| Date | 24 June 2016 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0070 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Jewel of the Crown
LAST week I was delighted to visit a jewel in Windsor’s crown, Frogmore House, which is part of the Windsor Great Park Estate about half a mile from Windsor Castle. It has its origins in the early seventeenth century when it was known as Gwyn’s Farm. It was rented from the Crown by members of the Gwyn family. It would be interesting to know if Nell Gwyn was descended from this branch of the family.
The farm then passed to the Aldworth family. The present Frogmore House was built between 1680 and 1684 for Anne Aldworth and her husband Thomas May by Hugh May, Charles II’s architect. The Aldworths lived at Frogmore for some time before moving to the adjoining house of Little Frogmore. The main Frogmore House became known as Great Frogmore.
In 1790 Queen Charlotte, together with her daughters, purchased a lease on Little Frogmore and two years later, moved into Great Frogmore and the adjacent house was demolished. She employed the architect James Wyatt to enlarge and Modernise Frogmore. When Queen Charlotte died in 1818, the house was left to her eldest daughter. After she died, the house became the residence of Queen Victoria’s mother in 1840.
From 1866 to 1873 Frogmore became the residence of Princess Helena and her husband Prince Christian. After they left Frogmore, it was used only on an occasional basis. In 1900 the future Earl Mountbatten of Burma was born there. From 1925 to her death in 1953 Queen Mary collected and displayed souvenirs of the Royal family making the house a kind of private museum.
During the 1980s the house was restored and revealed the lost wall paintings of Louis Laguerre. After the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of York, it was thought that they would move into the house, but they moved elsewhere. Frogmore was opened to the public in 1990 and 33 acres of gardens together with the Royal Mausoleum, a Gothic Ruin and Queen Victoria’s Tea House.
Image: Frogmore House
Images
