Place · United Kingdom
The history of Silverstone
Assembled from 3 dug tiles · 43 sourced records · 800 BC–now · last reviewed 13 September 2026
Silverstone, Northamptonshire, carries ground that passed from an Iron Age hillfort and a medieval moated farm to an RAF bomber station, and then, from 1948, to a motor racing circuit that staged the first world championship Grand Prix and has held the British Grand Prix in most years since.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Silverstone — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Silverstone
The championship that crashed itselfTwo rivals took each other out fighting for the lead, thirty paces from where you are standing. 2007 British Grand Prix
800 BC–now The day the crowd wouldn't let him leave
Nigel Mansell won his home Grand Prix so completely that the fans came to get him. Silverstone Circuit
800 BC–now A crowd swallowed the racetrack to reach one man
Nigel Mansell won his home Grand Prix so completely that fans ran onto the track before he could finish his lap of honor. Silverstone UTC
800 BC–2009
Silverstone in layers
Whittlebury
Two kilometers off, at Whittlebury, the earthworks of a partial contour fort mark an Iron Age stronghold on the higher ground. Wikidata
800 BC–43
At Whittlebury, about 2.2 kilometers away, stands the earthwork remains of a partial contour fort dated to the Iron Age. Wikidata
800 BC–43
A partial contour hillfort from the Iron Age stands at Whittlebury, about two kilometers from this spot. Wikidata
Silverstone Brook
When Silverstone Brook was straightened, workers uncovered an urnfield of Roman cremation burials from the 2nd century AD, with fragments of vessels suggesting ritual use of the ground. Northamptonshire Heritage Environment Record, Monument MNN8519
1066–1540
Lordsfields Farm, nearly 3 kilometers away, preserves a moated medieval settlement site dated between 1066 and 1540. Wikidata
1066–1540
An archaeological site identified as a medieval moated settlement lies at Lordsfields Farm, roughly 2.7 kilometers away. Wikidata
Silverstone
In 1194, Richard I of England met William the Lion, King of Scotland, here at Silverstone, a meeting significant enough to be recorded centuries later in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, 1870-72; Vision of Britain
1801
A stone milestone dated 1801 stands opposite Olney End House, over a kilometer from the circuit. Wikidata
RAF Silverstone
From 1943 to 1947 this site was RAF Silverstone, a Royal Air Force bomber training station whose three runways, laid out in the classic wartime triangle, still define the track's shape today. Wikipedia: RAF Silverstone
1943-1947
Before it was a racetrack, this ground was RAF Silverstone, a wartime bomber training station built in 1943 whose triangular runways still shape the circuit; the RAF stood the station down in 1947. Wikipedia
1943–1947
The circuit is built on RAF Silverstone, a Royal Air Force bomber station opened in 1943 and used until 1947, its wartime runways still traceable in the track layout. Wikipedia
Silverstone Circuit
The Royal Automobile Club used the disused airfield to host the first British Grand Prix in 1948, and the site has been Silverstone Circuit ever since. Wikipedia: Silverstone Circuit
1948-1950
The Royal Automobile Club ran the first British Grand Prix here in 1948, and in 1950 Silverstone hosted the first-ever round of the new World Championship of Drivers. Wikipedia
1948
In 1948, just a year after the RAF left, the Royal Automobile Club hosted the first British Grand Prix on the airfield's perimeter roads. Wikipedia
RAF Silverstone airfield
On 3 November 1949 a pilot named Jack Oldham died in an aircraft accident at the former RAF Silverstone airfield, remembered afterward in a notice in the local paper. Northampton Chronicle and Echo, British Newspaper Archive
Silverstone Circuit
The 1950 British Grand Prix held here was the opening race of the newly created Formula One World Championship of Drivers. Wikipedia: Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone
Racing driver Harry Schell, born 1921, died at Silverstone in 1960. Wikipedia: Harry Schell
1960
Harry Schell, an American-French Grand Prix driver born in 1921, died here in 1960. Wikipedia
Silverstone
British racing driver Chris Williams, born 1939, died at Silverstone in 1969. Wikidata
Silverstone
British racing driver David Prophet, born 1937, died at Silverstone in 1981. Wikipedia: David Prophet
Silverstone
Australian racing driver Brian Muir, born 1931, died at Silverstone in 1983. Wikipedia: Brian Muir (racing driver)
Silverstone
Northern Irish motorcycle racer Norman Brown, born 1960, died at Silverstone in 1983. Wikipedia: Norman Brown (motorcyclist)
1983
Norman Brown, a Northern Irish motorcycle racer born in 1960, died here in 1983, one of several racers whose deaths this ground records. Wikipedia
1983
Brian Muir, an Australian racing driver born in 1931, died at Silverstone in 1983. Wikipedia
Questions about Silverstone
What is Silverstone known for historically?
Silverstone is known for its motor racing circuit, built on a former RAF bomber station where crews trained between 1943 and 1947. It hosted the first British Grand Prix in 1948 and the first race of the world championship in 1950, and has staged the British Grand Prix in most seasons since.
What happened at Silverstone in 1992?
Nigel Mansell won his home Grand Prix at Silverstone so completely that he took pole by nearly two seconds, led every lap, and set the fastest lap. The crowd was so moved that spectators walked and climbed onto the track to reach his car, forcing marshals to clear a path and walk the car back through the crowd before he could reach the podium.
What happened at Silverstone in 1995?
The 1995 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was won by Johnny Herbert from fifth on the grid, a result remembered as having come about because Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill collided at Priory while fighting for the lead.
What stood on the ground before the racing circuit?
Before the circuit, the ground carried an Iron Age hillfort nearby at Whittlebury, a medieval moated site at Lordsfields Farm, and, more immediately, RAF Silverstone, a bomber station where aircrews trained between 1943 and 1947 and where at least one pilot was killed in a flying accident.
Who has died at Silverstone during racing?
Several people have died at Silverstone over the decades of racing, including drivers Harry Schell in 1960, Chris Williams in 1969, David Prophet in 1981, and Brian Muir in 1983, along with motorcyclist Norman Brown, also in 1983.
Is Silverstone older than its racing history?
Yes. The site has older recorded layers, including an Iron Age hillfort around two miles off, a Roman cremation cemetery beneath Silverstone Brook, a medieval moated farm site to the south, and a milestone from 1801 on the Olney road.