Chris Guy | Royal Ascot 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.

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

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1980s black and white film