Memories of The Races
Bill Morton was born in 1920 and brought up in Hethersett. He clearly remembers race day as a boy as he explained a few years ago.
“Hethersett had its own race course and when I was a boy there were half day races held every summer. The course was off Station Lane. There was a small lane which led to the course which was to the north of Station Lane. The course had jumps of various types and people referred to it as a steeplechase.
“The course had no buildings and when races were held tents of various sizes were erected. It was a gathering place for the breeches and bowler hatted brigade. Men turned up with shooting sticks and women strutted around in Jodhpurs. The first time I saw a man perched on a shooting stick I was puzzled and wondered where the top of the stick ended It was not until the man stood up and walked away that I saw that the stick had a folding sort of saddle on which he sat.
“I have clear memories of races, the horses and their riders in their silks. I also have memories of the smells which pervaded the course. The smell of the horses which included their droppings and urine, but also there was a lot of beer drunk and the toilet arrangements were somewhat primitive, which all added to the atmosphere. To us village boys, it was all very interesting, particularly watching the bookies and their tic tac men signalling the odds.
“There was a stream which ran through the course which provided a water jump, this was where riders would often fall and finish up in the water. I heard one woman say to another that Bunnie had come an arser which I understood to mean he had landed on his rear end. I do not know when the Hethersett races ended but I suspect the onset of the depression had something to do with it. “
Mel Perkins MBE was born in Ketteringham, but has lived in Hethersett most of his life. He too has a vivid memories of race days at Hethersett.
“Many people walked to the races through Kissing Alley and down Suckling Lane. There was a definite class structure with the toffs going one way and ordinary members of the public the other. I remember going to one race day with my mum and dad when I was about 12. That would have been in 1961 or 1962. I later went in 1967 when I was courting.
“I remember watching the start of a race and then running across fields towards the railway line, watching them over a couple of jumps and then running back to see the finish. It was a reasonably good standard of racing.
“There was a beer tent and a rather crackly public address system with an announcer with a very posh voice. It was a good day’s outing for people from the village. I think it was about five shillings (25p) to get in but £5 for the car park and that was a lot of money in those days.
“Much of the land for the races is now part of the bypass. Up to about five years ago part of one of the fences was still in a hedge but it is no longer there. It was quite a long course going down as far as what is now Thickthorn Services.”
Mel says that the Munnings painting catches the atmosphere of race days at Hethersett very well.
“Hethersett had its own race course and when I was a boy there were half day races held every summer. The course was off Station Lane. There was a small lane which led to the course which was to the north of Station Lane. The course had jumps of various types and people referred to it as a steeplechase.
“The course had no buildings and when races were held tents of various sizes were erected. It was a gathering place for the breeches and bowler hatted brigade. Men turned up with shooting sticks and women strutted around in Jodhpurs. The first time I saw a man perched on a shooting stick I was puzzled and wondered where the top of the stick ended It was not until the man stood up and walked away that I saw that the stick had a folding sort of saddle on which he sat.
“I have clear memories of races, the horses and their riders in their silks. I also have memories of the smells which pervaded the course. The smell of the horses which included their droppings and urine, but also there was a lot of beer drunk and the toilet arrangements were somewhat primitive, which all added to the atmosphere. To us village boys, it was all very interesting, particularly watching the bookies and their tic tac men signalling the odds.
“There was a stream which ran through the course which provided a water jump, this was where riders would often fall and finish up in the water. I heard one woman say to another that Bunnie had come an arser which I understood to mean he had landed on his rear end. I do not know when the Hethersett races ended but I suspect the onset of the depression had something to do with it. “
Mel Perkins MBE was born in Ketteringham, but has lived in Hethersett most of his life. He too has a vivid memories of race days at Hethersett.
“Many people walked to the races through Kissing Alley and down Suckling Lane. There was a definite class structure with the toffs going one way and ordinary members of the public the other. I remember going to one race day with my mum and dad when I was about 12. That would have been in 1961 or 1962. I later went in 1967 when I was courting.
“I remember watching the start of a race and then running across fields towards the railway line, watching them over a couple of jumps and then running back to see the finish. It was a reasonably good standard of racing.
“There was a beer tent and a rather crackly public address system with an announcer with a very posh voice. It was a good day’s outing for people from the village. I think it was about five shillings (25p) to get in but £5 for the car park and that was a lot of money in those days.
“Much of the land for the races is now part of the bypass. Up to about five years ago part of one of the fences was still in a hedge but it is no longer there. It was quite a long course going down as far as what is now Thickthorn Services.”
Mel says that the Munnings painting catches the atmosphere of race days at Hethersett very well.