James Gray: The original photograph, of which this is a copy, was taken on Easter Monday, 1 April 1861. The occasion was the Easter Volunteer Field Day, attended by a force of between 7,000 and 8,000 men who formed up the Level and then marched by way of Marine Parade and Whitehawk Hill Road to the Race Hill. The parade, under the command of Lord Ranelagh, then marched along the course past Brighton racecourse grandstand. The officers can be seen in the photograph. The grandstand shown here was the second stand. The original building, erected in 1798, was a shabby wooden building, which was purchased by the Race Committee in 1849. Soon afterwards it was replaced by the stand shown in the photograph, which of course, has long disappeared. jgc_27_137
James Gray: This photograph of the racecourse and stand, dates from 1895. Compare the stand with that shown [above] on the previous page. The first addition to that structure was the building of the southern wing [left hand side in the photograph] in 1865. Incidentally, this was first used for the Easter Monday Review, 1866. The northern wing of similar proportions was added a few years later. It was not until the 1930s that the alterations and improvements to the racecourse and stands were started, and all present stands date from since then. jgc_27_138
James Gray: No comment. jgc_27_141
2019: See caption for jgc_27_137 above.
James Gray: No comment. jgc_27_140
2019: Nowadays the racecourse is mainly privately owned and relies on a series of events ranging from car boot sales (shown here) to wedding fairs and Christmas parties to help generate income. (Photographer: Ron Fitton)
James Gray: A splendid view of the course looking towards the starting gate. The exact date is not known, but it must have been before 1913 because the Race Hill Mill is seen, and this was blown down on 16 May in that year. Note also the three Race Hill Cottages, demolished about 1930, and beyond, Bell Vue Cottages, which still exist. At this period few people paid to watch the races and it was a pleasant walk along the course. jgc_27_142