York Racecourse
York Racecourse
We are advising York Racecourse on plans to improve facilities for the many thousands of racegoers who enjoy attending one of the oldest and finest courses in the country.
The course is unique in having listed building from three different centuries: the remains of John Carr’s original eighteenth century Grandstand, the Victorian County and Press Stands and Walter Brierley’s 1920s Clock Tower. Many other historic structures also contribute positively to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.
In support of the Racecourse’s plans for the future, we have prepared a comprehensive assessment of its historic development and significance. What emerges from this is a site of national, possibly, international heritage significance. It expresses the history and character of racing in ways that are arguably more complete than any other course in the country: through landscape, history, architecture, character and culture.
Phase 1 of the improvements, by Dawson Williamson Architects, focus on the southern end of the racecourse. It includes improved open spaces, a new pavilion and the restoration of the historic Bustardthorpe Stand that better reveals its early twentieth-century engineering. We supported design development, pre-application negotiations and the planning submission. Future phases of the programme will consider improvements to the northern end of the course.
Client: York Racecourse
Architect: Dawson Williamson Architects