Skeffington – Revisited
Following on from my recent article concerning Skeffington Hall and some of its residents. I was surprised to learn that in the Fox & Hounds public house that once stood on the side of the A47 in Skeffington, the licensee had two very interesting pictures that adorned one of the walls in the bar area. They record the extraordinary images of the racehorse who won the Grand National at Aintree. He won on two separate occasions during 1935 and 1936. It belonged to Major Noel Charles Bell Furlong of Skeffington Hall.
The photos
The first shows ‘Reynoldstown’ in the paddock. The other records him in full flight jumping a fence during one of his races. To have such a famous racehorse in our midst reminded me of another that Leicestershire also produced during the last century. ‘Brown Jack’ (1924 – 1948), was owned by Lady Zia Wernher of Thorpe Lubenham Hall. He went on to be a successful racehorse winning many trophies. Among them the Queen Alexandra Stakes which is run at Royal Ascot every June. Was it the training, the breeding or the care and attention received that made both equines famous in their own right? Or just simply the luck of the draw when spotting their potential in the early years? Who knows, but they certainly succeeded in putting Leicestershire firmly on the map when it came to prestigious race meetings.
My grateful thanks to Mandy Green of Kibworth Beauchamp who kindly loaned me the photographs of these two images of ‘Reynoldstown’. These had been recorded for posterity by her late father, Aubrey Luker, a resident of Skeffington for many years. The whereabouts of these framed prints is unknown. But it is hoped that someone out there was fortunate enough to have salvaged them from the Fox & Hounds public house before its closure and demolition.
Glyn Hatfield
The Fleckney and Kibworth Running Club
