Chippenham Mead is a registered town/village green in Monmouth, Wales that has been also known as Chippenham Fields, Chippenham Park, Chippenham Gate and Monmouth Sports Ground. There is a sports area within the park called Chippenham Sports Ground. The green is located between Blestium Street and the Banks of the River Wye (intersected by the A40(T) Monmouth Bypass Rd), Monmouth.

Chippenham Mead
Chippenham Park Chippenham Fields Chippenham Gate
Former Entrance to Chippenham Mead
Location	Monmouth, Wales
Coordinates	51.808721°N 2.715316°W / 51.808721; -2.715316

Chippenham Sports Ground, also known as Little Chippenham, is run by Monmouth Sports Association and is made up of and used by Monmouth Tennis Club, Monmouth Bowls Club[1] and bowling green, Monmouth Cricket Club,[2] Monmouth Rugby Football Club[3] and Monmouth Town F.C.,[4] known as The Kingfishers. It is the Welsh base for Cricketers with a Disability.[5]

Monmouth Races

Between 1734 and 1893, Chippenham was used annually for horse racing. Sometime between 1893 and 1900, the racing moved to Vauxhall Fields, where racing ended in 1933[6] for unknown reasons. This ended almost 200 years of racing in Monmouth. Early race cards from newspapers like the London Evening Post refer to the course as Chippenham Mead. Initially the event was five days but then moved to a two-day event by 1880.[7]

Monmouth races were a two-day annual event in the late 1860s and early 1870s, for example held on 22 and 23 September in 1870. The Great Western Railway often advertised "CHEAP RETURN TICKETS" for the special event.[8][9][10]

Some races of 22 September 1870 were:[11]

• The Hendre Claiming Stakes - Winner Mr Mytton's Decision 3 yrs, Falkner
• The Beaufort Cup - Winner Mr H Rentforths Whitchcraft 5 yrs, Linch
• The Chippenham Stakes - Winner Mr Prices Marplot 2 yrs, G Sopp
• Troy Plate - Winner Chaltelherault
• County Members Plate - Winner Lady Louise
• Welter Plate - Winner MA
• Farmers Race - Winner Emolena

Between 1876 and 1880, the race meet did not take place. On Tuesday 28 September 1880, the races returned. The Western Mail newspaper of 31 July 1880 heralded the return of Monmouth races and claimed that "Monmouth races were among the oldest in England, for in the Calender [sic?] printed by order of his Most Gracious Majesty dated 1739, we find two days good racing accounted for at the town of Monmouth"[12]

Some of the races for the 1880 event were:

• County Members Plate
• Town Plate
• Hendre Hurdle
• Clearwell Stakes
• Pontypool Park Stakes
• Drybridge Stakes
• Croft-y-Bwle Stakes for Polo Ponies

Incidents

In 1925 a single engined Avro 504K bi-plane registered as G-EATB crashed landed on Chippenham Mead. The circumstances surrounding the incident are not known.[13]

Gallery

• 
  Chippenham Park - Tree lined path
• 
  Sports Ground field and club house, with the Hedged Bowling green to the left - Used by the Cricket Club, Bowls Club, Football Club and Monmouth Sports Association
• 
  Chippenham Sports Ground field entrance - Monmouth Sports Association
• 
  Chippenham Park used for Rugby and recreation.
• 
  The Bowling Green at the Sports Ground

Notesu

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