Folkestone Racecourse
Encyclopedia
Westenhanger
Westenhanger is a small village in south east Kent. It is home to Folkestone Racecourse and to Westenhanger Castle. It is located just south of Junction 11 of the M20, on Stone Street, the Roman road which runs from Lympne to Canterbury. Westenhanger also has its own railway station....
, by junction 11 of the M20 motorway
M20 motorway
The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It runs from the M25 motorway to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is long...
and about two miles west of Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
.
History
The history of the Westenhanger estate dates back to 1035 when it was owned by King Canute. The 14th century Westenhanger CastleWestenhanger Castle
Westenhanger Castle is a fortified manor house once owned by royalty, located next to Westenhanger railway station and the grandstand of Folkestone Racecourse in Kent. The castle has endured a period of steady decline to near ruination in recent years, but the current owners have engaged a...
can still be seen next to the main grandstand.
The course was established in 1898, and is a right-handed undulating oval with a run in of 3f and a 7f straight chute. The centre of the course is farmed, and has a reservoir fed by a pumping station on the west side of the oval. The East Stour river runs along the western edge of the oval and under the straight course.
RAF Westenhanger
The racecourse was first used by aviation when a flying meeting was held in September 1910, three aircraft were present watched by a large crowd. Between 1940 and 1941 the racecourse was used as a decoy airfield with dummy aircraft placed to look like an active airfield. On 23 April 1944 660 SquadronNo. 660 Squadron RAF
No. 660 Squadron was a Royal Air Force Air Observation Post squadron associated with the 21st Army Group during World War II. Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with Army units in artillery spotting and liaison. A further three of these...
, an army cooperation squadron of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, arrived at what was then known as RAF Westenhanger after the nearby village. The squadron based in a tented camp was equipped with Auster Mark IV
Taylorcraft Auster
The Taylorcraft Auster was a British military liaison and observation aircraft produced by the Taylorcraft Aeroplanes Limited company during the Second World War.-Design and development:...
single-engined liaison aircraft and used the racecourse to practice operations with local army units. On 12 July 1944 the squadron of 12 Austers escorted by a Supermarine Walrus
Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm . It also served with the Royal Air Force , Royal Australian Air Force , Royal Canadian Air Force , Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal New...
rescue flying boat left Westenhangar for France. The airfield was then restored back to use as a racecourse. Rubble from wartime buildings can be seen on the north side of the straight course where it meets the oval.
