WELLINGTON RACING CLUB

New Zealand Mail, Issue 936, 7 February 1890, Page 11

WELLINGTON RACING CLUB

THE NEW GRANDSTAND, ETC. With their’ Summer Meeting, the Wellington Racing Club began a new era in their existence. Although in spite of opposition the Club’s meetings at the Hutt have always held pride of place in this district, it has latterly become evident that something in addition to fine weather and good racing is necessary to “ draw”—something, for instance, in the way of larger and more comfortable accommodation. Having recognised this necessity the Club set to work to provide for it, with the result that their course is now one of the best-appointed in the North Island. Mr W. C. Chatfield, the well-known architect of this city, was commissioned to prepare plans for new grandstand and outbuildings, and a general rearrangement of appointments; and on the 23rd of November last Mr J. H. Meyer, who was the successful tenderer for the work, began operations by pulling the old grandstand down. In the two months that have elapsed since then both builder and architect have simply done wonders, and a representative of this journal who visited the course last Friday found an entirely new state of things prevailing. “The scene,” as aiTeminent poet remarked, “ was changed.” The old grandstand, with its white paint worn down to a slate colour—with its gaping bar beneath and its ventilated stands, where the wind concentrated all its forces around your suffering person—was gone, and instead (but not in its place) stands a large and completely fitted building. Going up the straight, the first change to be noticed is that the lawn has been considerably enlarged, the fence which ran along by the totalisator having been shifted down toward the river some 34ft. The totalisator stands have also been moved, and are now so placed that anyone can see the odds in both machines from the stand. The stand itself is some 30 or 40 feet further back than the old one, and the approach to it is by a beautifully-turfed lawn, laid down on a gentle slope and surmounted by an asphalted terrace about 12fs wide. From this terrace into the grandstand is only a matter of three or four steps, and, presto ! there you are, with all the course in front of you and 'with an especially good view of the straight. This floor of the stand will accommodate an immense number of people, and is closed in at

each end so as to give protection against the insidious southerly wind. Tlie upper stand (on top of tlie building) is approached by a staircase on each side and at the rear of the building, and is a commodious, well-fitted place, and will give accommodation to 500 or 600 people, who really cannot set the place on lire, because the floor is of corrugated iron. A pleasant peculiarity about ti.v. ; grandstand is that the publicans’ bar, luncheon rooms, offices, etc., are all apart fiom the stand proper, though in tlie same building. They are on tlie ground floor, and are approached from the side of the building only, so that the whole of the front is devoted to the lawn and terrace, and grandstand. Entering the wide side doorway at the saddling-paddoclc end, we are in the congenial atmosphere of the bar, which is in front, the secretary’s office, press room, telegraph office, etc., running parallel and being approached by a door three or four yards further on. From tlie other (the pipe bridge) end the visitor enters the luncheon room, a roomy, comfortable apartment, where 90 or 100 people can sit down, which is provided with a kitchen and pantry. Also there is a ladies’ tea-room and the stewards’ lun-cheon-room. In the vicinity of the saddling paddock alterations have also been made, with a view of increasing the greater convenience of all whom it may concern. New judge’s and stewards’ boxes have been built, and the weighing office is a pretty little building, all glass windows, standing apart from its fellows, so that, the weighing operation maybe observed from all parts of the grand stand, lawn, and paddock. In future, horses coming, in after a race will enter alongside the judge’s box and go down an enclosure to the loose boxes, halting ou the way. for their jockeys to be weighed. The stalls themselves have not yet been altered, for want of time, but it is intended to put up a number of new b’xes. The saddling paddock has been considerably enlarged and is surrounded by a high iron fence. These are only a few of the most noticeable of tlie general improvements that have been made. People who do not go to the races next week cannot have any idea of the entire change that has been made or of the excellent facilities now afforded to all people to infuse a little joy into a life in which, so the philosophers say, sadness predominates. One mav take his wife and family, or bis sisters and his cousins and his uncles, as the case may be, out, to the races nowand enjoy himself thoroughly, even if he or they do not take any interest in horse racing. The Club are to be commended for their enterprise ; and they are to be complimented upon having had the services ot such a talented professional man as Mr Chatfield to devise and superintend the alterations, ' Mr Meyer also has carried out his share of the work in an entirely satisfactory manner.