A former racecourse named after William Shakespeare is in dire straits after being abandoned for a long time.
The Shakespeare County Raceway was built on the old RAF Long Marston airstrip in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The airport was built in 1940 and closed in 1954.
In 1973, the first ever drag race was held at Long Marston, and from 1980 the event became a permanent fixture at the venue.
It is considered Britain’s second drag strip, after Santa Pod Raceway, which also claims the title of Europe’s first drag strip.
However, it wasn’t just racing at the circuit; weekend music events were a regular feature.
In 1987, the very first edition of the Hells Angels Bulldog Bash took place, which grew into an incredibly large event in 2007 with a reported 50,000 visitors.
In 1990, the track was renamed Avon Park Raceway. In 2008, the track was renamed Shakespeare County Raceway, in honor of English author William Shakespeare.
Until 2017, races and events continued to take place there.
However, that year the site was sold to developers, before the decision was finalised in 2018.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Local newspaper Stratford Herald reported that a local council document detailed plans for £100 million funding from development company Cala.
These plans reportedly called for the construction of an initial 400 homes, followed by another 3,100 homes later.
But the track is still neglected today and seems to have stood still in time.
Nature has taken over the buildings on the site, weeds and vegetation are invading the abandoned old strip.
Not much remains, except for the start-finish line which pays tribute to the history of the place.
Shakespeare Racecourse is not the only such venue in the UK. Brooklands Motor Course in Surrey, site of the first ever British Grand Prix, has lain derelict since World War II.
Abroad, there are the French Reims-Gueux circuit and Circuit de Charade, the £540 million Hanoi motor racing circuit in Vietnam and the Flemington Speedway in New Jersey, USA.