Cumberland Lodge

Cumberland Lodge is a 17th-century Grade II listed country house in Windsor Great Park located 3.5 miles south of Windsor Castle. It is now occupied by a charitable foundation which holds residential conferences, lectures and discussions concerning the burning issues facing society. The primary beneficiaries of the charity are university students, 4,000 of whom visit the Lodge each year. Its Patron is The Queen who has granted the foundation sole occupancy of the house. The chairman of trustees is Sir Stephen Wall, former British diplomat. The gardens of Cumberland Lodge are Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The house was built by John Byfield, an army captain, in 1650 when Oliver Cromwell divided up and sold off lots in Windsor Great Park. The house was called Byfield House until 1670. It was then renamed New Lodge, and at times was also known as Windsor Lodge or Ranger Lodge.

After the Restoration, King Charles II made the house the official residence of the Ranger of the Great Park — a Crown appointment always held by someone close to the Sovereign.

Among those who have lived at the Lodge were:

During 1936 Cumberland Lodge was used for key meetings between the King’s Private Secretary and the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, which eventually led to the abdication of King Edward VIII.

In 1947, King George VI granted the use of the lodge to the St Katharine’s Foundation – now known as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Foundation of St Catharine's. The foundation is a Christian educational trust which was the product of the imagination and insight of Amy Buller. A commissioned portrait of Amy Buller by the Scottish painter Helen Wilson (RA) can be seen at the lodge. In 1968 it acquired a new appellation, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Foundation of St Catharine’s, Cumberland Lodge. In June 2005 a new incorporated charity, called simply Cumberland Lodge, assumed the operating role and the assets of the Foundation. However, the original charity continues to exist as the holder of the warrant for the property.

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