Bagshot Park

Bagshot Park is a royal residence located near Bagshot, a village 11 miles (18 km) south of Windsor and approximately 11 miles (18 km) north west of Guildford (Grid reference: SU 9164). Owned by the Crown Estate it is the current home of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and the Countess of Wessex. Bagshot Park is on Bagshot Heath, a fifty square-mile tract of formerly open land in Surrey and Berkshire. Bagshot Park occupies 21 hectares within the designated area of Windsor Great Park. It is only a few miles from Sunninghill Park, the former residence of the Duke and Duchess of York.

In March 1998, the Mansion House at Bagshot Park, including a block of stables and Sunningdale Lodge, was leased by the Crown Estate to Prince Edward for 50 years. The Mansion House was renovated as a residence for the prince. The renovation was partly funded by the Crown Estate and partly by Prince Edward. The renovation was originally estimated to cost £2.18m, with £1.6m from the Crown Estate and the remainder being paid by the prince. The National Audit Office (NAO) report on the transaction states that the final cost of renovations was £2.98m; the Crown Estate paid £1.6m and the estimated excess of £1.38m was paid by Prince Edward. The Crown Estate had previously received £1.8 million from the Ministry of Defence in respect of dilapidations by the Royal Army Chaplains' Department which offset the cost of the Crown Estate's share of the renovation costs. The prince rented it from the Crown Estate initially for £5,000 a year then after renovation rising to £90,000 a year subject to 15-year rent reviews linked to RPI. According to the NAO report, the property leased by the prince does not include commercial farmland or woodland. The lease agreement permits subletting of the stable block. The prince is allowed to sell the lease or sub-lease the property after 8 years from the date of completion of the rectification works; the lease may not be assigned in the last 3 years of its life. It appears that the prince used the premises as a base for his film production company, Ardent Productions, until he closed the business.

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