Frogmore House
Encyclopedia
Frogmore House is a 17th-century country house standing at the centre of the Frogmore Estate
, amongst beautiful gardens, about a half a mile south of Windsor Castle
in the Home Park
at Windsor
in the English
county of Berkshire
. It is a Grade I listed building.
, by Charles II
's architect and Thomas's uncle, Hugh May
. The Aldworths - including local MP Charles Aldworth
- continued there for some years before removing themselves to the adjoining house of Little Frogmore. Frogmore House became known as Great Frogmore and had many tenants, including George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland
and Edward Walpole
, father of the Duchess of Gloucester
.
, wanting a country retreat for herself and her unmarried daughters, purchased the lease on Little Frogmore. Two years later, she took on Great Frogmore instead and the smaller dwelling was demolished. James Wyatt
was employed to enlarge and modernise Frogmore House. On her death in 1818, Frogmore House passed to her eldest unmarried daughter, Princess Augusta
. After the Princess's death in 1840, Queen Victoria gave it to her mother
, the Duchess of Kent
. The Duchess died there in 1861.
From 1866 to 1873, the house was home to Princess Helena
, third daughter of Queen Victoria, and her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
. Since then, the Royal Family
have used the home intermittently. In 1900, the future Earl Mountbatten of Burma
was born there. From 1902 to 1910, the future King George V
and Queen Mary
were frequent residents. From 1925 until her death in 1953, Queen Mary collected and arranged in the house souvenirs of the Royal Family, making it a sort of private museum.
. In 1988, it was planned that the newly married Duke and Duchess of York
would move into Frogmore House, but they decided against doing so. The house was opened to the public in 1990. It is open for the late Bank Holiday weekend in May and August plus group tours during August to the end of September each year. No-one lives in the house, and it is speculated that it is being reserved as a country residence for the Duke of Edinburgh, in the event that he outlives the Queen.
Frogmore House has 18 bedrooms, and a number of rooms retain 18th- and 19th-century decoration. These include the Duchess of Kent's sitting room, Mary Moser
's Room, Cross Gallery, and a dining room by Wyatt.
In the 33 acres (133,546.4 m²) gardens, which are open when the house is, are the Royal Mausoleum (burial place of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
) and the Duchess of Kent
's Mausoleum, together with a 'Gothic Ruin', and 'Queen Victoria's Tea House'.
Frogmore
The Frogmore Estate or Gardens comprise of private gardens within the grounds of the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in the English county of Berkshire. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area.It is the location of Frogmore...
, amongst beautiful gardens, about a half a mile south of Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
in the Home Park
Home Park, Windsor
The Home Park, previously known as the Little Park , is a private Royal park, administered by the Crown Estate. It lies on the eastern side of Windsor Castle in the town and civil parish of Windsor, Berkshire....
at Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. It is a Grade I listed building.
Early tenants
The original house on the site was a farmhouse known as Gwynn's Farm and then Frogmore Farm. It was rented from the Crown by the Gwynn family, followed by their heirs, the Aldworths. The present Frogmore House was built in 1680–1684 for Anne Aldworth and her husband, Thomas May, a Tory politician from SussexSussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, by Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
's architect and Thomas's uncle, Hugh May
Hugh May
Hugh May was an English architect in the period after the Restoration of King Charles II. He worked in the era which fell between the first introduction of Palladianism into England by Inigo Jones, and the full flowering of English Baroque under John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. His own work...
. The Aldworths - including local MP Charles Aldworth
Charles Aldworth
Charles Aldworth was an English politician, MP for New Windsor from 1712 to 1714.Charles was the son of the King's Auditor, William Aldworth of Frogmore House at Windsor in Berkshire, and his wife, Anne. He was the cousin of Richard Aldworth of Stanlake Park, paternal grandfather of Richard...
- continued there for some years before removing themselves to the adjoining house of Little Frogmore. Frogmore House became known as Great Frogmore and had many tenants, including George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland
George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland
Lieutenant-General George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG, PC was the third and youngest illegitimate son of King Charles II and his mother Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine...
and Edward Walpole
Edward Walpole
Sir Edward Walpole KB PC was a British politician, and a younger son of Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister from 1721 to 1742....
, father of the Duchess of Gloucester
Maria, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Maria Walpole , the Countess Waldegrave and Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, was a member of the British Royal Family, the wife of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh...
.
Royal residents
In 1790, Queen CharlotteCharlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
, wanting a country retreat for herself and her unmarried daughters, purchased the lease on Little Frogmore. Two years later, she took on Great Frogmore instead and the smaller dwelling was demolished. James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
was employed to enlarge and modernise Frogmore House. On her death in 1818, Frogmore House passed to her eldest unmarried daughter, Princess Augusta
Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom
The Princess Augusta Sophia was a member of the British Royal Family, second daughter of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was a Princess of the United Kingdom and a Princess of Hanover....
. After the Princess's death in 1840, Queen Victoria gave it to her mother
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
, the Duchess of Kent
Duchess of Kent
The Duchess of Kent is the title given to the wife of the Duke of Kent.Five women have held the title:* Jemima , daughter of Thomas Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe, first wife of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent...
. The Duchess died there in 1861.
From 1866 to 1873, the house was home to Princess Helena
Princess Helena of the United Kingdom
Princess Helena was a member of the British Royal Family, the third daughter and fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert....
, third daughter of Queen Victoria, and her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein was a minor German prince who became a member of the British Royal Family through his marriage to Princess Helena of the United Kingdom , the fifth child and third daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of...
. Since then, the Royal Family
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
have used the home intermittently. In 1900, the future Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Earl Mountbatten of Burma
The title Earl Mountbatten of Burma was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1947 for Rear Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy of India....
was born there. From 1902 to 1910, the future King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
were frequent residents. From 1925 until her death in 1953, Queen Mary collected and arranged in the house souvenirs of the Royal Family, making it a sort of private museum.
The house
During the 1980s the house underwent extensive restoration, revealing the lost early-18th-century wall paintings by Louis LaguerreLouis Laguerre
Louis Laguerre , was a French decorative painter mainly working in England.Born in Versailles in 1663 and trained at the Paris Academy under Charles Le Brun, he came to England in 1683, where he first worked with Antonio Verrio, and then on his own...
. In 1988, it was planned that the newly married Duke and Duchess of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
would move into Frogmore House, but they decided against doing so. The house was opened to the public in 1990. It is open for the late Bank Holiday weekend in May and August plus group tours during August to the end of September each year. No-one lives in the house, and it is speculated that it is being reserved as a country residence for the Duke of Edinburgh, in the event that he outlives the Queen.
Frogmore House has 18 bedrooms, and a number of rooms retain 18th- and 19th-century decoration. These include the Duchess of Kent's sitting room, Mary Moser
Mary Moser
Mary Moser was an English painter and one of the most celebrated women artists of 18th century Britain. One of only two female founding members of the Royal Academy , Moser is particularly noted for her depictions of flowers.-Life and career:London-born Moser was trained by her Swiss-born artist...
's Room, Cross Gallery, and a dining room by Wyatt.
In the 33 acres (133,546.4 m²) gardens, which are open when the house is, are the Royal Mausoleum (burial place of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Prince Albert
Prince Albert was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria.Prince Albert may also refer to:-Royalty:*Prince Albert Edward or Edward VII of the United Kingdom , son of Albert and Victoria...
) and the Duchess of Kent
Duchess of Kent
The Duchess of Kent is the title given to the wife of the Duke of Kent.Five women have held the title:* Jemima , daughter of Thomas Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe, first wife of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent...
's Mausoleum, together with a 'Gothic Ruin', and 'Queen Victoria's Tea House'.