Hedsor House
Encyclopedia
Hedsor House is a Georgian style
mansion in England
in the southern most point of Buckinghamshire
in the village of Hedsor
, Taplow
. Perched overlooking the River Thames
, a Manor house
at Hedsor can be dated back to 1166 when the estate was owned by the de Hedsor Family. In the 18th Century it was a royal residence of Princess Augusta, The Dowager Princess of Wales.
, mother of George III
and the founder of Kew Gardens. The house and its 85 acre park overlooking the Thames then regularly welcomed the Kings and Queens from Windsor Castle as the home of Lord Boston from 1764. The house was originally designed by Sir William Chambers
, architect of Somerset House
, with the aid of George III and Queen Charlotte
, who picked the location specifically for its position high above the Thames. Badly damaged by fire in 1795, a new house was completed in 1868, unusually modeled on the Italian villa style but with a domed hall rather than an open courtyard.
King George III
and later, Queen Victoria
were both frequent visitors, with Baron Boston building the Hedsor Folly
to commemorate King George's victory at the Battle of Waterloo
in 1815.
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
.
In the 1960s the house became an international conference centre
before being restored at the beginning of the 2000s and it is now used for corporate events.
The house has been used as a film location for both television dramas and feature films including The Golden Compass and Spooks
. It was used to represent The White House in The Special Relationship
, and Downing Street
in The Day of the Triffids
. It was also used for a MTV
reality show The Girls of Hedsor Hall
, based on the British reality series Ladette to Lady
. and Jay Sean's "Down
" music video.
Hedsor House is registered as a wedding venue .
In 2011, Hedsor House was voted Number 2 in the Top 10 Regal Wedding Venues in the UK by The Times
. The Top 10 were -
1. One Marylebone
2. Hedsor House
3. Aynhoe Park
4. Cliveden House
5. Babington House
6. Eltham Palace
7. Stoke Place
8. Haymarket Hotel
9. Highclere Castle
10. Sezincote
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
mansion in England
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...
in the southern most point of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
in the village of Hedsor
Hedsor
Hedsor is a small village and civil parish in Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England, in the very south of the county, near the River Thames and Bourne End....
, Taplow
Taplow
Taplow is a village and civil parish within South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It sits on the east bank of the River Thames facing Maidenhead on the opposite bank. Taplow railway station is situated near the A4 south of the village....
. Perched overlooking the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, a Manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
at Hedsor can be dated back to 1166 when the estate was owned by the de Hedsor Family. In the 18th Century it was a royal residence of Princess Augusta, The Dowager Princess of Wales.
History
Hedsor, which dates back to 1166, was once the home of Princess Augusta, Dowager Princess of WalesPrincess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was Princess of Wales between 1736 and 1751, and Dowager Princess of Wales thereafter. She was one of only three Princesses of Wales who never became queen consort...
, mother of George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
and the founder of Kew Gardens. The house and its 85 acre park overlooking the Thames then regularly welcomed the Kings and Queens from Windsor Castle as the home of Lord Boston from 1764. The house was originally designed by Sir William Chambers
William Chambers (architect)
Sir William Chambers was a Scottish architect, born in Gothenburg, Sweden, where his father was a merchant. Between 1740 and 1749 he was employed by the Swedish East India Company making several voyages to China where he studied Chinese architecture and decoration.Returning to Europe, he studied...
, architect of Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
, with the aid of George III and Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
, who picked the location specifically for its position high above the Thames. Badly damaged by fire in 1795, a new house was completed in 1868, unusually modeled on the Italian villa style but with a domed hall rather than an open courtyard.
King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
and later, Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
were both frequent visitors, with Baron Boston building the Hedsor Folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
to commemorate King George's victory at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
in 1815.
Current
The present house is a "Georgianised" version of the Victorian house. The house is at the end of a kilometre-long private drive in an 85 acres (343,983.1 m²) estate. The surrounding park is Grade II listed on the English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
.
In the 1960s the house became an international conference centre
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
before being restored at the beginning of the 2000s and it is now used for corporate events.
The house has been used as a film location for both television dramas and feature films including The Golden Compass and Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
. It was used to represent The White House in The Special Relationship
The Special Relationship
The Special Relationship is an episode of the BBC sitcom, The Green Green Grass. It was first screened on 30 December 2007, as the 2007 Christmas special. -Synopsis:...
, and Downing Street
Downing Street
Downing Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
in The Day of the Triffids
The Day of the Triffids
The Day of the Triffids is a post-apocalyptic novel published in 1951 by the English science fiction author John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, under the pen-name John Wyndham. Although Wyndham had already published other novels using other pen-name combinations drawn from his lengthy real...
. It was also used for a MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality show The Girls of Hedsor Hall
The Girls of Hedsor Hall
The Girls of Hedsor Hall is an MTV reality TV series similar to Ladette to Lady and VH1's Charm School. The series takes 12 out of control American girls to England's Hedsor House, a filming, wedding, conference and events venue . There a finishing school called Hedsor Hall was created where they...
, based on the British reality series Ladette to Lady
Ladette to Lady
Ladette to Lady is a reality based series that first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV in June 2005. The series was produced by UK-based RDF Media....
. and Jay Sean's "Down
Down (Jay Sean song)
"Down" is an R&B-electropop song by British artist Jay Sean. The song was released in North America as his debut single from his first album there, All or Nothing. In other markets, including the UK, the song serves as Jay Sean's lead single from his third studio album. The single features American...
" music video.
Hedsor House is registered as a wedding venue .
In 2011, Hedsor House was voted Number 2 in the Top 10 Regal Wedding Venues in the UK by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. The Top 10 were -
1. One Marylebone
2. Hedsor House
3. Aynhoe Park
Aynhoe Park
Aynhoe Park, is a Grade I listed 17th-century country house rebuilt after the English Civil War on the southern edge of the stone-built village of Aynho near Banbury, Oxfordshire. It overlooks the Cherwell valley that divides Northamptonshire from Oxfordshire. The house represents four...
4. Cliveden House
5. Babington House
Babington House
Babington House is a Grade II* listed manor house, located in the village of Babington, between Radstock and Frome, in the county of Somerset, EnglandConverted to a private members club and hotel by Nick Jones, it is currently owned by Soho House Ltd...
6. Eltham Palace
Eltham Palace
Eltham Palace is a large house in Eltham, within the London Borough of Greenwich, South East London, England. It is an unoccupied royal residence and owned by the Crown Estate. In 1995 its management was handed over to English Heritage which restored the building in 1999 and opened it to the public...
7. Stoke Place
8. Haymarket Hotel
9. Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle is a country house in the Jacobethan style, with park designed by Capability Brown. The 1,000 acre estate is in the English county of Hampshire, about south of the border with Berkshire, and south of Newbury...
10. Sezincote