The Royal box could be used as a garden feature, according to Sothebys

But horse racing fans failed to grab a piece of Ascot history on Tuesday when the Royal box and bandstand from the course went under the hammer.

The items were removed from the Berkshire track last year as work started on a �180 million revamp.

They were expected to sell for many thousands of pounds but failed to attract a buyer at the Sotheby's auction in West Sussex.

Rupert van der Werff, head of the garden statuary and architectural department at the auction house, said he was "not overly disappointed" they had not sold.

"What will probably be the case is we will sell it after the auction, or there will be horse trading between various parties until an acceptable price is reached," he said.

"I am not overly disappointed we didn't sell them on the day - I am still pretty confident we will sell them after."

The Scottish-made bandstand, erected in 1929, was the focus of raucous after-racing sing-alongs for decades at the Royal Ascot meeting in June.

The Edwardian-style structure has been restored and its estimated price was between �85,000 and �125,000.

The Royal box, which was expected to be sold for between �60,000 and �100,000, dates from the 1960s and features a serpentine front and bronze detail.

After dismantling the walls, parapets and steps, each block of stone has been individually numbered which, with professionally prepared draughtsman's drawings, could allow a buyer to recreate it in its original form.

Also at the sale, an aluminium Ascot flagpole sold for �1,200, while paving fetched �2,400 and a 100m length of cast iron rail which had encircled the Royal Enclosure reached well over the estimate of up to �4,000 by going for �7,200.

One piece not available was the 'first place' sign from the winner's enclosure, which was earlier snapped up by champion jockey Frankie Dettori.

Dettori created history by riding all seven winners at an Ascot meeting in September 1996.