RAF Charterhall was built in 1941 and opened on 30 April 1942, serving primarily as a base for No. 54 Operational Training Unit, which trained night fighter crews on Bristol Blenheims, Bristol Beaufighters, and later de Havilland Mosquitoes. The station earned a grim wartime reputation: it suffered approximately 2,000 accidents in 1942 alone, of which nearly 200 were fatal, earning it the nickname "Slaughterhall." Notable among those killed at the airfield was Battle of Britain ace and author Richard Hillary, who died on 8 January 1943 when his Blenheim stalled on approach during retraining. The RAF departed in 1947 and the airfield reverted largely to agricultural use.
Motor racing began at Charterhall on 6 April 1952, when the first Formula Libre race was held on a two-mile (approximately three-kilometre) circuit marked out on the disused runway surfaces. The long straight sections of the old runways were a key feature of the layout, providing sustained high-speed running and good overtaking opportunities. Drivers of the era noted the circuit was bumpy by modern standards but regarded it favourably compared with other British circuits of the time.
Over the next twelve years, Charterhall hosted numerous Formula Two and Formula Libre events and also served as a private test track for the Ecurie Ecosse racing team. Drivers including Roy Salvadori and Giuseppe Farina competed at the circuit. Jim Clark is the most closely associated figure with Charterhall, having competed in 31 events at the track across his early career. Clark won his first ever motor race at Charterhall, and the Scottish venue was central to his development as a racing driver before he reached international prominence.
Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss also competed at Charterhall during its active years, making the remote Scottish Borders circuit a surprisingly significant venue in the careers of three of Britain's most celebrated drivers.
Motor racing at Charterhall ended in 1964 when the Borders and District Motor Club began organising events at the new Ingliston Racing Circuit near Edinburgh. From 1986 the Border Ecosse Car Club organised the Charterhall Stages Rally at the former airfield, continuing through to the final event on 30 March 2013.
The site continues to see limited use as a private airstrip, though it has no maintenance or refuelling facilities. The original runways remain largely intact, and parts of the site are still used for farming. A memorial to Richard Hillary, Wilfred Fison, and all those who died serving at RAF Charterhall between 1942 and 1945 was unveiled on 6 November 2001 by the Duke of Kent.
Charterhall Circuit represents a significant chapter in Scottish motorsport history. Operating on a shoestring infrastructure from a wartime airfield, it nonetheless attracted leading figures of the period and, most importantly, was the place where Jim Clark first experienced victory. For a circuit that never hosted a world championship event and operated for only twelve years, its contribution to the development of Clark's talent — arguably the most complete of any British racing driver — gives it an outsized place in the sport's history.