Located about 500 metres to the north of Northampton town centre, The Racecourse comprises around 118 acres of parkland and includes public footpaths, changing rooms and open space.

It can also be accessed from St George's Avenue (north-west), Colwyn Road, Beaconsfield Terrace and Leicester Street via the Mounts Estate.

[1] The Jockey Club left it empty for eighteen years, Local residents started to refer to it as "The White Elephant" when it was initially refused a licence.

Eventually, following a robbery in Blakesley the pair were served with search warrants and police constables found stolen property.

As was the fashion of the time, the condemned were supplied with drink at the last inn on the way to the Racecourse — the Bantam Cock on Abington Square.

The last executions on the Racecourse took place on Friday, March 27th 1818 and were those of James Cobbett and George Wilkin found guilty of passing forged bank notes.

[4] In 1917 the park was ploughed up for wartime allotments, and in 1923 a new playground was built (on the side next to East Park Parade) as well as changing rooms and a restaurant converted from the old Racecourse stand and law houses which to this present day stands as the Jade Pavilion (circa 1930), a Grade II listed building.

The Northampton Carnival is held here each summer with floats coming in from nearby towns as well as local groups getting involved.

Over twenty Sunday League football teams use the park as their venue each weekend from early autumn to late spring.

standards[7] In 2022 the Basketball courts were totally updated to the 3 x 3 layout and had effective flood lighting added for extended play.

In 2010 the council spent £85,000 on the central adventure park space including a zip wire, climbing frame complex and five-person buddy swing.

[9] It Thousands of members of public use the park each week, crossing it for work or to go to school or college, stopping there for a break in the green space or playing sports and games.

The Friends of northampton racecourse are a comitttee of volunteers that meet with the local council and other bodies to help with the running of the park.

Umbrella Fair is home to a cafe, public toilets and is a group that is involved with local arts and community projects.

Often blamed for its proximity to the town centre by authorities, the Racecourse has attracted a reputation as an area with high crime levels.

On 22 June 1997 22-year-old Ryan McEwen King was sexually assaulted and murdered in bushes around the basketball courts on the Racecourse after walking back at night from a nearby pub.

The partnership looked at reclaiming the Racecourse from the criminals, with its campaign eventually gaining respect from a national broadsheet The Guardian.