Discover Newmarket, Kings and an Entertaining Mistress in Newmarket’s sport of King’s

The flint-walled lanes of Newmarket still hold the echoes of the most famous affair in British royal history: the spirited romance between King Charles II and his “pretty, witty” mistress, Nell Gwynn. Long before it became the modern global home of horse racing, this Suffolk town was the epicentre of the Stuart Court’s seasonal debauchery. Here, the “Merry Monarch” traded the stuffy halls of Whitehall for the breezy excitement of the Newmarket races, establishing the town as the definitive birthplace of The Sport of Kings. Today, a walk past Nell Gwynn’s House on Palace Street or a visit to the National Horse Racing Museum reveals a legacy built on speed, scandal, and the survival of a woman who rose from the gutters of London to the pinnacle of Restoration England.

This horse racing mad community sees thousands and thousands of visitors to their famous horse racing meetings each year. This little town was once a rich playground for the Stuart Kings and even the late Queen Elizabeth ll was a horse enthusiast and loved nothing more than racing her own stock. She would often frequent Newmarket for such events, just like the sea of spectators who still fill the stands today. In this town, the past doesn’t just haunt the racecourse—it gallops right alongside the present.

Newmarket is world-renowned for horse training. Thoroughbred racing and breeding are lifeblood here, and a recent trip brought back memories of the fascinating Nell Gwynn. She was Charles II’s mistress, back in the days when Kings actually had mistresses (she says, tongue in cheek).

Side Note – Charles II was particularly famous for it—he had at least 12 acknowledged illegitimate children!

Nell Gwynn has always captivated me, though I couldn’t quite pin down why until now. Standing here in Newmarket, outside her former home, I’m struck by the quiet despair she must have felt at times. Loving a King meant enduring the constant vulnerability of being ‘fitted’ into a royal schedule, likely while facing the cold disdain of the court. It’s that human fragility beneath the legend that makes her feel so real—almost touchable—even centuries later.

Elenor Gwynn or as she came to be known ‘Nell’ by the public who seemed to have loved her, or to her famous lover and the king of England King Charles ll -Nelly or Sweet Nelly.

Nell’s father was from minor Welsh gentry and died in an Oxford prison, or a military Captain as some reports say, but I could find a mention of her mother. Nell’s life was interrupted in about 1658 when she was about 7 years old – her father fled to France along with other aristocrats after the execution of Charles l or to that Oxford Jail. Whichever story about him is true. But It seems she and her sister made their way to London on their own and eventually found work as barmaids (hard to think of those times being so rough for children).

She worked with her sister Rose at various market stalls selling their wares, and they seem to have settled into a life of petty crime too,I guess just trying to just get by.

Then when a little older, although Nell denies any nefarious activities; worked at cleaning and hosting at one of London’s most famous brothels, at the time the highest ranks of society frequented this establishment, and they would have gotten to know a lot of people of influence.

The New Kings Theatre in London was her next stop and she managed to get a job selling oranges there. She would have been about 15.

At this time a patent was given for women to play female parts in the theatre. Nell was offered some of this work, and did well, she was very popular with the crowd. She did better still when taught to dance by some of the other artists as her talent was picked up by the management and encouraged to act.

Nell had a lot of charisma, she was witty and could talk knowledgeable about a broad range of subjects. She was a confident and outgoing person and was still looking for stability when it seemed she had the idea to proposition the King himself! She definitely was a woman who knew her own mind. She wasn’t someone to let an opportunity get away – it is said that the king was looking for a good time; after the plague, the Fire of London, and the fact that his wife the Queen Catherine of Braganza could not bear him an heir, he was said to be “a little down”.

She and her friend Moll Davies had an idea, they made their way to Tunbridge Wells and Nell became mistress to Charles ll. She was eventually rewarded with many gifts ( needless to say this did all take some time, and it certainly was likely a bumpy ride, but if something’s worth doing …..) It is said the King loved being in her company – choosing to spend most of his time with her and even stopped seeing other women for a time.

Nell was given this house in Newmarket where I stand today, it’s right opposite to the King’s Palace, which was in fact the 3rd palace to have been restored on this site after James l and Charles l. Both previously had dwellings here, commonly referred to as Old Kings Yard and Old Palace. Her house stands just behind the Rutland Arms (a fine iconic 17th century red brick building right in the town) currently closed (writing in 2026) for repair.

The house we see today as Nell’s cottage was upgraded, refurbished and made into a lovely place for her to live right next to the king. Some talk of a secret tunnel from the palace to Nell’s cottage – I’m leaving more time on my next visit to Newmarket to see if I can track that mystery down. She was also given a London home. It is said she too, had a residence in Ely which is a small city about 12 miles away.

Nell’s Cottage is easily visible and stands right on the road, it is in private hands but can be enjoyed by all to see where once was an easy few steps for the King to make his way to her from his Palace which is just across the road near the Newmarket Horseracing Museum, horse racing was a very popular sport with the Stuart monarchy which is built in the grounds of the Kings old racing stables.

Want to know more? HERE for Jockey Club history and meetings

After a wander around, a bit of retail therapy, and a cuppa, I had a tour of the Horse racing museum, now in the centre of town rather than at the Jockey Club.

The Jockey Club is the oldest institution of its kind in the world. And at certain times of the day all traffic is held up while huge groups of horses make their way back home from their morning and afternoon training, Warren Hill being famous for it’s uphill training, there is also the opportunity for guided tours around some of the courses and stud farms.

While humans have raced horses since antiquity, the modern version of the sport was essentially built by British royalty. King Charles II Often called the “Father of the British Turf,” was an avid rider and established the Newmarket Town Plate in 1664. He even wrote the rules himself. And Queen Anne founded the world-famous Ascot Racecourse in 1711.

It has always been a massively expensive pursuit and Bloodlines or tracking lineage (the “General Stud Book”) became a meticulous obsession for the elite to prove their horse’s “noble” heritage.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, a fast horse was the ultimate status symbol, much like a limited-edition supercar is today. Kings would gift prized stallions to one another to cement alliances or show off their wealth. If you had the fastest horse, you had the best breeding program, which was a kind of nod to the strength of your kingdom.

Today a walk around Newmarket and its busy market town with many independent shops, cafes and museums is a far cry from the Newmarket in the 17th century.

In the 17th century, Newmarket underwent a radical transformation from a “poor little village” into the glamorous, rowdy, and high-stakes “resort of kings.” If you were to walk through the town in the 1600s, you would have seen a unique clash between a sleepy medieval market and the opulent, experimental architecture of the Stuart court.

The Royal Presence – A Town of Three Palaces

The 17th century was the era of the Stuart Kings (James I, Charles I, and Charles II), each of whom left a physical mark on the town.

Under James I and Charles I, the town was dominated by the first Newmarket Palace. It was a massive complex of brick and stone that covered over an acre.

And In 1619, the famous architect Inigo Jones built the “Prince’s Lodging” for the future Charles I. It was a three-story, Italianate building that looked incredibly modern and “foreign” compared to the timber-framed houses of the locals.

After the original palace was mostly demolished during the Civil War, Charles II built a new palace in 1668. Designed by William Samwell (with rumored input from Christopher Wren), it featured the latest fashions: red brick, sash windows (some of the first in England), and Dutch-style pavilions.

And for the look of the place itself, you wouldn’t see the massive grandstands of the modern era. Instead, there were basic wooden stands and “King’s Chairs.” The races were often long-distance matches between two horses, with the King himself (especially Charles II, or “Old Rowley”) frequently riding in the gallops.

This town is and has also been full of vibrant, eccentric individuals, and while the buildings were becoming more elegant, the social scene was described as a “luxuriously abandoned rout.” It was a place for gambling, feasting, tennis (in the royal court), and cock-fighting. The cock – fighting may have gone but trust me there are still a far few eccentric individuals about, not least the common site of lots of jockeys wandering around, just doing their shopping.

Nell had 2 sons with the king. They were both recognised and ennobled (raised to noble rank)by him.

Charles ll died in 1685 (an awful painful death exacerbated by unnecessary and cruel medical practices which were thought of at the time to be cutting edge!)

Nell didn’t last long after this. She was threatened with debtors prison (she enjoyed gambling and living beyond her means, she also had jealous enemies in the royal household) The kings famous deathbed plea ‘Let not poor Nelly starve’ fell upon the new king – his brother – King James ll to bail her out and making sure she had enough money to live on.

In March 1687 Nell had a stroke and died 8 months later she is buried in St Martin-in- the- Fields, a significant parish church and graveyard; it has stood on this site in London since about 1222 (which I will do in another post, soon).

Nell was only 37 when she died. Yet, while her body rests in London, I believe her spirit never truly left the town where she was happiest. Legend has it that the scent of her favourite orange blossom perfume still drifts through the corridors of the surviving palace buildings on quiet nights. Locals and visitors alike have reported the sound of phantom silken skirts rustling near the site of her former home—a final, elegant defiance against the debt and tragedy that claimed her in the end. Even now, in the “Town of Three Palaces,” I think the King’s favourite mistress remains its most enduring resident.

Want to know more? Discover Newmarket.

Until next time dear friends x