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The small English village of Ascot lies within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It's within the county of Berkshire, which itself dates from around 840 AD. Berkshire, in the south-central region of England just north and west of London, stretches out for sixty miles and includes within its borders Windsor Castle, one of the many homes of the British Royal Family, and segments of the River Thames.
Ascot, only six miles from Windsor Castle, and originally named East Cote, short for Eastern Cottage, is mainly residential, with large homes surrounded by magnificent shrubs and trees. North Ascot contains the racecourse and the hospital; South Ascot contains the train station and the shops.
High Street in Ascot is the place to find clubs, cafes, a petrol station, and a supermarket. Residents live in the many apartments above the shops.
Ascot United is a football club with clubhouse and pitch near the racecourse. Founded in 1965 as a men's club, the club now includes players as young as seven years of age. New facilities were built in 2010, allowing matches to be played under the lights.
Frequent train service means that Ascot is a commuting centre in both directions: east to London, and west to Reading. The rail line runs direct from Waterloo Station in London on north, ending in Guildford. The Ascot Racecourse Heliport, near Ascot Heath, serves the racecourse on race days.
Ascot Racecourse
The racecourse, a flat track owned by the Crown Estate, is the main reason most people come to Ascot, along with the related hobby of royal-watching. Ascot Racecourse began under Queen Anne -- she sponsored the "Her Majesty's Plate" race on the 11th of August, 1711. Seven horses ran in three four-mile heats, vying for a purse of one hundred guineas.
Royal Ascot has been the most prestigious set of thoroughbred horse races in the United Kingdom, a major British social event for centuries. Until 1945, the four days of the Royal Meeting were the only racing held at the track. Steeplechase and hurdles were added to the mix of races at the racecourse in 1965.
Today, there are over twenty-five days of racing each year at Ascot, grouped as 'meetings' and scattered over the entire year. Out of a total of thirty-two Group 1 races held in the UK, Ascot and Newmarket tie for the most hosted, at nine each.
The British Royal Family often visits the course in June -- their horse-drawn carriage procession marks the start of each day's racing. The Ascot Gold Cup, held in June as part of the week-long Royal Meeting, is one of the most popular racing attractions -- over 300,000 people attend the sixteen separate races. In July, however, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is still considered the most prestigious series of races at Ascot.
The Ascot Racecourse was closed between 2004 and 2006 for a major redesign, mostly for new facilities for the patrons, and later, for improvements to the stands to offer better viewing of the races.
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