Ascot () is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in the
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...
, England. It is south of
Windsor, east of
Bracknell and west of
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
It is most notable as the location of
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Grade ...
, home of the Royal Ascot meeting. Its average house price of £1,019,451, as of June 2021, makes it the 13th most expensive town in England. It is also among the ten most expensive towns in Britain to rent a property. The town comprises three areas: Ascot itself,
North Ascot and
South Ascot. It is in the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Sunninghill and Ascot.
Etymology
The name 'Ascot' derives from the
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
(east) and (cottage).
Ascott-under-Wychwood (Oxfordshire),
Ascott in
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
,
Eastcote
Eastcote is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in West London, west Greater London, London.
In the Middle Ages, Eastcote was one of the three areas that made up the parish of Ruislip, under the name of Ascot. The name came fr ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Eastcott in
Wiltshire have the same
etymology
Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
.
Governance
Ascot is in the district administered by the
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Ascot, South Ascot and a small part of North Ascot are in the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Sunninghill and Ascot, although most of North Ascot is in the civil parish of
Winkfield.
Churches
Church of England
The
Church of England parish church of All Saints, Ascot Heath is a red-brick
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
building designed by Thomas Rushforth and built in 1864. It has a richly decorated interior. The east window of its
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
is a
Jesse window with stained glass made by
C.E. Kempe & Co in 1907. Above it is a
rose window
Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...
by
Hardman & Co. The Church of England parish church of All Souls, South Ascot is another red-brick Gothic Revival building. It was designed by
John Loughborough Pearson and built in 1896–97. It has a central tower with a pyramidal roof. Its nave has aisles of four bays. The ceilings of the chancel, baptistry and the crossing under the tower are
rib vaulted. All Souls' is a
Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
Ascot Priory was founded in 1861 for the
Society of the Most Holy Trinity. It has buildings designed by the architects
Charles Buckeridge,
William Butterfield,
George Gilbert Scott and
Leonard Stokes.
Roman Catholic
The
Roman Catholic church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
of
St Francis is also a red-brick Gothic Revival building. It was designed by the Roman Catholic priest and architect
Alexander Scoles, built in 1889 and has an
apsidal chancel.
Local schools
Independent senior schools in the area include
Heathfield School (an all-girls boarding school),
The Marist School (a private Catholic girls school 2–18 with mixed nursery),
St George's School (a private girls senior school recently attended by
Princess Beatrice of York),
St Mary's School, a Catholic all-girls boarding school (which
Princess Caroline of Monaco attended), located in South Ascot and
LVS Ascot, which is located down the road from Ascot Racecourse. Papplewick is also based in Ascot. The local state secondary school in the Ascot area is
Charters School in nearby
Sunningdale.
Amenities
Facilities tend to be geared towards the
racecourse, but there is a small range of shops in the wide High Street. Most of the expected facilities one would expect to find in a small town are here, including a supermarket, petrol station and many cafes, a
Subway,
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...
Express and
Sainsbury's Local
Sainsbury's Local (a trading name of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd) is a chain of 820 convenience shops operated by the UK's second largest supermarket chain Sainsbury's.
History
In 1998, Sainsbury's piloted its first Local shop in Hammersmith. ...
). Most buildings are post-war with flats above the ground floor retail space.
Heatherwood Hospital (filming location for ''
Carry On Matron'') was at the western edge of the town.
Transport
Ascot railway station is at the junction of the
Waterloo to Reading line with the
Ascot–Ash Vale line. Services operate to
London Waterloo to
Reading,
Bagshot,
Aldershot
Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
and
Guildford
Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
.
The station was built originally by the
London and South Western Railway and is now managed by
South Western Railway, which also operates all services that stop here. As a consequence of the frequent service on this line, Ascot is now a commuter centre in both directions (westwards to
Reading and eastwards to London).
Thames Velley Buses and White Bus Services operate local bus routes, which connect the town with Bracknell, Dedworth, Sunningdale, Slough, Windsor, Windsor Great Park and Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.
Reading Buses
Reading Transport Limited, trading as Reading Buses, is an English Municipal bus company, municipal bus operator owned by Reading Borough Council, serving the towns of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Bracknell, Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury, Slough, ...
operates a service to and from Legoland.
Economy
Ascot Racecourse employs over 70 full-time staff, which increases temporarily to 6,000 during Royal Ascot week. The village has a variety of businesses located at the Ascot Business Park, opened in 2008, including the UK headquarters of global toy manufacturer
Jakks Pacific, in addition to numerous
small and medium enterprises
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by many national agencies and international organizat ...
. The
Chartered Institute of Building, a professional body for those working in the construction industry and built environment, is also based in Ascot.
Sport and leisure
Royal Ascot week

The centrepiece of Ascot's year is held in June;
Royal Ascot is arguably the world's most famous race meeting, dating back to 1711. The
British royal family attend the meeting, arriving each day in a procession of horse-drawn carriages from
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
through
Windsor Great Park and the village of
Cheapside. It is a major event in the British social calendar. The course is still owned by
the Crown
The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
.
Other sports
Ascot has a
non-League football club,
Ascot United F.C., and the Royal Ascot Cricket Club which play at the racecourse. Royal Ascot Golf Club is located next to the racecourse.
Army Cadet Force
Ascot has an
Army Cadet Force
The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence and the Bri ...
unit, 4 Platoon Ascot. The unit, being badged as
Irish Guards (due to the unit belonging to A Company, Berkshire ACF; the company currently badged to the
Household Division), means that the unit regularly sees Irish Guards events such as the
Saint Patrick's Day Parade, and even has the privilege of taking part in an Irish Guards ACF skills competition, run by the battalion. It actively recruits from the local and surrounding area. The unit used to parade at Ascot Racecourse, however, they were evicted due to an appeal made by the racecourse owners. They now temporarily parade at Sunningdale Parish Hall, Broomhill Lane.
Notable residents
*
Jake Ball (1991–), Welsh rugby player
*
Boris Berezovsky (1946–2013), exiled Russian tycoon, lived and died in Ascot
*
Josh Cuthbert (1992–), singer of
Union J
*
Chris Evans (1966–), presenter, businessman and producer for radio and television, lives in Ascot
*
Sarah Harding
Sarah Harding (born Sarah Nicole Hardman; 17 November 1981 – 5 September 2021) was an English singer, model and actress. Her professional career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the ITV (TV channel), ITV reality series ''Po ...
(1981–2021), singer of
Girls Aloud, born in Ascot
*
Nick Hendrix (1985–), actor, born in Ascot
*
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
(1940–1980) and
Ringo Starr (1940–) of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
, successively lived at
Tittenhurst Park, Ascot
*
Henry Liddell (1811–1898), classical scholar and former Dean of
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
, lived in Ascot in his last years and died there
*
Camilla Luddington (1983–), actress, born and raised in Ascot
*
Marti Pellow (1965–), singer of
Wet Wet Wet, lives in Ascot
*
Adam Roberts (1965–), science fiction author, lives in North Ascot
*
Marie-José Villiers (1916–2015), British-born Belgian countess, British spy during World War II
*
Noahfinnce (1999–), singer-songwriter and YouTuber, born and lived in Ascot
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Ascot Village websitePotted history of Sunninghill and Ascot
{{Authority control
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Sunninghill and Ascot
Towns in Berkshire