Newmarket’s streets are being transformed into a giant chessboard this summer — with a racing twist. Eight striking, hand-carved wooden chess pieces will form a new Public Art Trail across the town centre, launching with a free event at the National Horseracing Museum on Saturday 19 July, 10am- 1pm, when two horse-head sculptures will be carved live using chainsaws giving visitors a rare glimpse into the creative process.
The Public Art Trail was designed by Neith Art & Sculpture and the four-foot sculptures blend the elegance of chess with the rich heritage of horseracing, drawing on local architecture, equine symbolism, and the stories that define the home of the sport. All the chess pieces that make-up the Trail will be on display at the event before they are installed around the town during the week commencing 21st July.
Alongside the live sculpting, Newmarket Chess Club will host an outdoor chess arena giving visitors the chance to learn the game or test their skills, while Reeman Dansie Auctioneers & Valuers will run a themed valuation session for games, toys and chess sets.
The horse head sculptures carved live will later be auctioned by Reeman Dansie, with proceeds supporting the winning institutions from a local design competition: Ditton Lodge School, All Saints School, and Newmarket Day Centre.
FROM CHESSBOARD TO RACECOURSE
Each of the Public Art Trail sculptures reimagines traditional chess roles through Newmarket’s lens — where knights are horses with purpose, kings and queens echo local legacy, and pawns are carved from designs by the local community. The Trail invites visitors to decode hidden meanings and motifs, with a QR code at each sculpture offering free downloadable maps and interpretive clues. Paper copies will also be available from the Museum.
The Public Art Trail is the result of a partnership between Discover Newmarket – the not-for-profit tourism organisation at the heart of British flat racing – Newmarket Town Council, and Love Newmarket BID, and continues the theme of Horseplay, the current exhibition at the National Horseracing Museum which explores the history of racing games.
A ‘SUMMER OF PLAY’
What’s more, throughout the summer, a programme of free family-friendly events, ‘Summer of Play’, will be running, including:
- Giant games every Thursday at Memorial Gardens and The Severals
- Creative workshops every Wednesday at the National Horseracing Museum
- Chess sessions at Palace House Gardens
- The engaging Newmarket Maths Hunt.
Horseplay at The National Horseracing Museum continues over the summer and showcases 50 vintage board games, a clue-solving racecourse trail, and free entry for under-16s. For older visitors, a new escape room challenge, ‘Accumulated’, runs throughout the summer.
