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Summary

Description

McDermont and Murdoch, 1886. Near symmetrical, 24-bay single sided racecourse stand with 3 panelled dormers above glazed canopy roof section and 4 bellcast capped roof ventilators with weathervanes. Multi-pane glazing with cross detail timber panelling below with some recessed spaces under glazed canopy with cast iron roof trusses and scalloped timber detail to eaves. Brick walls to stand ends and central underpend, asphalt steps. Plainer rear (S) elevation with round arched window and door openings to ground floor and windows to upper floor. Brick up to 1st floor eaves course, white rendered above. Late 20th century glazed flat roof bar extension to left side.

Timber framed glazing and partition divisions to N elevation with replacement double glazing to S Slate roof with open canopy on cast iron brackets, timber bargeboards.

INTERIOR: largely modernised to form sequence of recreational and hospitality spaces. Several bar areas and kitchen overlook the course running along the internal upper floor of the stand.

Statement of Special Interest

Musselburgh Racecourse Stand is a significant example of a later 19th century race course building of which not many examples survive. The stand has some good original exterior detailing and makes a strong contribution to its setting at the centre of an historic racecourse complex. The stand was built on the site of an earlier pavilion that was a grandstand for the former golf club on the site.

The stand is the only known building by the architectural firm of McDermont and Murdoch.

Horse racing was known as the Sport of Kings because it began with the landed gentry racing their horses against each other. Horse races in Edinburgh began on Leith Sands in the later 18th century and moved to Musselburgh in 1816 on the naturally flat area of the post-glacial raised beach behind the dunes. Initially the racecourse used a stand from the Musselburgh Old Course golf course pavilion because the racecourse was built encircling an historic golf course both on the links common land. The Musselburgh Old Course was founded in 1774 and was used for Open Championships in the late 19th century.

Betting was only legal at racecourse sites until the 1960s when legal betting shops were introduced in high streets thereby leading to a decline of visitors to the racecourses and some subsequent racecourse closures. In 1994 the Musselburgh Joint Racing Committee was set up to run the racecourse which was in decline. The MJRC is a syndicate between Lothian's Racing Syndicate and East Lothian Council who own the facilities on site. There was subsequently a phase of expansion in the mid 1990s when several new buildings were created including the parade ground and the Queen's Stand. The former entrance building was replaced at this time but one original turnstile has been retained for reference. Musselburgh racecourse hosts both flat racing and national hunt races on approximately 20 days each year. The course is 1 ¼ miles long (1 mile and 2 Furlongs).

The architect Harold Oswald (1874-1938) is credited as having worked on the racecourse at some point after 1920 although it is not known in what capacity. He specialised in racecourses and also worked on Hamilton and Lanark Racecourses.

The racecourse as a whole makes an important contribution to the social-historical development of Musselburgh. It contributed to daytripper tourism from Edinburgh in the earlier 20th century and the Musselburgh fishwives would set up mussel selling stalls outside the course on race days, a practice which continued until the early 1960s.

Listed as part of the sporting buildings thematic study (2012-13).

References

Bibliography

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