Dorsetshire Gold Cup

This George III silver-gilt cup and cover was won by Moonlight at Blandford Races back in 1815. Silver-gilt is high quality silver carefully coated with a thin layer of gold, sometimes called vermeil. Today, the cup could be worth an estimated £17,500. At just 15ins (38cms) high, its inscription reads:

‘Blandford 1815 Sir Richard Glynn Bart Steward.’

Horse racing started at Blandford in the 16th century and was both a sporting and social occasion. It took place where Blandford Camp can be found today. The Sporting Magazine of 1815 reported:

‘The course was well-attended, and sport on both days was excellent. The company at the balls was more numerous than for many years past, and the ballroom was graced by the fashion and beauty of neighbouring counties, as well as by the county of Dorset.’

Sir Richard Carr Glynn 1st Bt. (1755-1838) of Gaunt’s House, Wimborne was the steward of Blandford Races. In 1798, he was Lord Mayor of London and upon his father’s death became a partner in his father’s bank Vere, Glynn and Halifax.

Meetings were held regularly at the Blandford Racecourse until the mid-1840s.

Comments

Panda Pops

Panda Blue Rasperry Ade, Strawberry Jelly & Ice Cream and Casper Ghostly Limeade were all unique soft drink flavours produced by the Panda Pops brand owned by Badger Beers. Panda Pops were often sold in small bottles of fizzy drink that were as sweet and sticky as it was as possible for them to be. Other popular Panda Pop flavours were Cherry Ade and Bright Green Cola. Even more singular blends could be concocted by mixing two or more flavours in a Panda Pops mixing bowl. Panda Cola achieved a sort of cult status and there is even a song, ‘ Warm Panda Cola’ . While among Panda aficionados there was even the spoof blend of Princess Diana Memorial flavour! The Blandford drink competed remarkably well against American giants Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola. Panda Pops date back to the 1960s when the Blandford brewer dropped the name of Sunparlor for its soft drink brands. Sunparlor had also been the name of a winning race horse owned by a member of the Woodhouse family. Cream soda was...

Greyhound Inn

In the 1700s, the Greyhound Inn was one of the three great coaching inns of Blandford and was both stylish and substantial. The other two great inns were the Crown and the Red Lion. In fact, the Greyhound dates back to the early 1600s. This inn was a regular stopping point for horse drawn coaches travelling between London and the West of England. The Greyhound was destroyed in the 1731 Great Fire of Blandford. It was then rebuilt with an impressive Market Place facing frontage together with sizeable back buildings which included stables, a tap room, workshops and a brewery. The front part covered 3,150 sq ft and the back buildings a further 3,100 sq ft. In 1779, the Inn was advertising it had an excellent and much used billiard table. On Bonfire Night in 1805, the Greyhound Inn was one of the many stopping points to change his horses for Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotiere of the Royal Navy. He was taking the news of victory at the Battle of Trafalgar and of Horatio Nelson’s death to ...

History Slice with an Aussie Flavour.

From Dorset Gallows to Van Diemen’s Land is the unlikely but true story of political corruption, hangings and transportation in the small market town of Blandford in Southern England. It is available as a paperback from Amazon in the United Kingdom, Australia and the USA. The book uncovers the extraordinary tale of two ordinary men, George Long a shoemaker and Richard Bleathman a butcher. Driven by belief and dissatisfaction they are swept along by events. Sentenced to be hanged in Dorchester Gaol for their protests against political corruption they are instead, following clemency appeals, transported to Van Diemen’s Land - on the other side of the world. ‘A fascinatingly good read. This book entirely complements the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs - also transported to Australia.’ (Richard Holledge, newspaper editor, freelance journalist - London. As read in the Independent, New York Times & Financial Times. Author of Voices of the M...

The Blandford Express

Search This Blog