Frogmore House

Situated on the great Windsor estate in Home Park, the 17th century seven-bay brick house was built for the May family, and probably designed by Hugh May who was also the architect at Windsor. In 1792 it was purchased for Queen Charlotte, and James Wyatt was commissioned to convert the house for use as a daytime retreat for the Queen and her daughters. Extended considerably with a second level to the main house, and flanking pavilions later enlarged with bow rooms, this imposing stuccoed property is the Frogmore House that has been used by many members of the Royal Family over the last 200 years.

During the first half of the 19th century, the Duchess of Kent used the Royal house as her country home, living there for nearly 20 years, and Queen Victoria frequently retreated to the peace and seclusion of Frogmore House after the death of Prince Albert. Earl Mountbatten of Burma was born here in 1900, Queen Mary used Frogmore House more as a museum for displaying family souvenirs, and the Queen Mother spent part of her honeymoon in the tranquil surroundings of Frogmore. No longer used as a Royal residence, many rooms in Frogmore House were opened to the public in 1990, and can now be visited on selected days each year, generally in May and August.

For the last 100 years the house has needed constant attention to keep damp and dry rot at bay, and by the 1980s it required substantial restoration. With the extent of refurbishment undertaken it allowed the perfect opportunity to arrange different rooms within the house to reflect the varying periods of occupation. The elegant hall, as designed by Wyatt, is typically crisp and classical, with a pair of Corinthian columns dominating the approach to the stairs. Once magnificently decorated with murals, attributed to Louis Laguerre, these were rediscovered during the 20th century restorations, having been hidden beneath subsequent decoration for some 200 years. Of all the rooms accessible, only the 'Green Pavilion' appears much as it would have in Queen Charlotte's time at Frogmore, but some examples of the fine needlework and watercolour paintings that her daughters completed can be seen in several areas of the house. The tastes of Queen Mary are delightfully shown in the 'flower room' and the black museum, with the much-cluttered Victorian rooms depicting life during the Duchess of Kent's occupation.

Originally designed by Wyatt as an open colonnade fronting the gardens, this was converted to an enclosed room with french windows early in the 19th century, and now exhibits a wonderful collection of plaster casts of Queen Victoria's nine children. Bringing the house right up to date, in the Britannia Room is a selection of memorabilia from the Royal Yacht, arranged by the Duke of Edinburgh. Among the magnificent gardens at Frogmore, always regarded as a private and sacred place by Queen Victoria, is the small temple that eventually became the Duchess of Kent's mausoleum, and the fabulous Romanesque domed mausoleum of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. Despite the limited public opening times, a visit to the Frogmore estate will prove to be a fascinating and revealing insight into Royal life, and one that will undoubtedly be remembered for a long time.