The Racecourse, the oldest continually used International stadium in the world, has a long and varied history, having been used for horse racing, cricket, military exercise and, of course, football. In the early days of The Racecourse, temporary wooden stands were built at either side of The Turf Tavern and dismantled at the end of the race meetings each year. The current Turf Hotel is an old structure, built between 1793 and 1819, initially in two sections, and subsequently joined together to form the current building. The former Grandstand (the taller section with a balcony, which has been used to view many a Wrexham AFC match in subsequent years!) was built prior to 1822. Part of the Turf was removed in 1999 to accommodate the Mold Road Stand.
The Wrexham Racecourse was ideally placed close to the railway station; it was circular with a mile circumference and just a 2 furlong, uphill run-in.The first recorded race meeting took place on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th October 1806, when the Subscription Plate over 2 miles was won by Lord Wilton’s Bucephalus, while the 4 mile Plate went to Cockspinner for Mr Eyre.
By 1824 the meeting had extended to three days from Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th October, and Gold and Silver Cups were firmly established events. However, interest in the meeting began to wane in the middle of the 19th century. At the meeting on Thursday 9th October 1856 only 5 contested the Plas Power Stakes, while just 6 ran in the Brynnypis Handicap. The end of the meeting fared no better when a disappointing field of 3 competed for the Gold Cup.
The final meeting took place on Friday 20th October 1876, although after this date meetings for half-breds and galloways were still being organised into the early part of the 20th century.
The first permanent stand was a stone- built structure with wooden plank seating, built on the Mold Road side of the course. The stand was separated from the Turf Tavern by a gate that provided access onto the course. The Turf Tavern was also adapted with offices for race officials and changing rooms for jockeys, which were later used as changing rooms for footballers.
Simple open air seating was gradually re-introduced to the side of the pitch on the Northern of the ground. The seating consisted of continuous lines of wooden planks that ran parallel along the entire length of the pitch, and which were elevated in steps that were seven rows high.
The Mold Road Stand was repaired and upgraded
The Mold Road stand was renovated and extended with a new stand that had an additional gate installed at the Plas Coch the end of this stand.
The Club refurbished and extended the Mold Road stand and installed a roof onto this stand
There was a major revamp of the stadium prior to the Wales v Scotland International match on 3rd March. The Mold Road stand was extended again and additional seating was provided on the flat ground between the Mold Road stand and the touchline. The height of the banks behind each goal were also increased, particularly at the Crispin Lane end, and some concrete terracing was laid at each end.
The first covered structure for up to 2,500 standing spectators was erected at the Plas Coch end of the pitch at a cost of £100, which was paid for by the Shareholders Association. At the same time, the height of The Mold Road stand was raised to provide more seating and the height of the terraced embankment at the Crispin Lane end of the ground was again increased.
The first covered stand, known as ‘the shed’ was erected on the Northern of the pitch at a cost of £360 which was paid by the Shareholders Association.
1924 September Wrexham Football Stand Wrecked
The new stand on the northern (Yale side of the pitch) was destroyed by a storm, which ripped the roof from its fixings and damaged the foundations. The stand was re-erected soon after the storm.
The new Yale stand (the shed) was blown down again in a storm in January and was so badly damaged that it couldnt be re-erected.
Concrete terracing laid to the paddock area in front of the Mold Road stand.
A new covered stand (100 yards long and 25 feet deep) replaced the curved-roof structure at the Plas Coch end of the ground. Built at a cost of £750, which was provided by the Supporters Association, the stand incorporated ladder beams with diagonal cross members, which ran the full length along the front of the stand beneath the roof. The stand was officially opened by the President of the Welsh FA prior to the international game against Ireland on 2nd February.
The ladder-beam design was also used for a new stand which replaced the earlier structure on the northern of the pitch. This stand was opened with an official ceremony, prior to the international match against England on 22nd November.
The angled/wing stand was constructed on Mold Road, filling the gap between the Mold Road and Plas Coch stands and providing covered accommodation for 1000 supporters. Construction work started in July and was completed in time for the opening game of the season against Chester on September 2nd. The £700 construction costs were paid by The Supporters Association
The length of the new stand on the northern (Yale Stand) side of the pitch was extended and its depth was increased down to the touchline, while retaining the ladder-beam design to match the Plas Coch end of the ground.
With accommodation for up to 7,000 supporters, the stand on the northern side of the pitch was now 70 yards long and 42 feet deep, and had been built at a total cost of around £900 (£368 of which was paid by the Supporters Association).
The stand was officially opened prior to the Wales v Scotland international match on 31st October 1931. The height of the ‘Spion Kop’ terracing at the Crispin Lane end of the ground had also been raised again to increase capacity for this match.
Both the Yale Stand and The Plas Coch Stands were each extended to merge into a single structure, while new terracing was also laid to both ends of the ground in time for the FA Cup tie against Manchester City on 16th January.
A conversion of the area under the Mold Road stand provided new changing rooms for players, while a new entrance was erected at the northern (Yale side) of the ground. The work to the dressing rooms had been started in April 1947 and completed in time for the international match against Ireland on March 10th 1948.
Old terracing removed and new raised concrete terracing laid on the Crispin Lane end of ground to be known as the Kop.
Ground improvements included a new entrance and turnstiles next to The Turf Hotel, with a new stand in the enclosure providing 250 tip-up seats for season ticket holders. The concrete terraces on the kop were extended to merge into the Yale side of the ground to increase ground capacity to 40,000 and a new concrete boundary wall was also built around the pitch to replace railings. The club originally intended to install a two-tiered stand and they applied to the Welsh FA for a £20,000 loan, but the loan was refused.
New floodlights switched on for the home tie against Swindon on 30th September.
1962 – The ‘new’ Busfield Stand
A new 700-seater stand which was comprised of a reclaimed balcony from the Majestic Cinema in Wrexham was erected on the Kop and opened for the start of the 1962/63 season. First known as ‘The Busfield Stand’ due to an advertising on the front of the structure, the stand later became known as ‘The Pigeon Loft’. The name Busfield Stand was also continued to be used due to the addition of further, large advertising on the roof of the stand. The balcony was bought and erected at a cost of £4,000, paid for by the Supporters Association.
A New £80,000 stand was opened on the Yale side of the ground, which was comprised of an upper tier of seated accommodation and lower terraces for standing spectators close to the pitch. The base of the stand also provided office space for club officials, changing rooms and the hospitality rooms, which are now known as the Centenary Club.
Another two-tired stand costing around £200,000 was opened at the Plas Coch end of ground, replacing the earlier ‘tech end’. Like the Yale Stand, the new stand was comprised of an upper tier for seated supporters and a lower section of terraces. The Busfield Stand or Pigeon Loft was removed from the kop, which was covered with a new roof.
The old Mold Road stand comes down in 1998
The Mold Road Stand and the old changing rooms of The Turf Tavern were demolished to make way for the current 3,500-seater Mold Road Stand.
The Kop is demolished in preparation for the construction of a new 5,500 seater stand.