Frogmore House

Last updated

Frogmore House
Frogmore House, Windsor Great Park - geograph.org.uk - 265497.jpg
Frogmore House in 2006
Berkshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Berkshire
General information
Location Frogmore, Home Park
Town or city Windsor, Berkshire
CountryEngland
Coordinates 51°28′27″N0°35′39″W / 51.4743°N 0.5943°W / 51.4743; -0.5943
Completed1684
ClientAnne Aldworth and Thomas May
Design and construction
Architect(s)Attributed to Hugh May

Frogmore House is a 17th-century English country house owned by the Crown Estate. It is a historic Grade I listed building. The house is located on the Frogmore estate, which is situated within the grounds of the Home Park in Windsor, Berkshire. Half a mile south of Windsor Castle, Frogmore was let to a number of tenants until the late 18th century, when it was used intermittently as a residence for several members of the British royal family.

Contents

Queen Charlotte spent much time on the estate, and it was later the home of Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent and Strathern (whose large mausoleum is in a part of the estate's 33 acre gardens). Although occasionally used as a retreat into the early 20th century, the house has been largely unoccupied since 1872. Queen Mary often stayed there early in her marriage and for the rest of her life in the 20th century took a special interest in furnishing the house with family mementos. Keepsakes from the royal yacht HMY Britannia following its decommissioning were placed there in the late 20th century by Prince Philip. In the 21st century, it is used by the royal family to host both private and official events.

History

Early tenants

The Frogmore estate has been under royal ownership since the 16th century and was then leased to a series of Crown tenants. Construction on Frogmore House was not begun until 1680 for tenants Anne Aldworth and Thomas May. Work continued until 1684 and is thought to be the work of Hugh May, an architect employed by Charles II at Windsor Castle and uncle of tenant Thomas May. [1]

The house's first royal resident was George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, the illegitimate son of Charles II and Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland. The duke died in 1716, but his wife continued to live at Frogmore until her death in 1738. There were a number of successive tenants, including Edward Walpole, until 1792 when George III purchased the house for his wife, Queen Charlotte. [1]

Royal retreat

Queen Charlotte used the house as a country retreat for herself and her unmarried daughters. They used Frogmore as a "refuge" away from court life where they could practise their pastimes of "painting, drawing, needlework, japanning, reading and 'botanising'". The Queen's interest in botany is reflected in a number of the rooms at Frogmore, including a room decorated with painted flowers by the artist Mary Moser. [1] [2] Great attention was paid to the gardens, where the queen planted a number of Spanish chestnut, laburnum and birch trees and installed a number of follies. [1]

The house was in good condition, but to make it fit for royal inhabitants, James Wyatt was employed to enlarge and modernise Frogmore House. Between 1795 and 1804, Wyatt enlarged the second floor, added flanking pavilions to the north and south of the house and extended to make room for a new dining room and library. [1] As part of developing Frogmore's gardens, Queen Charlotte had built a simpler retreat house in 1801, now known as Frogmore Cottage. [3] When Charlotte died in 1818, she left the house to her daughter Princess Augusta Sophia, who lived there until her death in 1840. [1]

Following Augusta Sophia's death, Queen Victoria gave Frogmore to her mother, the Duchess of Kent. [2] During this time, the house was subject to a number of alterations. The Duchess's taste differed greatly from Queen Charlotte's and much of the decoration from her time was lost. [4] The house was used regularly between 1841 and the death of the Duchess of Kent in 1861, with Queen Victoria often visiting and a number of private family functions being held there. Victoria wrote of the house: "All is peace and quiet and you only hear the hum of the bees, the singing of the birds and the occasional crowing and cackling from the Poultry Yard!" [1]

Recent history

Frogmore was used intermittently for the remainder of the 19th century. Princess Alexandra (then Princess of Wales) gave birth to her first child (Prince Albert Victor) at the house in 1864, after which it was the home of Princess Helena, third daughter of Queen Victoria, and her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Helena and her husband moved to Cumberland Lodge in 1872. Queen Victoria's great-grandson Louis Mountbatten was born on the estate in 1900. From 1902 to 1910, the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King George V and Queen Mary) were frequent residents. From 1925 until her death in 1953, Mary collected and arranged in the house souvenirs of the royal family, describing it as "a 'family' souvenir museum as well as a museum of 'bygones' and of interesting odds and ends." [5]

During this time, George V allowed his first cousin Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia to live at Frogmore Cottage by 1925 after she escaped the Russian February Revolution. Xenia was "very grateful" that her cousin let her stay at Frogmore. By March 1937, Xenia had moved from Frogmore Cottage to Wilderness House in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. [6] Since 1928, most members of the royal family, except for sovereigns and their consorts, have been interred at the Royal Burial Ground, on the Frogmore Estate. [7]

In 1997, following the decommissioning of the Royal Yacht Britannia, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, furnished what had previously been Queen Charlotte's library and the Duchess of York's dining room with a selection of items from the vessel. This included a mahogany table constructed for Britannia c. 1950. [2]

The house continued to be used by the royal family for entertaining and it was used as a venue for the wedding reception after the marriage of the Queen's grandson, Peter Phillips, to Autumn Kelly in May 2008. [1] It was also used for the reception after the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018, and for the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor with Thomas Kingston in May 2019. [8]

Restoration

During the 1980s, the house underwent extensive restoration, revealing the lost early 18th-century wall paintings by Louis Laguerre. [9] Work was also done on the Green Pavilion, in an effort to restore it to its appearance during the occupation of Queen Charlotte. Work was done on the cornice, dado and chimneypiece, which retain Wyatt's "characteristically crisp detailing." [1] The restorations cost a total of £2.5 million by the time they were completed in 1990. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

The British royal family comprises King Charles III and his close relations. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is a part of the royal family. Members often support the monarch in undertaking public engagements, and pursue charitable work and interests. Members of the royal family are regarded as British and world cultural icons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone</span> Countess of Athlone

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone was a member of the British royal family. She was one of the longest-lived British royals. Princess Alice was the chatelaine of Rideau Hall in Ottawa from 1940 until 1946, while her husband Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, served as Governor General of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein</span> British princess

Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, informally known by her family as Thora, was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. From July 1917, she was addressed simply as Princess Helena Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kensington Palace</span> Residence of the British royal family in London

Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and their two sons. Kensington Palace is sometimes used as a metonym for the offices of royals who officially reside there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frogmore</span> Royal estate in Berkshire, England

Frogmore is an estate within the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. It comprises 33 acres (130,000 m2), of primarily private gardens managed by the Crown Estate. It is the location of Frogmore House, a royal retreat, and Frogmore Cottage. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area near the River Thames. This area is part of the local flood plain. Its large landscaped gardens are Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld</span> Duchess of Kent and Strathearn

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, later Princess of Leiningen and subsequently Duchess of Kent and Strathearn, was a German princess and the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. As the widow of Charles, Prince of Leiningen, from 1814, she served as regent of the Principality during the minority of her son from her first marriage, Karl, until her second wedding in 1818 to Prince Edward, fourth son of George III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia</span> Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn (1860–1917)

Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, later Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn, was a member of the House of Hohenzollern who married into the British royal family. She served as the viceregal consort of Canada while her husband, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, served as the governor general, from 1911 to 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Lodge</span> Country house in Southern England

Royal Lodge is a Grade II listed house in Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, England, half a mile north of Cumberland Lodge and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south of Windsor Castle. The site of homes since the 17th century, the present structure dates from the 19th century, and was expanded in the 1930s for the then duke of York, the future king George VI. Its central section consists of three storeys, with two-storey wings, totalling about 30 rooms, including seven bedrooms. The Royal Chapel of All Saints was built on the grounds in the 1820s.

A grace-and-favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch by virtue of his or her position as head of state and leased, often rent-free, to persons as part of an employment package or in gratitude for past services rendered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore</span> Cemetery used by the British Royal Family, surrounds the Royal Mausoleum on the Frogmore Estate

The Royal Burial Ground is a cemetery used by the British royal family. Consecrated on 23 October 1928 by the Bishop of Oxford, it is adjacent to the Royal Mausoleum, which was built in 1862 to house the tomb of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The burial ground lies on the Frogmore estate within the Home Park at Windsor, in the English county of Berkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria</span> 50th anniversary of the monarchs accession

The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey, and a banquet to which 50 European kings and princes were invited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle</span> Royal chapel in Windsor Castle, England

St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal Peculiar, and the Chapel of the Order of the Garter. St George's Chapel was founded in the 14th century by King Edward III and extensively enlarged in the late 15th century. It is located in the Lower Ward of the castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schloss Rosenau, Coburg</span> Palace in Rödental, Germany

Schloss Rosenau, called in English The Rosenau or Rosenau Palace, is a former castle, converted into a ducal country house, near the town of Rödental, formerly in Saxe-Coburg, now lying in Bavaria, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria</span> 1901 death and state funeral of the United Kingdoms queen

Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India, died on 22 January 1901 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, at the age of 81. At the time of her death, she was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Her state funeral took place on 2 February 1901, being one of the largest gatherings of European royalty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frogmore Cottage</span> Historic building in Windsor, UK

Frogmore Cottage is a historic Grade II listed home on the Frogmore estate, which is part of Home Park in Windsor, England. The cottage was described as a 5,089 sq ft (472.8 m2), four bedroom and nursery, four bathroom single-residence house in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchess of Kent's Mausoleum</span> Historic site in Surrey, England

The Duchess of Kent's Mausoleum is a mausoleum for Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Kent, the mother of Queen Victoria. It is situated in Frogmore Gardens in the Home Park, Windsor. It was listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England in October 1975. The bridge leading to the island from the mausoleum is listed Grade II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore</span> Historic site in Berkshire, England

The Royal Mausoleum is a mausoleum for Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, Prince Consort. It is located on the Frogmore estate within the Home Park at Windsor in Berkshire, England. It was listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England in October 1975. Built between 1862 and 1871, Albert, who died in 1861, was interred in the mausoleum in 1871 following its completion. Victoria was interred on 4 February 1901 following her death in late January.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Kiosk, Frogmore</span>

The Indian Kiosk is located at Frogmore, in the Home Park of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. The kiosk comes from India and was originally designed for the Qaisar Bagh, a palace complex in the city of Lucknow. The palace was looted by British soldiers following the suppression of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the kiosk was brought to England by Charles Canning, Governor-General of India, and presented to Queen Victoria. The Queen sited it in her private gardens at Frogmore, near the mausoleum to her mother. It is a Grade II listed structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic Ruin, Frogmore</span> Folly in Windsor, Berkshire

The Gothic Ruin is located at Frogmore, in the Home Park of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. Designed by James Wyatt in the late 18th century, the structure is a folly, comprising a summer house enveloped in the trappings of a Gothic ruin. It is a Grade II* listed structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Victoria's Teahouse, Frogmore</span> Summer house in Windsor, Berkshire

Queen Victoria's Teahouse is located at Frogmore, in the Home Park of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. Designed by Samuel Sanders Teulon in the mid-19th century, the structure is a summer house designed for the taking of tea. It is a Grade II listed building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "About Frogmore House". Royal Collection. n.d. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Guided tours of Frogmore House". n.d. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Jane Roberts, Lady Roberts (1997). Royal Landscape: The Gardens and Parks of Windsor. Yale University Press. p. 227. ISBN   978-0-300-07079-8.
  4. 1 2 Campbell Dixon, Anne (17 May 2003). "Windsor: The glory of a grave affair". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "Frogmore House" . Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Van der Kiste, John (2004). Once a grand duchess: Xenia, sister of Nicholas II. Sutton Publishing. p. 171. ISBN   0750935219.
  7. ↑ Davies, Caroline; Jones, George (11 February 2002). "Princess is likely to be buried at Windsor". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  8. ↑ Spranklen, Annabelle. "Frogmore House: the Royal Family's secret Windsor retreat" . Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Sawer, Patrick (3 March 2019). "Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move to Frogmore House and begin family…". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.