Location: Off Knock Road, East Belfast
When approved: "Resolved - That the names Ascot Park and Ascot Gardens be approved for new streets on the property of Mr. Thomas McGeough situated off Knock Road". (21st May 1935)
Origin of name: Probably named with reference to Ascot in Berkshire, England — a place strongly associated with horse racing and social prestige.
Background: Ascot Park was developed on the grounds of the former Knock Farm (later Eden House), a prominent property in the area until its demolition in the 1930s. Residential addresses are recorded from the early 1940s, and by 1951 the street appears in official directories with occupied homes. The naming of the street fits with contemporary patterns in suburban development, where familiar English names were often used, possibly to lend a sense of distinction or connection to broader British identity.
Notes: The area retains some visual links to its earlier rural history, though the farm itself has long since disappeared beneath suburban housing.
Sources:
East Belfast: Paintings and Stories by Philip Orr, 2020 (Knock Farm and Eden House history)
Belfast Street Directory (1951): addresses 88–104 Ascot Park listed
Belfast Street Lists (1950s–1960s)