Palace House is the home of the National Horse Racing Museum in the remaining part of Charles II's racing palace in

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. Located (14 miles) west of Bury St Edmunds and (14 miles) northeast of Cambridge. It is considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred hor ...

, England. It is home to the National Horse Racing Museum, the British Sporting Art Trust and

Retraining of Racehorses Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is a national animal welfare organization in the United Kingdom. It was established by the British Horseracing Authority in 2000 and is a registered charity under English and Scottish law. RoR is the official char ...

, and was opened by

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in 2016.

National Horseracing Museum

The National Horseracing Museum of the United Kingdom, a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

, tells the history of horse racing. This is explored through works of art, silver, bronzes and artifacts including silks worn by famous jockeys such as Lester Piggott and Frankie Dettori. Using interactive and audio-visual displays, the museum also examines the physical attributes of elite equine athletes and the importance of thoroughbred pedigree. It contains collections and records of people and horses involved in the sport of

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

from its royal origins to the present day. Exhibits include the history of horse racing, horse racing in Britain, trophies, paintings of famous horses, trainers and jockeys, jockey uniforms, betting, and horse racing memorabilia. The Vestey Gallery of British Sporting Art is located in the museum, and features changing exhibits of art relating to sports, including

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can ...

, fishing,

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

, and horse racing.

The British Sporting Art Trust

The British Sporting Art Trust, a registered charity, hosts a large collection of important pieces of British sporting art at Palace House. In the remaining part of Charles II’s racing palace is the Fred Packard Museum and Galleries of British Sporting Art and a new home for the British Sporting Art Trust. Paintings by

George Stubbs George Stubbs (25 August 1724 – 10 July 1806) was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses. Self-trained, Stubbs learnt his skills independently from other great artists of the 18th century such as Reynolds or Gainsborough ...

and

Sir Alfred Munnings Sir Alfred James Munnings, (8 October 1878 – 17 July 1959) was known as one of England's finest painters of horses, and as an outspoken critic of Modernism. Engaged by Lord Beaverbrook's Canadian War Memorials Fund, he earned several prest ...

rub shoulders with works from

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

and

John Wootton John Wootton (c.1686– 13 November 1764)Deuchar, S. (2003). "Wootton, John". Grove Art Online. was an English painter of sporting subjects, battle scenes and landscapes, and illustrator. Life Born in Snitterfield, Warwickshire (near Stratfo ...

, showcasing some of the finest examples of British Sporting Art. The gallery explores the development of popular sporting images through paintings, sculpture, print-making and the applied arts. Significant loans have come from the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

and the

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, along with a number of private and public art collections.

Retraining of Racehorses

Retraining of Racehorses hosts a number of retired racehorses in the Rothschild Yard in the Palace House grounds to meet with members of the public. There are daily tours for the public.

List of horses

The National Horseracing Museum contains an extensive archive of images from glass negatives with accompanying biographies. The list includes both runners and breeding stock.

References

External links