 miles (23 km) of artificial track. Most of the Newmarket-based racing stables are situated in the centre of the town, where they can easily access the gallops. The town has special horse routes so
812-445: Is home to over 3,500 racehorses, and it is estimated that one in every three local jobs is related to horse racing. Palace House , the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art, the National Horseracing Museum , Tattersalls racehorse auctioneers, and two of the world's foremost equine hospitals for horse health, are in the town, which is surrounded by over sixty horse breeding studs. On account of its leading position in
870-542: Is located next to the Rowley Mile Racecourse and is a predominately flat area. "Warren Hill" overlooks the town and consists of three all-weather canters and a multitude of grass canters. "Bury Side" is the name given to the area located near the Bury Road and the railway line. These areas and the surrounding heath is chalk downland and has special birds and animals only suited to this terrain. It
928-501: Is nearly an exclave , with only a narrow strip of territory linking it to the rest of the county. There are three tiers of local government covering Newmarket, at parish (town), district, and county level: Newmarket Town Council, West Suffolk District Council , and Suffolk County Council . The town lies in the Parliamentary constituency of West Suffolk , which since 2024 has been represented by MP Nick Timothy . Historically
986-736: Is the birthplace of the following people. Newmarket has three sister cities , as designated by Sister Cities International : Museum of the Year The Museum of the Year Award , formerly known as the Gulbenkian Prize and the Art Fund Prize , is an annual prize awarded to a museum or gallery in the United Kingdom for a "track record of imagination, innovation and excellence". The award of £100,000
1044-437: Is the home of Newmarket's two Classic races , the 2,000 Guineas and the 1,000 Guineas , two of the world's most prestigious races, run in the first weekend of May every year. The value of the winners of these races are often immediately increases by millions of pounds. It is also the home of Future Champions Day, run the weekend before Champions Day at Ascot , which includes the very important Dewhurst Stakes . The July Course
1102-622: Is the home of the July Cup , the Falmouth Stakes and a number of other very important races. The two courses are separated by the Devil's Dyke . This large earthwork starts in neighbouring Woodditton (sometimes spelt as Wood Ditton) and ends in Reach , a distance of over seven miles (eleven kilometres). Newmarket is the UK centre for the multibillion-pound racehorse breeding industry, and
1160-578: The Sandy Heath TV transmitter. The town is served by both BBC Radio Suffolk and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire including other radio stations Heart East , Star Radio , and Greatest Hits Radio Cambridgeshire . The local newspaper is the Newmarket Journal . Newmarket has two racecourses, The Rowley Mile and The July Course , and is home to 3,000 thoroughbred racehorses and over 70 racehorse trainers. The local football team
1218-633: The Sporting Art Trust and a base of Retraining of Racehorses . The town is home to the PGI Protected Newmarket sausage . Produced since the 1880s, three local butchers in the town are entitled to produce these unique flavoured sausages. The sausages are given as a prize for the Newmarket Town Plate , held each year at Newmarket racecourse . Newmarket's key role in sport for many centuries has made it
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#17327873315681276-473: The West Suffolk district of Suffolk , England, 14 miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 14 miles northeast of Cambridge . In 2021, it had a population of 16,772. It is a global centre for thoroughbred horse racing , racehorse training, breeding, and horse health. Two Classic races and three British Champions Series races are held at Newmarket every year. The town has had close royal connections since
1334-639: The Art Fund. It adopted its current name in late 2012, and the first award under the new name was given in 2013. Since 2011 the Clore Award for Museum Learning, worth £10,000 and sponsored by the Clore Duffield Foundation, has been awarded for "quality museum and gallery learning with children and young people (from early years up to the age of 25) in any setting, in or out of school or college". For its first two years this award had
1392-832: The British charity National Heritage from 1973 to 2000. In 2001, the Museum Prize Trust was established with the aim of creating a single award to replace this prize and three others awarded by the Museums Association , the Art Fund and the Campaign for Museums. The Gulbenkian Prize, as this was known, was first awarded in 2003. The prize's principal sponsor until 2007 was the Lisbon -based Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation , but since 2008 it has been sponsored by
1450-641: The High Street spread into the parishes of Woodditton and Cheveley in Cambridgeshire. In 1894, the county border was moved to accommodate this, and has been further altered since. On 15 December 1977, an F111-F jet fighter crashed at Exning near Newmarket, owing to hydraulic failure. Aired on 12 February 2012, the British television series Time Team excavated on the site of Charles II's palace at Newmarket and found foundations of racehorse stables. The area of Suffolk containing Newmarket
1508-668: The Long Hill exercise grounds), Racecourse Side (situated between and alongside Newmarket Racecourses's Rowley Mile and July Courses), and the Limekilns (include the Al Bahatri all-weather grounds). Godolphin also operate two large private horse exercise grounds near their Godolphin Stables and Moulton Paddocks stables. The town has two race courses situated on Newmarket Heath, The Rowley Mile and The July Course . The Rowley Mile
1566-481: The National Horseracing Museum, together with the British Sporting Art Trust and Retraining of Racehorses, moved to their current premises on the remains of the sporting palace of Charles II on Palace Street. The three charities combined to form the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing & Sporting Art, which was opened by Elizabeth II on 3 November 2016. The Palace Street premises occupy
1624-408: The area was split between two parishes called Newmarket and Exning, with the parish council for Newmarket adopting the name Newmarket Town Council. Forest Heath District Council had its main offices at Mildenhall . Forest Heath merged with neighbouring St Edmundsbury in 2019 to become West Suffolk, administered from Bury St Edmunds . Racing at Newmarket has been dated as far back as 1174, making it
1682-588: The armed forces. "By God not for an hour", Charles replied, "You have asked such of me that was never asked of a King!" This effectively started the English Civil War . Newmarket remained Royalist throughout the war. In early June 1647, Charles was captured at Holdenby House in Northamptonshire and brought to Newmarket as a prisoner. He was placed under house arrest in the palace while the whole of Cromwell 's New Model Army kept guard over
1740-446: The council's abolition in 1974. Newmarket Urban District Council was granted a coat of arms on 15 November 1951. The Local Government Commission for England suggested in the 1960s that the border around Newmarket could be altered in West Suffolk 's favour. Conversely, the 1972 Local Government Bill , as originally proposed, would have transferred the town (and Haverhill) to Cambridgeshire. Newmarket Urban District Council supported
1798-454: The earliest known racing venue of post-classical times. King James I (reigned 1603–1625) greatly increased the popularity of horse racing there, and King Charles I followed this by inaugurating the first cup race in 1634. The Jockey Club 's clubhouse is in Newmarket, though its administration is based in London. Around 3,000 race horses are stabled in and around Newmarket. By comparison,
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1856-538: The estate with a compulsory purchase order . Palace House was restored with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and English Heritage and was used as a civic building. In 2005 Forest Heath District Council and the National Horseracing Museum set up the Home of Horseracing Trust to raise funds for the new centre at Palace Street. The Trust was wound up in 2020 after the completion of
1914-593: The forge, the horse-walker and the paddocks, and also watch the horses being schooled in the Peter O'Sullevan arena. Several times a year the Peter O'Sullevan arena hosts displays such as horseball and horseback falconry (both featuring retired racehorses) and Suffolk Punch horses. In 2017 the museum was one of five finalists for the Art Fund Museum of the Year . In 2020 the museum won the small visitor attraction of
1972-399: The galleries display prints, sculpture, and everyday objects. The Rothschild Yard in the grounds of the museum is home to Retraining of Racehorses and houses displays about the charity's work. Stabling and paddocks are provided for several retired racehorses who are temporary residents of the yard while they undergo retraining. There are twice-daily tours of the grounds, where visitors can see
2030-496: The horses can reach the gallops safely from the many training establishments occupied by top trainers. Many of the world's most successful trainers are based in Newmarket, Sir Michael Stoute who is based at Freemason Lodge, John Gosden , based at Clarehaven Stables, Saeed bin Suroor , based at Stanley House Stables and Charlie Appleby based at Moulton Paddocks. Millions of pounds of prize money are won by these trainers alone around
2088-424: The human population is of the order of 15,000 and it is estimated that one in three jobs are connected to horseracing in one way or another. Newmarket has 3 main sections of Heath, all of which are used to train the racehorses on. The grassland of Newmarket's training grounds has been developed over hundreds of years of careful maintenance, and is generally regarded as some of the finest in the world. "Racecourse side"
2146-646: The move to Cambridgeshire, but ultimately the government decided to withdraw this proposal and keep the existing boundary, despite lobbying from the Urban District Council. Newmarket Urban District was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, merging with neighbouring Mildenhall Rural District to become Forest Heath District on 1 April 1974. No successor parish was created for the former urban district, and so it became an unparished area , remaining unparished until 1999 when
2204-524: The multibillion-pound horse racing and breeding industry, it is also a major export centre. Newmarket's name was first recorded in Latin as Novo Mercato in 1219 (according to The National Archives , Feet of Fines CP25/1/23/9). The Novum Forum c.1200 recorded in many placename dictionaries such as that by Mills, is an error; this was actually the surname de novo foro of a man from Yorkshire who had no connection to Newmarket. In 1223, Richard de Argentein
2262-442: The neighbouring towns of Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Ely and Mildenhall. Various National Express coach services serve the town: London ( Victoria Coach Station ) to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft; Norwich to Stansted , Heathrow and Gatwick Airports ; and the cross country Clacton-on-Sea to Liverpool service which travels via Cambridge, Peterborough, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester. In late 2006, Newmarket introduced
2320-430: The now-closed Cambridge – Haverhill – Sudbury route). With the development of other rail lines the Newmarket terminus was replaced by the present through station in 1902; it was used as a goods station until 1967 and demolished in 1980. A short distance to the north east is the 1,100-yard Warren Hill tunnel. North of the tunnel, a separate station, Warren Hill , was built for raceday use. Regular bus services run to
2378-451: The palace was "meane enough, and hardly capable for a hunting house, let alone a royal palace!" In October 1677 and October 1695, William of Orange visited Newmarket. In 1791 the Prince of Wales ' horse Escape , ridden by Samuel Chifney , lost a race and then won one the next day, raising suspicions he'd lost the first race on purpose to raise the betting odds. Jockey Club stewards Charles Bunbury , Ralph Dutton and Thomas Panton told
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2436-410: The prince that if he continued to employ Chifney, "no gentleman would start against him". The prince instead announced he would no longer race at all. He sold his stable and, despite pleas from the Jockey Club, never returned to Newmarket. At the start of the 19th century, the palace was largely demolished, but a section survives and is now named Palace House . During the 1800s, Newmarket south of
2494-472: The project, with the new museum having opened in 2016. In May 2024, Queen Camilla became patron of the museum, succeeding Queen Elizabeth II. The museum's collections and displays are housed in the Trainer's House and King's Yard Stables. Exhibits relate to the history and science of horse racing and include paintings, jockey silks worn by Lester Piggott and Frankie Dettori , a racehorse simulator which visitors can try out, and other racing memorabilia. There
2552-595: The property was inherited by Leopold de Rothschild , who in 1903 built the Rothschild Yard and Stables adjacent to the King's Yard Stables. During World War II Palace House was used to house Jewish refugees. The Palace House estate remained in the hands of the Rothschild family until 1985, when it was sold by Leopold's grandson Sir Evelyn de Rothschild . The new owners let the buildings fall into disrepair, and in 1992 Forest Heath District Council acquired
2610-405: The site of the Newmarket palace and stables of Charles II . Only Palace House remains of the original palace, the rest having been demolished after Queen Victoria sold the property to Mayer Amschel de Rothschild in 1857. The stables of Charles II on the opposite side of Palace Street were also demolished to make way for the Trainer's House and new stables called the King's Yard Stables. In 1874
2668-521: The stretch from Great Chesterford to Six Mile Bottom, was superseded by a more viable section linking Six Mile Bottom directly with Cambridge, and so the Great Chesterford – Six Mile Bottom section closed in 1851, one of the earliest closures in British railway history (the former Bourne Bridge station is believed to have been partly incorporated into a public house just across the road from a station opened later on another line – Pampisford , on
2726-519: The time of James I , who built a palace there, and was also a base for Charles I , Charles II , and most monarchs since. Elizabeth II visited the town often to see her horses in training. Newmarket has over fifty horse training stables, two large racetracks, the Rowley Mile and the July Course , and one of the most extensive and prestigious horse training grounds in the world. The town
2784-554: The town was split between parishes and counties, with one parish – St Mary – in Suffolk, and the other – All Saints – in Cambridgeshire . The boundary between the two parishes followed the High Street through the middle of the town, with St Mary's parish and Suffolk to the north, and All Saints' parish and Cambridgeshire to the south. In 1851 a local board of health was established to govern the town, with its territory covering
2842-644: The town's unique heritage as the world headquarters of racing, has become increasingly vocal in recent years. The group, composed of local residents, supports sustainable development in the town and aims to make Newmarket a more attractive destination for visitors. Newmarket railway station is on the Ipswich-Ely line , formerly belonging to the Great Eastern Railway (later part of the London & North Eastern Railway ). Newmarket's first railway
2900-429: The town. A survey in 1649 showed that the palace was in disrepair. The following year, the palace was sold to John Okey (one of the regicides ), who demolished most of the buildings. Between 1666 and 1685, Charles II often visited Newmarket. In 1668, he commissioned William Samwell to build a new palace on the High Street (on the site of the present United Reformed Church). However, in 1670, John Evelyn said that
2958-725: The twentieth century it became a GP led unit, and was converted into almshouses in 1977. From the start of the twentieth-century a succession of the matrons were trained at The London Hospital under Matron Eva Luckes . These included: Famous residents of Newmarket include jockeys Frankie Dettori , William Buick , Ryan Moore and Tom Queally as well as trainers Sir Michael Stoute , John Gosden , James Fanshawe , Saeed bin Suroor , Charlie Appleby , and Marco Botti and former West Indian cricketer Michael Holding . Many wealthy owners of racing stables and studs have also lived in Newmarket, including David Robinson , David Thompson , Rachel Parsons and Lester Piggott . Newmarket
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#17327873315683016-684: The two Newmarket parishes and parts of the neighbouring parishes of Exning (Suffolk) and Woodditton (Cambridgeshire). The Local Government Act 1888 established county councils, and directed that urban sanitary districts such as Newmarket Local Board should not straddle county boundaries. As such, the whole local board district was brought within West Suffolk on 1 April 1889. The Local Government Act 1894 established elected parish and district councils, with Newmarket Local Board becoming Newmarket Urban District Council on 31 December 1894. Newmarket Urban District Council held its first meeting on 31 December 1894 at Newmarket Town Hall at 29 High Street,
3074-460: The world each year. Many of the horses they train are worth over £1 million, with some of the finest being worth between £5 million and £50 million or higher. Outside the town the land-use is dominated by thoroughbred breeding , studs occupying large areas in every direction. Around seventy licensed trainers and more than sixty stud farms operate in and around Newmarket. Newmarket has three major public horse exercise grounds: Warren Hill (including
3132-613: The year category in the East Anglian Daily Times Norfolk and Suffolk Tourism Awards. In 2022 the museum was a highly commended runner-up in the large museum category at the Suffolk Museum of the Year Awards. 52°14′38″N 0°24′25″E / 52.2439°N 0.4070°E / 52.2439; 0.4070 Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in
3190-524: Was a line built by the Newmarket and Chesterford Railway and opened in 1848 (known as the "Newmarket Railway"). It branched off the West Anglia Main Line at Great Chesterford and ran about 15 miles (25 kilometres) north-eastwards. There was an attractive terminus in Newmarket, with intermediate stations at Bourne Bridge , Balsham Road and Six Mile Bottom . Three years later the first nine miles (fourteen kilometres) or so of this line,
3248-553: Was based at the Town Hall at 29 High Street until 1922, when it moved to Godolphin House at 2 The Avenue, and sold the Town Hall to be converted into commercial premises. By 1937 the council had moved its main offices to Stratford House at 29 Old Station Road, but continued to use Godolphin House for some departments. Around 1948 the council acquired Severals House at 3 Bury Road, which then served as its offices and meeting place until
3306-560: Was granted licence to hold an annual fair in Newmarket (from The National Archives, Henry III Fine Roll C60/18). James I first visited Newmarket in February 1605, describing it as a "poor little village". From 1606 to 1610, he built the Newmarket Palace, an estate covering 1 acre (4,000 square metres) of land from the High Street to All Saints' churchyard, and thus established the town as a royal resort. This also made Newmarket
3364-470: Was opened by Elizabeth II in 2016. When the Subscription Rooms of the Jockey Club closed in 1981, Jockey Club handicapper Major David Swannell decided it would be the ideal place to set up a national horseracing museum. The museum was opened on 30 April 1983 by Elizabeth II . A statue of 1933 Epsom Derby winner Hyperion stood in the entrance to the museum on Newmarket High Street. In 2016
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