| Date | 24 July 2015 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0078 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Tower has long history
CRANBOURNE Lodge, a property owned by The Crown, is probably is of the of the most historic lodges in Windsor Great Park.
Situated in what was known as the Cranbourne Chase division within the forest of Windsor, this was originally the residence of The Keeper of the Chase and was later known as Cranbourne Lodge.
The first tower was believed to have been constructed in around 1480. The keeper at that time was William Staverton of Warfield, who was later thrown out by King Henry VII as he was a supporter of the King’s enemies, the Yorkists.
When built, the tower was originally part of a much larger building built on a much grander scale.
In 1518 the tower was repaired by Richard Weston, the then keeper, but later the tower returned to the guardianship of the Staverton family.
The building was rebuilt in 1665 and again in 1808, when the current tower was built. The building associated with the tower eventually fell into decay and was demolished in 1861.
The tower has been associated with many people of historic note and Anne Hyde, the mother of Queen Mary and Queen Anne, was born there in 1637.
It was visited on many occasions by the diarist Samuel Pepys. One one occasion, the then owner Sir George Carteret, treasurer of the Navy Board, and Pepys got lost in Windsor Great Park and had to navigate by the moon. When they got to the house, which was being rebuilt, there was no way into the building and they had to use a ladder to enter through Sir George’s bedroom.
It is also mentioned in John Evelyn’s diary that King Charles II gave a great dinner at the house in 1674.
In the 1690s, the lodge was the home of Lord Ranelagh, who spent a fortune renovating the house and the estate and also founded a new school in Winkfield.
The house was renovated again by the Duke of St Albans in the 1750s and was occupied by the Duke of Cumberland whilst his house, Cumberland House, was being renovated.
The tower and lodge were substantially rebuilt by George Villiers, who was George III’s bailiff of his farms.
He had to leave very quickly as a quarter of a million pounds had gone missing from his office as Paymaster of the Marines.
The Duke of St Albans had a bowling green installed there and grew pineapples in a specially-built pinery.
The famous racehorse Eclipse was born in a field below the tower in 1764.
One final story conveyed about the lodge was that Princess Charlotte was locked up in the tower in 1814 for refusing to marry the Prince of Orange.
HISTORIC LODGE: The Cranbourne Tower as it stands today.
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