UK homes fit for a King (and his Queen)

By Julie Talbot Insurance Advisor

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With King Charles III being at the forefront of his first Trooping the Colour as Monarch on Saturday 17 June – also his “state” birthday” – here at Abode we take a whistlestop tour of some of the notable places he calls home around the UK.

Clarence House

You might have heard of the designer of this glorious Neo-Georgian residence on The Mall, built between 1825 and 1827. It was, of course, John Nash –- the man who also designed Park Crescent in Regent’s Park, The Royal Pavilion in Brighton, and one of the rebuilds of Buckingham Palace, just up the road. Commissioned by the Duke of Clarence, who became William IV, the future king preferred this as his main home, finding its neighbour, St James’s Palace, not roomy or modern enough for his taste. It then was passed between various royals throughout the 19^th Century before becoming the home of the last Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (Arthur, Queen Victoria’s grandson), who died in WWII.

Comprised of four storeys and with a pale stucco façade, this Grade I listed building was badly damaged during the Second World War, so what we see today is very much a modern reconstruction of the original. But that’s not the end of the dramatic Clarence House war story. It was also a Red Cross and St John’s Ambulance HQ, despite having suffered its own bombardment.

Following the war, the identity and presence of the royal residents ramps up. Clarence House was the first post-wedding home for the then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. And after she became monarch, Queen Elizabeth handed the keys over to the Queen Mother and her sister, Princess Margaret. While Princess Margaret moved to Kensington Palace in 1960 following her marriage to Lord Snowden, Clarence House remained the Queen Mother’s London residence until her death in 2002.

Right now, King Charles and Queen Camilla are living in Clarence House while Buckingham Place undergoes renovations. They’ve long called this their London home, and His Majesty has already made a number of modernisations, some of which can be viewed when the ground floor of the building is open to the public during the summer months. Visitors can also see The Queen Mother’s Collection (china, artwork, tea sets etc), all displayed according to her own layout.

Highlights of Clarence House (rct.uk)

Highgrove

Highgrove House in Gloucestershire has long been the “family” home of King Charles III – which included some of his marriage years to the late Princess Diana. Like Clarence House, it’s a Georgian property, and was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall in 1980. Under his watch, the Grade II listed building has undergone modernisation, while respecting its original structure. The house remains a private royal residence and is not open to the public.

For as long as King Charles has lived there, Highgrove has been a working base. The estate and neighbouring Duchy Home Farm produce a plethora of organic produce, and the renowned gardens at Highgrove have been open to the public since 1996, attracting around 30,000 visitors a year. This is something that the King has earned due credit for. Once an overgrown wilderness, this large and beloved area (including the four-acre Wildflower Meadow) now includes rare trees found in the Arboretum, flowers and seeds, while organic gardening methods have contributed to the gardens and estate becoming a natural and sustainable habitat for birds and wildlife.

Dumfries House

While many of us would associate Balmoral with the Royal Family in Scotland, King Charles III is a big fan of Dumfries House, a Category A listed building in East Ayrshire. He was staying here in September 20022 when he was informed how ill his mother, the late Queen, was. His relatively close proximity to Balmoral, where she was at the time, meant he could easily be transported to be with her in her last hours.

Sitting within a sizeable 2000-acre estate, the Palladian-style house was built to a neo-classical design in the 1750s by John and Robert Adam for the 5^th Earl of Dumfries (William Dalrymple) and remained in the ownership of his descendants until 2007, when a consortium and the Prince’s Foundation Trust for the then Prince of Wales bought the entire estate for £45 million – furniture and all.

Inside this extraordinary home remain many original pieces of Thomas Chippendale furniture, and an impressive art collection (including works by Teniers and Van de Velde) housed in the Picture Gallery. With identical sweeping staircases at each end of the house (there are no separate and hidden concrete steps for servants here), domed ceilings, and many large, Venetian-style windows, there’s something for every historian and lover of fine architecture to admire while visiting. And in the gardens, a maze and arboretum are just two of the highlights.

From the time of purchase, the intention was to get the estate back on its feet after some difficult years, and for it become entirely self-sufficient and benefit the local economy, while preserving its original character. And just a year after purchase, in 2008, the house was opened to the public. In the years since, more and more of the greater estate has been opened up and is being utilised for education purposes while employing a healthy number of local people – thus fulfilling King Charles’ vision of a sustainable property that can both repay its debt and replenish the community.

Hillsborough Castle

Also known as “The grandest house in County Down”, Hillsborough Castle is not just Northern Ireland’s official “Royal residence”, but is the home for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Moreover, it became best known in the latter part of the 20^th Century as the place – because of its perceived neutrality – where the peace process took shape.

Starting off in the hands of chieftain family Magennis in the early 1600s, the land, formerly known as Cromlyn, was won over by an Englishmen, Moyses Hill, who built up the estate into more than 5000 acres. The Hills rapidly ascended to become one of the most prolific and powerful landowning families in Ireland, with direct descendant Wills Hill attaining the position of Secretary of State for the Colonies, and holding court to Benjamin Franklin at Hillsborough.

So what of the Castle itself? Described more as a grand town house than a castle, it ticked all the boxes on what a fashionable Georgian domicile should be. Throughout the 18^th and 19^th Century, the house and grounds expanded, forcing local community buildings, such as the Quaker meeting hall, to relocate.

But how did it end up in the hands of the Royal Family? Having been purchased by the British government in the early years of the 20^th Century, and then surviving a devasting fire in 1934 (leading to a substantial rebuild), the house became a popular place for the Royal Family to stay when in Northern Ireland. Indeed, it was seen as a place “not quite home, yet not abroad” where a young Princess Elizabeth could become familiar with the protocols associated with overseas visits. And for a while, on being Queen, she frequented the residence, holding state dinners and balls.

However, with the onset of The Troubles, security tightened and royal visits were not regular – especially in the aftermath of Lord Mountbatten and others being killed in Northern Ireland. And in 1973 the role of Governor of Northern Ireland was abolished, so it ceased to be used for that purpose, but very much remains the official residence for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Post-peace process, when the castle was seen as a serene and stable place for negotiations and talks, it’s been a different case. And in 2014, Historic Royal Palaces took over the running of Hillsborough, with a resolute intent to restore the house and gardens. The then Prince Charles also held an investiture here in that same year.

Designed in a Georgian style, Hillsborough Castle also lays claim to 100 acres of gardens. All of this is now open to the public, alongside the indoor sumptuousness of the State Rooms. These include the Throne Room, Lady Grey’s Study, State Dining Room, and Stair Hall – all of which are teeming with history and objet d’art.

Llwynywermod

We’re including a special mention for this 192-acre Welsh estate and small cottage property, even though as of this month (June 2023), the King has relinquished ownership and the leasehold, and the new Prince of Wales, Prince William, has not taken it on, preferring to stay and pay for hotels when in Wales.

Originally built and owned around the 13^th-14^th Century by a relative of Anne Boleyn, William Williams, the estate was bought by the Duchy of Cornwall in 2006 to serve as a permanent residence for the then Prince of Wales when in the country.

Llwynywermod is close to the Brecon Beacons National Park in Carmarthenshire, and the central three-bedroom farmhouse property used to be a coach house to the main house, which has long fallen into disrepair.

We hope that this has given you both interest and insight into just a handful of royal residences.

If you’d like to know more about how best to insure and protect your own unique, listed residence, talk to Abode today on 01622476433, and one of our specialist team will be happy to advise you.

Live with character. Insure with confidence.

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