A NEW historical plaque commemorating Lewes’ well-known jockey, Lewis Bilbie Rees, has been installed in St Anne’s Crescent.
Lewis lived in St Anne’s Crescent from 1924 until his death in 1972.
He rode Music Hall to win the Grand National in 1922, following the footsteps of his older brother, Fred, who won the race in 1921 riding Shaun Spadah.
The plaque scheme, mainly funded by Lewes Town Council, has been running for many years with Friends of Lewes, the town’s civic society.
Friends of Lewes identifies suitable locations, conducts research and makes arrangements for plaques to be installed.
Marcus Taylor, a member of Friends of Lewes, said: “Lewes, as a horseracing town, has a long history with racing on the Downs for over two centuries before the racecourse closed in 1964.
“At one point the streets echoed daily to the sound of horseshoes as around a dozen trainers exercised their horses on the streets as well as the gallops.
“Stables were mainly at the western end of the town and most of these have been converted to residential use as they closed, effectively hiding their past.
“I have long felt that this significant part of the town’s history was not that well-known and was under-represented in the list of plaques.
“One celebrates the first woman to train here, in Irelands Lane, who had to have her licence in the name of a male colleague!
“The most recent new plaque marks the home for many years of a Grand National winner and notes that, remarkably, Mr Rees’ brother won this prestigious race in the previous year.”
According to the Jockey-R website, Lewis was born on January 25, 1898, in Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
He competed in other major events, winning the Aintree fences: the Champion Chase on Square Dance (1922), the Stanley Chase on Manby Gate (1923) and the Grand Sefton on Ardeen (1925). He also rode Brown Jack to win the 1928 Champion Hurdle.
He won his first race in Monmouth at 15. Two of his sons became jockeys as well, with Bill Rees winning 51 races for the Queen Mother and Michael.
Another son, Richard, was a vet. His three daughters, Deirdre, Diana and Marigold all died young.
