History of Lingfield Park

Lingfield Park Racecourse and Golf Club is located in the heart of a breathtaking 600 acre estate in Surrey, on the borders of Sussex and Kent. The estate dates back to the nineteenth century and the area was first established and recorded as an area of recreation as early as the fifteenth century.

The advent of the new railway line serving the area in the 1880s generated a lot of new activity in the area, being used by socialites from London, along with Royalty who began to stay at the newly opened and luxurious Dormansland Hotel.

In 1890 Lingfield Park Racecourse was opened by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) who graciously agreed to allow Lingfield to incorporate the Prince of Wales feathers in its official heading. The course initially opened as a jumps course and, in 1894 was granted permission by the Jockey Club to also operate as a flat racing venue.

Racing has continued at Lingfield Park ever since, with the only break occurring during the Second World War when the War Office requisitioned the course. Flooding was a major problem in the period immediately after the war and the course lost much of its hard earned prestige within the racing world. However the sale of the racecourse by Ladbrokes in 1982 saw the new owner install considerable flood defences on the estate.
The new owners had aspirations to develop a golf club on the water logged fields and woodlands lands, resulting in Lingfield Park Golf Course being opened in June 1987 as a venue for annual, day and corporate members.

Arena Leisure Plc purchased Lingfield Park Racecourse in 1991 and, in 2001 made the decision to completely replace the existing Equitrack All Weather Surface with Polytrack. The new track opened in November 2001 with the racing fraternity eagerly waiting to see if it would bring about the improvements that had been hoped for.

The results to date have surpassed all expectations and Trainers, Owners, Jockeys and Officials agree that this is one of the best surfaces in the world. The separate re-laying of the back straight on the turf course in 2002/2003 also helped to ensure a dramatic improvement in the reputation of Lingfield Park and the £5.5 million investment in the new Grandstand in 2004 has further helped to re-position Lingfield Park as a popular, well managed, scenic, profitable racecourse.

Click here for details about future developments planned for Lingfield Park Racecourse.