Chepstow Racecourse
The Company that owns the racecourse also owns the rest of the park, including the ruins. Thier now-defunct WebSite had a Page :-
Dominating Piercefield Park are the ruins of Piercefield House, now only a shadow of its former glory which, though stark and gaunt, is a reminder of the days when the mansion was the fulcrum of the estate.
Records since the 14th century refer variously to Peerfield, Peersfield, Persfield and Piersfield and local historians report an enlargement of the house in the early 1600's.
The park and Mansion was sold in 1727 for £33,665.6d (about £17 million today) to a Thomas Rous and when he died, twelve years later, his son decided not to keep the estate. In 1740 the Morris Family brought Piercefield for £8,250 (about £1.6 million today) and Valentine Morris soon added to the magnificant splendor of the state by landscaping the park that was so much admired at the end of the 18th century.
In 1784 Piercefield was sold again, this time for £26,200 (about £4 million today) - to one George Smith. He prepared plans for a new Mansion incorporating Valentine Morris's house at the rear. The new three story stone building had slowly reached roof level when he found himself in financial difficulties and had to sell Piercefield in 1794 to Colonel Mark Wood.
Nathaniel Wells bought it in 1801 and the next owner was John Russell, who completed the purchase in 1856. Five years later the 1300 acre estate was bought by Henry Clay for £60,000 (about £7 million today). His son, also Henry, moved into the house in 1872 and inherited the estate on his father's death in 1874. But when he died in 1921 the Mansion and land, which he left to his son, Henry Hastings Clay, stood empty.
In 1925 part of Piercefield was sold to the newly formed Chepstow Racecourse Company and the country's youngest Racecourse was born.
The first race on the track was staged on 6th August 1926, and the first National Hunt race on 2 March 1927. In recent years it has established itself as one of our leading Jump courses, but it will always have a place in turf history for the feat achieved on the flat by Gordon Richards in 1933. He won all six races on October 6th and five the following day to set a record that will surely stand forever.
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