For our performance to keep moving us forward and to help us develop our knowledge of the Grandstand’s history even further, I thought it would be an idea “talking with those who have particular kinds of knowledge” ((Pearson, 2011 )) The person in name has had experience of the Lincoln Handicap races from a young age until it stopped. This man is my Grandad, John Theobold. I thought it would be beneficial for myself and the group to access this information and to be able to take note to help us keep on developing our group performances but also our performance as a whole.
“When did you first experience the Lincoln Handicap races at the Grandstand?”
It was 1946, I was only eleven and I was supposed to be going to school that day but instead I headed down to the West Common. I did not go with any of my friends, we took it in turns as the school I went to; St Faiths and St Martin’s, would know what we was up to. They were not that stupid. (Grandad laughs) But yes, as I was saying. I headed down to the West Common to see the races from myself. It was absolutely packed! You could hardly see the racecourse never mind the horses. I dodged around the crowd in order to get a great view, I looked down on the ground and there were these black shiny shoes, I knew exactly whose they were. There were my Father’s. He was one of the policemen that patrolled the Common to keep an eye on the crowds. He was peering over the people and I ducked down because if he saw me, well I would be in a bit of bother and would of escorted me back to school then I would be even more trouble. Then later on I worked there before the races ended but I am guessing you’ll want to know more later on about that.
“Oh wow, you were a bit mischievous then! And yes don’t worry I’ll be wanting to know more at that, but did you ever back there knowing your Dad would have been around?
Of course I did, I wanted to see the horse racing! My family would not have gone down there to see them and skiving school would have been the only time I could go and watch. I went between the age of eleven and fifteen. I would stand near where the roundabout is now as that is where the races started and would walk down the mile track as the many races happened.
“Did you ever bet on the horses?”
No, I didn’t have the money to do so. There were two betting areas though, one on the Grandstand where all the rich people would be spectateing the horses and deciding on how much to bet on. Then there was the other one near the wooden fence on the Common for the people who were not “rich” enough to go on the Grandstand.
“So the community who went to the Grandstand was separated through class! Obviously the upper class arrived in nice cars?”
Well you know Hewson road, the one just off Carholme road after the Common. Well the houses were all private houses; they were for the jockeys and race goers who would have travelled. The jockeys would have left their horses in the stables at the Grandstand and they would collect them the next morning for racing. The race goers would walk to the Grandstand early morning where they would have to queue behind a rope. The policemen would drop the rope for them to enter when it was time.
“So you know the both sides of what happened of Carholme road. What was the atmosphere like?”
Oh it was brilliant! It was so busy, with people jumping up and down, shouting and screaming with their betting slips in their hands. You had people on stands doing all their hand signs telling the crowds the odds etcetera. There was so much to see, you couldn’t take it all in! I loved it.
You know yourself that the Common is massive; you couldn’t see any grass because of how many people were there. It was so loud, with the gun shots starting the races off, the pounding of the horse’s hooves and obviously the crowds roaring.
“Going back to your comment earlier, you worked at the Grandstand?”
Yes, I was an electrician. I did all the electrics around the building. It was alright, earned a bit of money. Then towards the end of my job the races also ended.
“What do you mean by that?”
Well other race courses were modernising; this was in the 1960s with their fancy cameras filming and the finishing photo shots as racing became more competitive and a lot more money was placed down for betting. Lincoln council had put a lot of money into this for the Grandstand but the races were causing Lincoln to be such a problem due to closing the main road to the city. The filming cameras needed electric sources because obviously the filming would happen on the field. So there was more money needed to be put into it all. In the end the Levy Board who owned the races, gave up with Lincoln and that’s why the races ended.
“Do you ever look at the Grandstand when you go passed it”
Not really know, to be honest with you I don’t even recognise it is there. It is a shame that it’s not in use anymore, but it would cause so much hassle bringing it back to Lincoln because of the traffic as it is placed at the entrance to the city. All its good for now, meaning the common is to walk your dogs around and a place to keep the neighbours horses on.
“Yes it is a shame, and unfortunately the idea still is not going ahead about bringing the Lincoln handicap back to Lincoln. Thanks for the information, hopefully I’ll be able to get something from this”
Works Cited
Pearson, Mike (2001) http://www.landscape.ac.uk/landscape/documents/eventpapers/toolkit/4research.pdf (accessed: 11th May 2013)