Oulton Park

This superb park was once the grounds of Oulton Hall, which burned down in 1926. The land was used throughout the war years as an army staging camp where General Patton was based in the run-up to the Normandy landings, and his PT instructor, world heavyweight champion Joe Louis, gave exhibition bouts in the valley at Deer Leap.

The Mid-Cheshire Car Club developed the track, building it into the natural contours of the picturesque land and, when a crowd of 40,000 attended a meeting there in 1953, its future as a race circuit was assured. International racing followed and a tradition was started with the Gold Cup event, which in its heyday regularly attracted F1 teams and drivers. The Gold Cup quickly became known as a real test of man and machine. Stirling Moss won the Cup five times, the first in ’54 in a Maserati 250F delivered that morning from the factory, and the last in ’61 in the four-wheel drive Ferguson. It was an all-wheel drive F1 car’s only victory. Sir Stirling delighted fans by revisiting the Gold Cup in 2010, demonstrating the Ferguson as well as taking part in one of the races in an OSCA sports car, and the meeting continues to bring in famous faces from the past.