Manchester Racecourse. New Barnes

We are informed that the Manchester Racecourse Company Limited, has been registered, and the capital all subscribed. The Company has purchased 100 acres of freehold land in Salford, between Regent Road and the river Irwell, the distance from the Grand Stand, which it is proposed to erect thereon, to the Cross Lane Station of the London and North-Western Railway being three-eighths of a mile, From St. Ann's Square, Manchester, to the course the distance is 2 1/8  miles. The access to the course in every direction is by some of the best roads in the neighbourhood. The course is laid out —the circle being one mile and 700 yards (the length as the Liverpool racecourse), with a straight run in of half a mile on the circle course, and a straight two-year-old course of 4.5 furlongs. Tho narrowest portion of the course will be 22 yards, and the width of the straight run up 25 yards. The whole of the contracts for erecting the grand and stewards' stands, second class stands, draining, turfing, and railing the running track of the course, been let to responsible contractors on whom tbc Company can rely, and all the works will be so far executed as that the usual Whitsuntide Meeting of 1868 will be held on the course. The Grandstand will be placed on an elevated portion of the ground and will command a view of the entire course. From the appearance of the architect's designs, it will have a very Imposing appearance from all parts of the Course, differing greatly from most other grandstands by having the galleries and other standing room under cover from sun or rain, not broken up into storeys one above another with lofty staircases to climb, but on one entire inclined plane, capable of accommodating with comfort about 2,500 people. In addition, there will be outside stone inclined steps in the paddock in front and the end of the Grandstand. capable of holding an additional thousand people, The second-class stands will resemble to some extent the old ones on Castle Irwell course, with such Improvements as experience has suggested. They will all be under cover and will be divided into several divisions at various prices of admission and will accommodate about 3,000 people. There will be convenient and spacious brick bars underneath all these stands. Plans ar80 being prepared for stabling to be erected on the ground to accommodate, principally in loose boxes, 80 horses or thereabouts. The added money to the several stakes run for at the Whitsuntide Meeting has been considerably increased, and now amounts to upwards of £1,500. The promoters, who are the old Racecourse Association of Castle Irwell, assure the racing public that they will endeavour to insure a successful meeting and a permanent course, with necessary and special conveniences such as the racing characteristics of the district are fully entitled to, and second to none in the kingdom. [Manchester Guardian 14 February 1868 page 4]

MANCHESTER - Tenders delivered for the Grand Stand, Second‑class Stand, Stabling for eighty horses, Fencing, Approaches, etc, for the Manchester Race‑course Company Limited. Messrs Thomas Bird and Son are the architects. Quantities supplied. [Building News 27 March 1868 page 220]

THE NEW RACECOURSE, MANCHESTER - The use of the old course at Castle Irwell, which has so long been used as the Manchester Racecourse, having expired, its renewal was refused, and a new course was obtained on the left, coming from Manchester, of Regent-road, Salford. The entrances to the course are by way of Cross-lane, and Howard-street, Eccles New-road, and they admit the visitor to a spot at the rear the grand stand. The extent of the ground above 100 acres, being 40 acres more than the course previously occupied by the Manchester race committee. The architects of the Grand Stand are Messrs. Bird & Son, of Manchester. The buildings are in the form of a quadrangle and enclose an area of about an acre, the entrances being from the rear. The principal entrance is a doable porch, from which stairs both on the right and left lead to the spectators’ gallery, and there are corridors leading to the paddock, *aing and refreshment rooms and the offices for the stewards and other functionaries, rooms for 5 jockeys for dressing and weighing, also adjoining corridors. The gallery of the stand will conveniently accommodate from 2,500 to 2,700 persons, all of whom will be under cover, the whole building being roofed; and there are arrangements for enclosing the front with shutters when the stand is not in use. There is to be a stone gallery rising directly from the paddock, which will accommodate 400 spectators. Provision is also made for a second-class stand, which it is calculated will accommodate 4,500 spectators. Beneath the stands are booths, to let to publicans and vendors of refreshments There is stabling convenience for eighty horses, loose boxes, and two-stalled stables. The cost of the whole of the works, including the grand stand, is estimated at £40,000. The ground has been laid out by Mr. Doming, C.E., Manchester, and the work carried out by Mr. Edward Rothwell, of Warrington. [Builder 6 June 1868 page 419]

The Manchester Racecourse at New Barnes, which so long ago as 1883 was scheduled with other lands, to be purchased by the Ship Canal Company, has now into the company's hands. The recent arbitration proceedings resulted in the sum of £265,000 being fixed as the price to be paid to the Trafford Park Company for the land, and the Ship Canal Company duly came into possession of the estate on 1 January. In order, however, that two steeple-chase meetings which had been arranged for the early part of this month might not be interfered with, it was arranged that the Racecourse Company should continue to occupy the Land until Thursday in last week. On the following day the Ship Canal Company formally took over the land and the work of constructing a through railway round the course has been commenced. The acquisition of the estate will enable the Ship Canal Company to carry out extensions to their docks which have long been needed; 142 acres of land has now been added to the dock estate 99.25 acres purchased from the Racecourse Company, 40.5 acres purchased from Captain Clowes and 2.75 acres purchased from the corporation of Salford. [Building News 24 January 1902 page 147]

Reference        Building News 27 March 1868 page 220
Reference        Builder 6 June 1868 page 419