Hedsor House (Hedsor Lodge) (Hedsor Park)

Earlier Houses: There were at least three earlier houses on the site of the current house: a medieval manor house (the first house), a Tudor manor house (the second house), and a house of 1778 (the third house), which replaced the Tudor house. The latter was designed by Sir William Chambers for the 2nd Lord Boston. This 18th century house was badly damaged by fire in 1795 and demolished in 1865. The third house was replaced in the mid-19th century by the current (fourth) house, which is the primary focus of this record.

Built / Designed For: 4th Baron Boston

House & Family History: A manor house existed at Hedsor as early as 1166, when the Estate was owned by the de Hedsor family. By the 16th century a Tudor manor house was here; this house was purchased in the 1760s by the 2nd Lord Boston, who commissioned Sir William Chambers to design a new house for him in 1778. It was this Hedsor House, the site chosen by George III for its situation high above the Thames, that was the home of Princess Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales, mother of George III, and founder of Kew Gardens. The Chambers house was badly damaged by fire in 1795; it was finally demolished in 1865 and replaced in 1868 by the current house, designed by James Knowles for the 4th Lord Boston in an Italian villa style, but with a domed hallway rather than an open courtyard, as was usually found in Italian houses. In the 1960s Hedsor became a conference center; the House was extensively restored in the early 21st century and is today a Victorian house with a Georgian Revival exterior that serves as an event venue.
Garden & Outbuildings: The House today sits in an 85-acre park that overlooks the Thames. The 2nd Lord Boston erected Hedsor Folly to commemorate the Allied victory at the Battle of Waterloo.
Architect: William Oldham Chambers

Date of Birth: 1723
Date of Death: 1796
Nationality: British
Notes: Chambers was born in Goteborg, Sweden, to English parents. He was sent to England for his education and returned to Sweden when he was 16, where he worked for the Swedish East India Company between 1740 and 1749. His work for the company took him to the Far East three times, giving him an unparalleled first-hand knowledge of Asian architecture, a unique qualification among European architects of the day. Chambers made enough money in the Far East to retire at any early age and pursue the practice of architecture. He studied architecture in Paris and Italy, staying in the latter for five years. In 1755 he returned to England, where he began his architecture practice. In 1757 Chambers was appointed architectural tutor to the young Prince of Wales (later George III), which resulted in royal favor for the rest of his life. Chambers's publications included the very influential "Treatise on Civil Architecture" (1759), which became the standard work on the classical tradition, and "Designs of Chinese Buildings, Furniture, Dresses, Machines and Utensils" of 1757. In 1767 he became architect to the Office of Works, followed by appointment as the comptroller of the Works in 1769. Chambers was essential in the formation of the Royal Academy and designed its new home, Somerset House, possibly his most famous work. He was made a knight of the Polar Star by the King of Sweden.

Date: 1778
Designed: Third House (demolished) for 2nd Lord Boston

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Architect: James Thomas Knowles Jr.

Date of Birth: Oct 13, 1831
Date of Death: Feb 13, 1908
Nationality: British
Notes: Educated at University College, London, Knowles studied in Italy. He trained with father, James Thomas Knowles Sr., from 1846 to 1853 and remained as father's assistant between 1855 and 1859.

Date: 1868
Designed: Fourth (current) House for 4th Lord Boston

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Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - SOFTBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 1995
Reference: pg. 240
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300072074
Book Type: Softback
House Listed: Not Listed

Park Listed: Grade II
"Christmas at the Riviera" (2007 - TV, as the hotel in Eastbourne). "The Golden Compass" (2007 - interior sets). "The Girls of Hedsor Hall" (2009 - TV reality series, as Hedsor Hall finishing school). "Jay Sean - Down" (2009 - music video, as the nightclub). "Spooks" (2009 - TV, episode 8.1, where the Russian kidnappers take Harry). "The Day of the Triffids" (2009 - TV mini series, as Downing Street). "The Special Relationship" (2011 - as The White House). "Quartet" (2012 - as Beecham House). "Legend" (2015). "Mortdecai" (2015).
Current Seat / Home of: Shephard family

Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT EARLIER HOUSES: de Hedsor family, 12th century. Rowland Hynd, 16th century. Princess Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales (tenant), 18th century. Frederick Irby, 2nd Baron Boston, 18th century. SEATED AT CURRENT HOUSE: George Ives Irby, 4th Baron Boston, 19th century. Philip Shephard, 20th century.

Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust

Primary Current Ownership Use: Wedding & Event Venue
House Open to Public: By Appointment
Phone: 01628-819-050

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.hedsor.com

Awards: Voted number 2 in the Top 10 Regal Wedding Venues in the UK in 2011 by "The Times."

Historic Houses Member: No

Hedsor House (Hedsor Lodge) (Hedsor Park)

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