Location: Norfolk Map
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Closed: one week July
Official site
Sandringham House is a beautiful residence situated near a village of Sandringham in Norfolk, United Kingdom. The history of Sandringham House started in 1771 when architect Cornish Henley started the construction by clearing 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) of land. Today its is privately owned by the British Royal Family. Later in the 19th century Sandringham House was reconstructed under supervision of Charles Spencer Cowper, a stepson of Lord Palmerston.
Sandringham House has been inhabited since the
Elizabethan era, and in 1771 the architect Cornish Henley prepared
the site to build Sandringham Hall. The mansion was modified during
the 19th century by Charles Spencer Cowper, a stepson of Lord
Palmerston, who added the porch and conservatory, designed by
architect Samuel Sanders Teulon.
In 1862, the mansion was acquired by Queen Victoria, at the request
of the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII), as a residence for
him and his then future wife Alexandra of Denmark. In 1865, however,
two years after moving, the size of the mansion was insufficient for
the needs of the prince, and he commissioned J. Humbert to destroy
the building and create a larger one.
The red brick house that turned out was finished in 1870 with a
peculiar mix of styles. This house design has generally not been
very successful in the Victorian era. This new design incorporated a
large entrance that is used by the royal family as a place of
entertainment and for family occasions. Later a new wing was added
to the building with a more traditional style, incorporating a
ballroom, resulting in a more coherent design. The architecture of
the new building was traditional, but was ahead of the time in some
details, such as gas lighting, toilets with cistern, and a first
shower model. A part of the building was destroyed in a fire during
the preparations for the party of the 50th anniversary of the Prince
of Wales in 1891, and later rebuilt.
Sandrimgham House has been the private residence of four generations
of kings. However, with doubts at the beginning, Princess Alexandra
ended up loving Sandringham. The main features of the new building
were the larger windows which contributed to illuminate the interior
more. The new building was built with the main objective of the
comfort of the inhabitants and not the beauty of the building as had
happened in other residences. Despite the size of Sandringham and
the spaciousness of the main rooms, the bedrooms were very narrow.
The sons of Edward and Alexandra, Prince Albert, Duke of Clarence
and Prince George (George V of the United Kingdom), for example, had
very small bedrooms. The spacious grounds, however, allowed
Alexandra to maintain her collection of horses, dogs, cats, farm
turkeys, and other animals - such as a large ram saved from an
Egyptian butcher. The animals enchanted their children, and later
their grandchildren. The sons of George V liked to visit Sandringham
and his grandparents. A statue in the shape of a baboon with a tray
for business cards was another of the things that children loved.
Both Edward and Alexandra, but especially Alexandra adored the
children. The atmosphere was very different from what it was like at
home, especially when his father was with them. The kennels were a
delight for the children. Since the death of Edward VII, Sandringham
has been one of the favorite places of the members of the Royal
Family to go to spend a vacation.
Since King George VI died at Sandringham in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II
has been in the habit of spending the anniversary of her father's
death in Sandringham, privately with her family. It is your
residence until February every year. The house first opened to the
public in 1977, and houses a museum with different objects of Real
life and the history of the Mansion.
The Mansion has been the favorite of the Royal Family, which still
spends the New Year in it. It is also a perfect location to practice
shooting and is used as a venue for shooting competitions. Such was
the fondness for hunting of Edward VII, who ordered that all the
clocks in the house were delayed half an hour to be able to have
more hunting time. This tradition was maintained on the farm from
1901 to 1936 when King Edward VIII decided to eliminate that
tradition.
The farm also contains the York Cottage, built by Edward VII after
moving. Diana, Princess of Wales was born in Park House in 1961.
Anmer Hall is a Georgian house that was the home of the Duke of Kent
for a time, and is now the country house of the Dukes of Cambridge.
Together with Balmoral Castle, Sandringham House is owned by the
British Royal Family and is not part of the estate of the state. His
succession became a fact in 1936, when Eduardo VIII abdicated as
king.