Love Northampton

The Racecourse is a large park stretching over 118 acres, with several sports pitches and play areas. It is also home to the weekly Park Run, and the Umbrella Fair Pavilion, which hosts various community groups. Large scale events take place at the park each year, including the Town Show and a free fireworks display. As the name would suggest, the park hosted regular horse race meetings, which began in 1632 right up until 1904, when racing finally ceased owing to the high number of accidents. At the height of its operation, a hotel for racegoers was built on the corner of Kingsley Park Terrace and Kingsley Road. Once empty, locals referred to it as the 'White Elephant', and it later became a pub of the same name. The park also has a somewhat gory past, as it was used for many public executions between 1715 and 1818. The most famous of which was the hanging of the Culworth gang, when 5000 people turned up to watch the proceedings!