The Racecourse

in the day it’s a great outdoor space for assorted leisure activities, although can be the ‘hang out’ of undesirable groups (i’ve been abused on a number of occasions whenout jogging around there)
at night it can be quite a dangerous place, especially in the centre which dips down a little, so is out of sight of the roads surrounding
those new to northampton are advised to walk around the racecourse & not directly across it at night

The Racecourse has a long tradition of being the major open space in the town for both regular formal sports and for major events, the largest of which is currently the annual town/​balloon festival, elements of which were formerly located in Abington Park.
The eastern side is surrounded by fine Victorian housing and with the Listed Pavilion within the park forms Kingsley Conservation Area. The western end includes the earlier heritage connections of St Andrew’s Priory buildings.
This open space of just over 118 acres and notably one of the largest landmarks in the town and it received its present name when it became a venue for horse racing.
Today the site is the home for one of the largest balloon festivals and the biggest single outdoor sports area in the county and has swings for kids nice restaraunt bowls to