OLIVER COLLECTION
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ROYAL ASCOT
Ascot was founded in 1711 by
Queen Anne. She ordered her Master of
the Buckhounds to lay out a course ‘for horses to gallop at full stretch’. It was constructed at a cost of 606 pounds,
17 shillings and 1 pence. The first
day’s racing was held on Saturday 11th August 1711 and the second on Monday
13th August when horses competed for The Queen’s Plate worth £100
In 1714 racing was cancelled
following the death of Queen Anne.
Subsequently there was only one more day’s racing before the course was
closed until 1744. The Duke of
Cumberland then revived Ascot and, in June 1768, the first four-day meeting was
held and, apart from some years during the two World Wars, has continued to the
present day. During the years 1915-1918
the Grandstand was used as a hospital
for wounded soldiers
Royal Ascot is regarded as the
“zenith of the London Season” and is an occasion of fashion and style. In the 1920's women’s clothes were as
outlandish as they can be today. One
reporter noted that he saw “a lady who wore what he believed to be a sable
cloak over what appeared to be a bathing dress”. Men’s fashions also changed and the Daily Telegraph was shocked
to note that “soft hats among the men outnumbered ‘toppers’ and one even
observed cloth caps”. There is great
rivalry nowadays between ladies who wear noticeable outfits which range from
weird to wonderful. The highlight of
each day is the Royal Procession at 2 p.m.
The postcard entitled “The
race for the stolen Cup” refers to 1907 when the Gold Cup was stolen during the
race. Two policemen and two gatemen who were guarding it turned their backs on
it to watch the finish, and when they looked back again it had vanished. It was never recovered.
The postcards of the Royal
porcession show King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1907 and King George V
Queen Mary in 1912 and 1923. The
reproduction of the lively drawing of Staines bridge in 1851 proves that traffic
jams are not a 20th century phenomenon!
The postcards in this
exhibition are from the early 20th Century and are part of a very large
postcard collection contained in the Oliver Collection which is housed in the
Depository Library. They cover Royal
Holloway and the surrounding areas, including Ascot, Egham, Englefield Green
and Windsor.
dated – 20 July 2004