Electrical Contracting News (ECN) June 2016 | Page 22

PROJECT FOCUS

CHELTENHAM RACECOURSE

GRAND AND GLORIOUS
Between 2013 and 2015 various different areas of Cheltenham Racecourse were redeveloped. Russell Drury
talks to CF Roberts about the role it played in the construction of the brand new Princess Royal Grandstand.

E

very year for four days
in March, Cheltenham
Racecourse is the
focus of the sporting
world. The Cheltenham
Festival draws huge
crowds and all the
leading owners,
trainers and horses in National Hunt racing
are there. The Festival is broadcast across
the UK and beyond and followed by
millions from all walks of life, from Royals
to the rest of us.
For many people it is the biggest party
of the year, 250,000 pints of Guinness
are downed and an estimated £150m
gambled. For CF Roberts, electrical
and mechanical contractor for the

newly opened £45m Princess Royal
Grandstand, the 2016 Festival was
the highest profile and most important
examination of its work it has experienced
to date. Just imagine having 60,000
‘inspectors’ testing your work every day
for four successive days and if that isn’t
enough to worry about, bear in mind that
the Festival is now worth £100m to the
local economy. Everything has to be right
and national media acclaim and visitor
feedback confirmed that it was.
The new grandstand consists of five
floors. The Vestey Bar, named after Lord
Vestey, who was chairman of Cheltenham
for 21 years until 2011, sits on the ground
floor as well as a bistro providing hot food
and seafood.

The grandstand consists of five floors and houses the Royal Box, bars, restaurants and private boxes.

22

22 Project Focus.indd 22

12/05/2016 10:53