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| Keywords: maps 1894 harden moss hardenmoss holmfirth harden moss racecourse hardenmossracecourse 1894 Ordnance Survey map showing the short-lived Harden Moss Racecourse, situated above Meltham and Holmfirth on the Greenfield Road. Solicitor Frederick Robert Jones (1814-1896) had hoped to build a racecourse next to his "model farm" at Harden Moss and this resulted in the clearing of an oval of land on Harden Hill in the 1860/1870s. However, for unknown reasons, the project was never completed, despite Jones owning racehorses himself. In the early 1890s, Robert Taylor of the nearby Wood Cottage Hotel completed the laying out of the 900 yard course as well as erecting a wooden grandstand on the western side of the track. Unfortunately, as the course was around a hill, spectators weren't able to see the horses on the far side! The inaugural trotting races took place during the 1895 Honley Feast, with a reported 6,000 to 8,000 turning up. Taylor had been successful in obtaining a temporary licence to sell alcohol at the event, but this was then withdrawn after a police constable was assaulted by a drunken race-goer. Subsequent licence applications were then blocked by Superintendent Pickard. The two other documented events attracted only around 500 spectators and it appears racing was abandoned after only a couple of years. The track later became incorporated into the Harden Moss Fell Race, with the 1940 race including two laps of the track. Despite the track long being disused, it remains faintly visible on the Google Maps satellite view of the fields behind the Huntsman Inn. 1894 Ordnance Survey map showing the short-lived Harden Moss Racecourse, situated above Meltham and Holmfirth on the Greenfield Road. Solicitor Frederick Robert Jones (1814-1896) had hoped to build a racecourse next to his "model farm" at Harden Moss and this resulted in the clearing of an oval of land on Harden Hill in the 1860/1870s. However, for unknown reasons, the project was never completed, despite Jones owning racehorses himself. In the early 1890s, Robert Taylor of the nearby Wood Cottage Hotel completed the laying out of the 900 yard course as well as erecting a wooden grandstand on the western side of the track. Unfortunately, as the course was around a hill, spectators weren't able to see the horses on the far side! The inaugural trotting races took place during the 1895 Honley Feast, with a reported 6,000 to 8,000 turning up. Taylor had been successful in obtaining a temporary licence to sell alcohol at the event, but this was then withdrawn after a police constable was assaulted by a drunken race-goer. Subsequent licence applications were then blocked by Superintendent Pickard. The two other documented events attracted only around 500 spectators and it appears racing was abandoned after only a couple of years. The track later became incorporated into the Harden Moss Fell Race, with the 1940 race including two laps of the track. Despite the track long being disused, it remains faintly visible on the Google Maps satellite view of the fields behind the Huntsman Inn. | ||||
