Beckhampton, Beckhampton Stables c.1955

Photo ref: B292016

More about this scene

IN 1908, in his Round About Wiltshire, A G Bradley wrote an idyllic description of the five mile 'run' between Beckhampton and Calne: 'One is on the wide open down, traversing the north-western slope of the chalk country. To the left are round barrows breaking the now contracted sky line, the wandering bunches of sheep, the wheeling plovers, the friendly white-tailed wheatears, and the skylarks innumerable filling the air with song'. Now you are as likely also to see race horses being exercised on the 500 acres of Wiltshire downland belonging to Beckhampton Stables. During the sixty years of family business from 1880, the former coaching inn turned stables of Sam and Fred Darling have produced seven Derby winners, four St Leger winners and nine other winners of classic races. In 1932, Gordon Richards began riding for Fred Darling, the lead- ing trainer of his day. They were so successful that Richards clocked up 259 wins, beating the record previously held by Fred Archer since 1885.