Frogmore House

Situated in the Home Park of Windsor Castle, Grade-I listed Frogmore House is a 17th century English country house owned by the Crown Estate. It is part of the Frogmore Estate, half a mile south of Windsor Castle. It was let to a number of tenants until the 18th century, when it was used intermittently as a residence by several British royals. Today, it is occasionally open to the public.

History of Frogmore House

The original Frogmore House was built between 1680-4 by Charles II’s architect Hugh May for his nephew. It was bought in the sixteenth century by Henry VIII then let to various tenants. Its name derives from the many frogs in the low-lying marshy area. From the early 18th century, the house was leased to a succession of noble families until it was bought by Queen Charlotte in 1792, who needed a retreat for herself and her unmarried daughters.

The house was enlarged by James Wyatt in the 1790s, and after Queen Charlotte’s death in 1818, passed to her eldest daughter, Princess Augusta. After her death in 1840, it was given by Queen Victoria to her mother, the Duchess of Kent. It was then lived in by Queen Victoria’s third daughter, Princess Helena, then King George V and Queen Mary.

The house continued to be in use by the royal family for entertaining, and has been used as a venue for wedding receptions for figures such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.

Frogmore House today

Today, Frogmore House is open to pre-booked groups of 15 or more during August, as well as three Charity Open Days.

Highlights include newly rediscovered murals in the Staircase Hall which were painted by French artist Louis Laguerre and covered in 1760, before being rediscovered during late 20th century renovation. Another popular room is the Britannia Room, where, following the decommissioning of the Royal Yacht in 1997, was furnished with a selection of items from the much loved vessel by the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip.

The gardens include a mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Getting to Frogmore House

The nearest National Rail stations to Frogmore House are Windsor and Eton Central (change at Slough from London Paddington) and Windsor and Eton Riverside (direct service from London Waterloo). Frogmore House is a 20-30 minute walk from Windsor town centre.

Windsor is located just over 20 miles from London and is accessed from London from the M4 Motorway that takes you to Windsor, exit at junction 6 that is signposted Slough and Windsor, from the exit follow the signs for Windsor.

There is parking available at the site, alternatively there are various car parking facilities in the town of Windsor that are within a 5 to 15 minute walk of the house.