MEMORIES 588 told of 150 years of horse racing at Redcar, but what, asks Trevor Jones, is the story of Jockey Cap, the group of trees that adorns the top of a rounded hill to the north-west of Richmond, a town with a rich racing history?
The hill is above Richmond’s old racecourse, which contains the remains of the world’s oldest surviving grandstand. The trees leave the front of the hill bare so that it looks like the peak of a jockey’s cap.
“I live in Gainford and if I look south towards Richmond I can see the shape in the far distance,” says Trevor.
READ MORE: AND THEY'RE OFF! 150 YEARS OF REDCAR RACECOURSE
Ordnance Survey maps going back to the 1890s call the trees “Jockey Cap Clump”, but old books and even the internet are remarkably quiet on the clump’s story, so we asked Richmond historian Jane Hatcher, who gave an unimpeachable reply:
“Jockey Cap Clump, simply known as ‘Jockey Cap’ in the Richmond area, is a famous landmark widely visible from far away to the north, east and south. It is a welcome sight to spot it when returning to Richmond from away, because it means one is approaching home. It is, however, only to be enjoyed from a distance, for there are no public footpaths to it.
Jockey Cap sits on the highest point of the Aske Estate, at just under 1,000ft. It is a small squarish woodland, just over three acres in extent. It was planted in the mid-19th century by the 2nd Earl of Zetland (1795-1873), a great supporter of the turf, and owner of the famous Voltigeur.
A caricature of the 2nd Earl of Zetland, who was a freemason, and who planted Jockey Cap Clump
It must have been a great joy to Lord Zetland that as the trees grew, they were thought to resemble the shape of a jockey’s cap! The landmark was particularly prominent from Raby Castle, then the home of the Dukes of Cleveland, another racing family. As earls of Darlington they had earlier had great success at Richmond races, notably with the famous Silvio.
The trees of Jockey Cap were mainly beeches, with just a few larches, all planted close together so as to encourage tall growth. This resulted in thin trunks, and beeches have shallow roots, so by the mid-20th Century they were starting to be blown down by the prevailing westerly winds on this exposed location.
In 1965 David Coaker, then the Marquess of Zetland’s estate agent, began a programme of selective felling of the worst affected original trees, and in 1967 began replanting with young trees as near as possible to the old site. He used Scots Pine with the hope of providing the new young beeches with some shelter in the short term. Progress was at first slow, although by 1980 the new woodland was starting lowly to creep up to the skyline.
Subsequent years have inevitably resulted in further losses to the original Jockey Cap, but the new plantation has put on some growth!"
READ MORE: THE STORY OF THE WORLD'S OLDEST GRANDSTAND AT RICHMOND RACECOURSE
The Jockey Cap Clump, photographed from Whashton by Hugh Mortimer
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