Royal Berkshire Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Royal Berkshire Hotel is a country house hotel within a noteworthy example of a late Queen Anne mansion
previously called The Oaks and located at Ascot
in the English
county of Berkshire
.
and relation of Sir Winston Churchill.
The building was named The Oaks for many years after its construction, but became known as Little Paddocks at the start of the 20th century when it was owned by Colonel Sir James Horlick (of the malted milk hot drink
fame) until his family decided to donate the grounds to serve as a school for the blind. The building stayed as a school until the late 1960s, and the modern day tennis courts within the grounds are the final resting location of several of the facility's guide dogs.
Modern use of the building as a hotel began in 1971, when the Hoffman family, experienced European hoteliers, renovated the property.
In 2011, the property was purchased by Exclusive Hotels
, via the group's sister brand EH Venues.
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
previously called The Oaks and located at Ascot
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
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...
.
History
The red-brick mansion was originally built in 1705 as the home of Sir Robert Walpole's daughter, Lady Mary, and Charles Churchill, son of the first Duke of MarlboroughDuke of Marlborough
Duke of Marlborough , is a hereditary title in the Peerage of England. The first holder of the title was John Churchill , the noted English general, and indeed an unqualified reference to the Duke of Marlborough in a historical text will almost certainly refer to him.-History:The dukedom was...
and relation of Sir Winston Churchill.
The building was named The Oaks for many years after its construction, but became known as Little Paddocks at the start of the 20th century when it was owned by Colonel Sir James Horlick (of the malted milk hot drink
Horlicks
Horlicks is the name of a company and of a malted milk hot drink. It is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline in the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Jamaica, and under licence in the Philippines and Malaysia....
fame) until his family decided to donate the grounds to serve as a school for the blind. The building stayed as a school until the late 1960s, and the modern day tennis courts within the grounds are the final resting location of several of the facility's guide dogs.
Modern use of the building as a hotel began in 1971, when the Hoffman family, experienced European hoteliers, renovated the property.
In 2011, the property was purchased by Exclusive Hotels
Exclusive Hotels
Exclusive Hotels are a hotel chain based in Surrey, England. The hotel group has a portfolio of several hotels across the south, and operates mainly in the five star sector.-Portfolio:...
, via the group's sister brand EH Venues.