Forest Lodge, Windsor

Forest Lodge
Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, June 2013
Forest Lodge, Windsor is located in Berkshire
Forest Lodge, Windsor
Former namesHolly Grove[1][2]
General information
TypeHouse
Architectural styleGeorgian
Town or cityOld Windsor, Berkshire
CountryEngland
OwnerCrown Estate
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameForest Lodge
Designated3 March 1972
Reference no.1323667

Forest Lodge is a Georgian mansion in Windsor Great Park, built in the 1770s and enlarged in the early 20th century. It has been listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England since March 1972.[3]

History

In 1803 the property, then known as Holly Grove, was bought by slave-owner Spencer Mackay, who owned sugar plantations in the Caribbean: the Lusignan, Cane Grove, and Annadale estates in British Guiana.[4][5]

It first drew royal interest in 1823, but was not then purchased. It was finally acquired for the Crown on 27 June 1829, during the premiership of the Duke of Wellington and became the residence of the Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park.[6] Early occupants included Sir William Fremantle, Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford, and The Hon. Augustus Liddle.[7]

The house was the residence of the Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park until the retirement of Sir Malcolm Murray in 1937.[7] In 1936 Edward VIII told Murray's successor, Eric Savill, that he wished Forest Lodge to be let to Sir John Aird, his Equerry.[7] The Royal Librarian, Jane Roberts, in her book on Windsor Great Park, Royal Landscape, recorded that the house's name was debated in 1936–37, as Aird thought the name 'Holly Grove' was 'distasteful'. Alternatives such as "Ranger's Lodge" and "Forest Lodge" were considered.[7] It was subsequently renovated to designs by the architectural firm Richardson & Gill.[7]

Later residents have included Lord Napier and Ettrick.[8][9][10] In December 1975 The Daily Telegraph reported that Forest Lodge was being "strongly tipped" as a potential house for Anne, Princess Royal and Mark Phillips.[11] The lease was held by Lady Priscilla Aird, widow to the previous tenant, Sir John Aird, prior to his suicide.[11] In January 1998 reports that Elizabeth II was planning to gift Forest Lodge to Sarah, Duchess of York were described as "wide of the mark" by The Daily Telegraph as the house was part of the Crown Estate and not in the personal gift of the Queen.[12] In April 1998 the property was offered on a 20-year lease through Knight Frank.[13] The estimated value of Forest Lodge was £3 million in 1998.[13]

In 2001 the property underwent a £1.5 million restoration to conserve its period features; it was subsequently let on the open market.[10] In 2025 a planning application by the Royal Household for minor internal and external alterations was approved, allowing changes including new doors and windows, removal of some internal walls, ceiling repairs and new floors.[14]

In August 2025, it was reported that William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, along with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, intend to relocate there from Adelaide Cottage by Christmas.[15][10] They were also reported to be covering renovation and relocation costs themselves and to be paying market rent.[15]

Architecture

Forest Lodge is a Georgian mansion of red brick, built in the 1770s and later altered. Its exterior features Flemish-bond brickwork, a slate and tile roof, six chimneys, and nine bay windows.[10] The symmetrical nine-bay frontage includes a three-bay projecting central block flanked by two-storey side wings. The entrance is decorated with stuccoed pilasters supporting a dentil cornice, with recessed Venetian windows and a central doorway. The sash windows have gauged brick arches, and stucco bandcourses run along the first-floor level. The house was sensitively enlarged in the 19th and early 20th centuries while retaining its Georgian character.[16]

The house contains eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a long gallery, and a principal drawing room accessed from a central hall. A self-contained staff flat forms part of the accommodation. A single-storey service wing was added to the rear in the 19th century. The grounds include a ha-ha, tennis court, large pond, lawns, and gardens.[10][14][17]

Interior details include original stonework, plaster cornices and ceiling decoration, marble fireplaces, six-panelled doors, Venetian windows, and a barrel-vaulted hall ceiling. A major restoration in 2001 conserved these period features while updating services. Despite later additions, the building retains its Georgian style and was designated a Grade II listed building in 1972 for its historic and architectural interest.[16][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Prince William and Kate Middleton set to relocate to Forest Lodge: Here's how much their 'forever home' is worth". Hindustan Times. 16 August 2025. Archived from the original on 17 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Humphrey Repton (1752-1818) - A design for Holly Grove [Forest Lodge] in Windsor Great Park c. 1796-7". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  3. ^ Historic England, "Forest Lodge (1323667)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 August 2025
  4. ^ "Spencer Mackay - Summary of Individual - Legacies of British Slavery". www.ucl.ac.uk. Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Enslaved Africans and Scottish enslavers in Guyana". spanglefish. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  6. ^ Roberts 1997, p. 302.
  7. ^ a b c d e Roberts 1997, p. 303.
  8. ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 37452. 21 July 1904. p. 10. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  9. ^ Admiral Armar Lowry-Corry, 3rd Earl Belmore (1801–1845) had a son named (Admiral Hon.) Armar Lowry-Corry (1836–1919)
  10. ^ a b c d e f Ward, Victoria (16 August 2025). "Prince and Princess of Wales move home for 'fresh start'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 August 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Princess looks for 'home'". The Daily Telegraph. 24 December 1975. p. 9. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Duchess seeks a home". The Daily Telegraph. 28 January 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  13. ^ a b "For rent: Home in need of work situated in royal neighbourhood". The Daily Telegraph. 14 April 1998. p. 11. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  14. ^ a b Martin, Amy-Clare (16 August 2025). "Kate Middleton and Prince William to move into new eight-bedroom home worth £16m". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  15. ^ a b Dimitrova, Galya; Relph, Daniela (16 August 2025). "'A fresh start': William and Kate to move to new Windsor home". BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Forest Lodge, Windsor". Historic England. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  17. ^ Roberts 1997, p. 105.

51°26′35″N 0°38′13″W / 51.4430°N 0.6370°W / 51.4430; -0.6370

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Forest Lodge, Windsor Great Park.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.