Holly Grove, Virginia Water, Flitcroft and Sandby c.1748 design: "Part of the Pleasure Ground at Windsor Great (later
Cumberland) Lodge which abutted 'Holley Rideing'”The earliest
conveyance relating to the property containing a small cottage with of land annexed to it was in 1697. In 1772, the estate was purchased by John Deacon who was
Groom of the Bedchamber to
Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland between 1767 and the duke's death in 1790.
Thomas Sandby's plans for 'Holly-grove House' were adapted – 1778 from a design by
Henry Flitcroft who had earlier made plans for improving Windsor Great Lodge (later
Cumberland Lodge), about a mile away from Holly Grove. The plans for the house, 'a three-bay central block with flanking two-storey wings', is what is seen today. Flitcroft and his assistant Sandby collaborated to design much of Holly Grove's surrounding landscape including pleasure grounds and a new '
Great Bridge' to straddle the Windsor Great Park's
Virginia Water Lake.
19th century In 1803, the house and its estate was bought by Spencer Mackay who owned
sugar plantations in the Caribbean: the Lusignan, Cane Grove, and Annadale estates in
British Guiana. He is listed on the Legacies of British Slave ownership database of the
Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery. Holly Grove covered an expansive
acreage: "from both fronts the house commands varied and extensive views over the forest [and] the Great Park". In 1851 'Holly-grove' was described as being "west of
Windsor Forest where, on its eastern margin at
Bishop's Gate commences the principal approach to the celebrated lake called Virginia Water." Holly Grove estate first drew royal interest in 1823, but was not then purchased. It was finally acquired for the Crown on 27 June 1829, during the premiership of
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington and remained the residence of the Deputy Ranger of
Windsor Great Park. Other early occupants included Sir William Fremantle,
Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford, and Augustus Liddle. The house was the residence of the Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park until the retirement of Sir Malcolm Murray in 1937. In 1860, it was "difficult to obtain an order" to
fish in Virginia Water; "the Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park -
Col. F. H. Seymour - lived at Holly Grove, Windsor Park" and it was only he who "granted them".
20th century In 1936
Edward VIII told Murray's successor, Sir
Eric Savill, that he wished Forest Lodge to be let to Sir John Aird, his Equerry. The
Royal Librarian,
Jane Roberts, in her book on Windsor Great Park,
Royal Landscape, recorded that the house's name was debated in 1936–37, as Aird thought the name 'Holly Grove' was 'distasteful'. Alternatives such as "Ranger's Lodge" and "Forest Lodge" were considered. It was subsequently renovated to designs by the architectural firm Richardson & Gill. Later residents have included
Francis Napier, 15th Lord Napier. In December 1975
The Daily Telegraph reported that Forest Lodge was being "strongly tipped" as a potential house for
Anne, Princess Royal and
Mark Phillips. The lease was held by Lady Priscilla Aird, widow to the previous tenant, Sir John Aird, prior to his suicide. In April 1998 the property was offered on a 20-year lease through
Knight Frank. The estimated value of Forest Lodge was £3 million in 1998. In August 2025, it was reported that
William, Prince of Wales, and
Catherine, Princess of Wales, along with their children,
Prince George,
Princess Charlotte and
Prince Louis, intend to relocate there from
Adelaide Cottage by Christmas. The family were reported to have moved in November 2025. ==Architecture==