FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2026-129

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (August 7, 2026) – In Fun with Maps today, we go racing Grand Prix style 100 years ago.

Go Fast

The Brooklands Racecourse held the first British Grand Prix 100 years ago, on August 7, 1926.

The racecourse located in Weybridge, Surrey, is about 17 miles southwest of central London.  It opened in 1907 and was the first purpose-built banked racecourse globally.  It closed on the eve of World War II.

Brooklands also was an important aviation center.  It was one of the first airfields in England and the largest aircraft manufacturing center on the island by the First World War.

Today there is a museum celebrating the past glory in racing and aviation, with a Concorde also on display. Parts of the racecourse remain which are easily seen as one drives by to a local shopping area with Marks & Spencer and Tesco stores among others.  We frequently shopped at Tesco as we lived about a mile away in the late 1990s.

Surrey’s map from 1750 by Bowen is presented here.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps. Be sure to visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.