Essential Hotels > England > Berkshire > Ascot

As is the case with other English towns such as Epsom and Newmarket, much of Ascot life revolves around horse racing. Ascot Racecourse is found in the town and it was around the course that the town was built from the 18th century onwards. Though perhaps not as solely focused on all-round horse life as Newmarket, the mere mention of the name Ascot conjures up images of horses bounding across grass towards a finish line and the Queen herself rolling up to the course in horse and carriage for June’s Royal Meeting.

Ascot is situated in Berkshire, to the south-west of Windsor, to the east of Bracknell and to the south-east of Reading. Nearby is the mammoth Great Windsor Park and Virginia Water that spreads down from Windsor to Cheapside, while there is also a whole host of golf courses in the area, including the Berkshire Golf Club, Swinley Forest Golf Course and Windlesham Golf Club. An unusual feature of Ascot is Tittenhurst Park which was formerly the home of John Lennon and Ringo Starr of the Beatles fame.

Ascot, split into Ascot, North Ascot and South Ascot, is home to a train station which was built in 1845 to create ease of access to the racecourse. As well as serving the racecourse the station today enables straight forward travel to Reading and London for commuters. In the town centre there is a High Street which has a number of well known shops as well as an array of post-war buildings. The Heatherwood Hospital is also set in the town centre.

It was when the racecourse was first installed in Ascot that the town’s history really got going. In the early 18th century Queen Anne discovered the land while hunting in nearby Windsor Forest and she thought it would be ideal for ‘horses to gallop at full stretch’. And so a racecourse was founded in 1711 with Her Majesty’s Plate the first prize up for grabs in the new setting. Popularity waned in subsequent years until it was revived once more in the 1760s thanks to the Duke of Cumberland who was a supporter of the sport. This helped it become England’s second most important course after that in Epsom. In the 1790s the effort put into the course continued and George III set up the Royal Stand on one side of the arena. A royal presence has continued throughout the years, hence the name Royal Ascot and the Royal Meeting proving the highest profile event run in the town.