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Royal Ascot 1985

Pictures from one day the Royal Ascot Races in June 1985

By Chris Guy posted on 23 Jun 2025 in Urban

Royal Ascot

In 1985 I was studying 'A' level photography at Watford College and we had a day out at the races! I shot two rolls of film that day and looking back think they provide a nice cameo of life and fashions in the 1980s. I'm publishing these now, in Royal Ascot Week, 40 years on from that grand day out.

Two women in white wide-brimmed hats and patterned outfits at Royal Ascot in 1985, with crowds and signage blurred in the background.

Polka dots

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of a man sitting on folding chairs beside a wooden shed, legs propped, reading a newspaper while parked cars line the street behind him.

Car Park Attendent

Royal Ascot 1985. Elderly uniformed officer with medals and cap speaks with a younger policeman on a street, with cars and pedestrians visible in the background.

The Policeman and The Commissionaire

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of women in elegant outfits and wide-brimmed hats standing by a roadside fence, with trees and parked cars in the background.

Polka Dot Jacket

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of three people walking: a central man in a top hat and suit smiles between a woman in white and a man wearing sunglasses and a jacket.

Cool Sunglasses

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of well-dressed people in hats and sunglasses standing by parked cars.

Early arrivals

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of well-dressed racegoers in hats and suits.

Freshen Up

Royal Ascot. Black-and-white photo of formally dressed people at an outdoor gathering: an older man in a light suit and patterned tie with his arm around a woman wearing an off-the-shoulder dress and large veiled hat; other guests are visible behind them.

Eye Wear

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of a crowd queuing at a grandstand entrance. Men and women in suits and hats pass under signs reading "Entrance to Grandstand Turnstiles for Ticket Holders" and "To the Heath / No Entry,".

Grandstand Entrance

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of two couples in formal attire walking past a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire; a woman in a wide-brim hat and a suited man chat as another woman in a patterned dress and a man in sunglasses.

Spotted

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of three women standing beside a barbed-wire fence: two women wear wide-brimmed hats and glasses, the third wears a patterned headscarf; they appear serious as onlookers gather behind the fenced perimeter.

Queuing

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of a dense crowd packed into stadium stands and along a fenced railing, many spectators wearing hats; a "Refreshment Rooms" sign is visible above the seating.

Out on the Course

Royal Ascot 1985. Low-angle black-and-white photo of a person climbing over a chain-link fence, caught mid-climb with jacket and tie hanging, legs straddling the top, the fence's pattern set against a pale sky.

Jumping the Fence

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white candid of a mixed-age group outdoors: older women seated in folding chairs, men standing and chatting, a young woman in a skirt standing center, and a man with a camera watching nearby.

Spectators

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white image of a man in a white fedora and jacket, seated on a folding chair on the grass reading a newspaper, with a crowd and grandstand blurred in the background.

Checking the Form

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of three boys in matching shirts and shorts walking across a grassy field at a crowded outdoor event, with people sitting on the grass and a packed grandstand full of spectators in the background.

Lads

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of three women in vintage summer dresses and hats walking across a grassy field at an outdoor event; one shields her eyes while another carries a bag, with fencing, bicycles and spectators in the background.

Ladies

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of a young man in a bold striped suit walking briskly past a brick building, holding a cigarette, another person stands in the background near a window.

Bookmaker

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of men in formal suits and top hats outdoors; a central man with a large mustache and glasses smiles toward the camera, blurred trees, cars and buildings behind them.

Nice 'Tach

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of a man standing beside an open car door on a street, putting on a suit jacket. Parked cars and buildings line the road behind him.

Jacket On

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of women walking along a tree-lined street. Foreground woman wears a white polka-dot dress and tilted hat, looking down.

Gloves On

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white street scene: a serious-looking man in a top hat and suit walks toward the camera while a group of women in white uniforms chat by a fence; a formally dressed couple stands by a car under trees.

Spotted Again

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of people in formal dress and top hats. A woman in a wide-brimmed hat with netting is in the foreground; suited men, cars and trees fill the background.

Looking

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white photo of an older couple walking past parked cars; the man wears a morning suit, top hat and sunglasses, the woman wears a patterned dress and a large feathered hat. Slight motion blur conveys movement.

Top Hat and Sunglasses

Royal Ascot 1985. Double-exposed black-and-white photo of two women in dresses and sunglasses (one with a wide-brimmed hat) seated on grass, overlapped by other people and parked vintage cars in a park.

Double Exposure Picnic

Royal Ascot 1985. Black-and-white double-exposure street scene of people walking along a sidewalk. In the foreground a formally dressed man with an umbrella and a woman in a floral dress and sunglasses, among parked cars.

Street View

Tagged with:

1980s black and white film