Ascot Racecourse photos

Ascot Racecourse photos
Photos and commentary
by Chris Jones

Click on photos for a larger view.

Ascot racecourse has two courses side by side:

The inner track, known as Ascot Heath, is the National Hunt course over which Dick Francis would have ridden. This course is generally used in the winter months.
The outer track, known as Ascot, is the flat-racing track. The most famous flat meeting is "Royal Ascot" the first four days of the five-day June meeting. This is attended by the Royal Family, who arrive in coaches. This is the highlight of the social calendar which was used in Banker.

Races are run clockwise and finish in front of the Royal Box. Inside the course there is an 18-hole golf course and a cricket ground, the home of the Royal Ascot Cricket Club, for which, both my son and I have played in the past.

The High Street in Ascot runs along the southern end of the racecourse and is dominated by it. The racecourse authorities are very generous to the community.


Main entrance gate to the stands.	Ascot police station, across the road. The sign reads "Her Majesty's representatives' car park".
In Banker, this is where the stabbing attempt on Calder Jackson took place.	This is the police station they went to after the stabbing attempt.


Grandstand from the Winkfield Road entrance.	Grandstand from the last fence to the run in.	Finishing post and the Royal box (Yellowish, bay fronted building seen through the frame for jockeys' names.)

The course seen from in front of the Grandstand.	Grandstand seen from Swinley Bottom.	Ascot High Street as seen from the corner of the Winkfield Road. The course is behind the buildings on the right.
.	Quote from Nerve, chapter 14: "Template jumped the four fences down to Swinley Bottom so brilliantly that I kept finding myself crowding the tails of the pacemakers as we landed..."	.

Photos: Chris Jones 2001