THE FESTIVAL 2017 MEDIA GUIDE

THE PRINCESS ROYAL
GRANDSTAND
Cheltenham Racecourse officially opened its new, five and a half storey
grandstand, The Princess Royal Stand, on the first day of The Open, Friday,
November 13, 2015, on time and on budget.
The Princess Royal did the honours.
The grandstand was the final part
of the award-winning £45-million
redevelopment of the racecourse,
which provides extra facilities, better
views and improved movement for
racegoers.
Over a 19-month period, from 2013
to 2015, Cheltenham Racecourse was
redeveloped, with the new stand
the centrepiece of the work, the
largest project ever undertaken by
The Jockey Club. Cheltenham’s usual
race programme continued to be run
throughout.
A total of 14 different project strands
were involved in the redevelopment,
including a refurbished weighing
room, a new first aid room and the
new crescent walkway which greatly
assists the flow of racegoers behind
the grandstand and offers additional
and better viewing of the parade ring
and winner’s enclosure.
The grandstand, which can be used by
6,500 racegoers, provides 156 toilets,
bars, restaurants, private boxes and
viewing facilities for racegoers. It took
over 500,000 man hours to construct.
The ground floor of The Princess
Royal Stand consists of a public
bar, called the Vestey Bar after
Lord Vestey who was Chairman of
Cheltenham Racecourse for 21 years
until 2011. A bistro provides hot food
and a seafood offering.
The first floor of the stand includes
a new bar for Annual Members, who
have access directly onto their own
section of steppings for viewing the
races. The remainder of the first floor
“IT IS TESTAMENT
TO OUR TEAM AT
CHELTENHAM,
TOGETHER WITH OUR
CONTRACTORS, THAT
WE HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO CONTINUE WITH
A COMPLETE RACING
PROGRAMME WHILE
UNDERTAKING A
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS
SCALE.”
Ian Renton, Regional Director for
Cheltenham and the South West, The
Jockey Club
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