Occupying close to two hundred and fifty acres of former estate land on the eastern edge of Nottingham, beside the River Trent, Colwick Park is a country park best known as the home of Nottingham Racecourse. The land once formed part of the Colwick Hall estate, and today it combines horse racing, open parkland and water-based recreation in a single sweep of countryside close to the city. The estate's recorded history reaches back to 1362, when it passed into the Byron family, ancestors of the poet Lord Byron, who held it for around a century and a half. The present Colwick Hall was rebuilt in 1775 and 1776 to designs by John Carr of York, and in 1896 the hall and grounds were acquired by the company formed to develop the racecourse. Horse racing in Nottingham had taken place for some two hundred years on the Forest Recreation Ground before moving to Colwick Park, where the first meeting on the new course was held in August 1892. Nottingham City Council bought the site in 1965 and agreed a long lease with the predecessors of Jockey Club Racecourses; the track was dual-purpose until 1996 and now stages flat racing only. Beyond the racecourse, the surrounding country park offers lakes, walking routes and open green space, with Colwick Hall itself, a Grade II*-listed building, now operating as a hotel. The park is managed for public access, providing a recreational resource for the communities of eastern Nottingham alongside its racing fixtures. Set close to the Trent and the watersports facilities at Holme Pierrepont, and well connected to the city centre, Colwick Park brings together sport, heritage and parkland on one historic estate. Its blend of a working racecourse, a landscaped country park and a centuries-old hall gives it a distinctive character among the open spaces around Nottingham.

Type: Outdoors

Address: The Stables, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Outdoor Area