Sandringham House

Sandringham House
Sandringham House, Norfolk, England
Location in Norfolk, England
General information
Location	near Sandringham, Norfolk, England
Coordinates	52°49′47″N 0°30′50″E / 52.82972°N 0.51389°E / 52.82972; 0.51389Coordinates: 52°49′47″N 0°30′50″E / 52.82972°N 0.51389°E / 52.82972; 0.51389

Sandringham House is a country house on 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) of land near the village of Sandringham in Norfolk, England. The house is privately owned by Queen Elizabeth II and is located on the royal Sandringham Estate, which lies within the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The landscaped gardens, park and woodlands surrounding the house are listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The site has been occupied since the Elizabethan era, and, in 1771, architect Cornish Henley cleared the site to build Sandringham Hall. The hall was modified during the 19th century by Charles Spencer Cowper, a stepson of Lord Palmerston, who added an elaborate porch and conservatory, designed by architect Samuel Sanders Teulon.

In 1862, the hall was purchased by Queen Victoria at the request of the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) as a home for himself and his new bride, Princess Alexandra, who found the surrounding Norfolk countryside reminiscent of her native Denmark. However, in 1865, two years after moving in, the prince found the hall's size insufficient for his needs, and he commissioned A. J. Humbert to raze the hall and create a larger building.

The resulting red-brick house was completed in late 1870 in a mix of styles. This section incorporated the galleried entrance hall which is used by the royal family for entertaining and family occasions. A new wing was later added to one end of the house in a more traditional style, incorporating a ball room. The building was ahead of its time in amenities, with gas lighting, flushing water closets, and an early form of shower. One part of the house was destroyed in a fire during preparations for the Prince of Wales's 50th birthday in 1891, and later rebuilt.