We might have burned a stack of miles to get here, but there’s an absolute treat in northeast England – the royal family’s private winter retreat, Sandringham.
A word to the wise: entry to the house is timed but you can arrive beforehand and enjoy the grounds until your time slot comes up.
Sandringham estate was purchased by Queen Victoria and Albert as a 21st birthday gift for their eldest son Bertie, aka King Edward VII. He and his Danish wife Queen Alexandra went on to remodel it and make it their family home. It appears as two separate styles, but they are joined and of a similar period.
We’re able to tour the ground floor. Each room is guided but sadly as with all royal residences, no internal photography is allowed. The official guide is being updated to reflect changes made since King Charles came to the throne so it isn’t in stock, so you’ll just have to let your imagination run with me.
We enter from the back, into an entry hall that opens to the living room.
It’s clear from the start that this is very much a family home. It’s cosy in the way loved homes are, with plumped armchairs, endless feather cushions to sink into, family photographs and personal treasures collected by generations. The colours are gorgeously soft, pale greens, pale raspberry pinks and creamy neutrals. It’s set up with a cocktail cart, a CD stack and a jigsaw table, complete with puzzle in progress ‘Sandrigham in Winter’. And yes, there’s a TV but it’s discreetly hidden in a wooden cabinet.
We also see the drawing room which overlooks a structured topiary garden.
This room is slightly more formal with family paintings and grouped collections of jade, figurines and other lovely trinkets. King Charles has added a breakfast table to a garden adjacent window that’s flooded with morning sun. The rear wall features a full length portrait of Queen Alexandra, painted after the death of her eldest son. She’s beautiful but the grief in her expression is startlingly realistic. It’s a room that would work well when entertaining, for pre dinner cocktails and nooks for private and group conversations. A porcelain pastel flowered Meissen chandelier is a delicate central feature – the flowers in the chandelier are repeated in the room’s plasterwork. It’s decidedly Victorian and very feminine – in more formal times this would have been the ladies’ withdrawing room.
Next is the music room, divided by styling in two, part for performance, the other for audience. There’s a piano with three stools, for group pieces perhaps, and the plaster work features musical instruments. It’s painted pale yellow and white, and also has views of the formal garden.
Family photographs are displayed on most surfaces – the Queen, Prince Phillip, King Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Kate, Princess Charlotte’s christening and all the grandchildren. A room full of family memories.
We’re next led to the dining room where a table for 12 is set for dinner. It’s set with the blue and white dining service we saw on display in Windsor and is decorated with three, 3 tiered centrepieces, each tier full of pink camellias.
They look real, but we learn they’re paper. King Charles had them made so visitors are able to see how the table presents fully decorated. And lovely it is, very inviting. The table setting also solves (for me) the external debate of where the dessert spoon should be placed. For the record, it’s at the top. There’s also a large sideboard, displaying serving and decorative pieces from the dining service.
The first evidence of a hallway is the long corridor that leads to the ballroom. The walkway proudly displays the royal family’s connection to horses and the land with bronze statues commemorating champions racers, stags and royals with faithful hounds by their side. It’s decorated in a deep masculine red, a style that continues in the panelled ballroom which also features armoury displays. I’ll bet those floorboards could tell a few tales…
And just like that, our tour is over. *Sigh*. It’s a beautiful home.
The rear of Sandringham overlooks an impressive lifesize bronze horse sculpture of ‘Estimate’ an Ascot Gold Cup Champion.
There’s a great deal to see in the estate. The formal topiary garden of course, with its delicately scented roses, yew hedges, salvia and lavender.
There’s a yew maze,
the upper and lower lakes, and a series of marked walks through woodlands.
The trees are particularly spectacular, especially the truly ancient ones. That little brown dot under that enormous tree – that’s me!
The Glade garden features a little piece of Australia with a tree fern planting.
It’s enroute to the stables which have been converted to a cafe, a display of family cars and Sandringham’s early fire brigade.
Daimler cars are clearly popular with the royals but the Queen’s gorgeous Rolls Royce steals the show. It’s a great spot for a lunch stop in the courtyard with tasty sandwiches, cream teas and plenty to keep you entertained.
There’s a walled garden, no doubt showcasing King Charles’ love of organic farming but it’s not open to the public unless you’re on a prebooked private tour. It’s clear as we walk the grounds how hard the gardeners work to keep the grounds immaculate. In the whole day, I saw one errant oxalis leaf and even that looked as if was accidentally left behind.
I’ve poured over the map to make sure we haven’t missed anything – it’s invaluable on this visit as the grounds are enormous – 20,000 acres. Allow yourself a good four hours to see everything to best advantage, longer if you want a longer stop for lunch.
We even see a few royal squirrels very busy about the business of ‘almost autumn’. I looked closely but I don’t think any were wearing a crown but they’re in for a king’s ransom of a bountiful harvest.
On our way out, we take the well worn family path to St Mary Magdalene church which sits just inside the Sandringham estate. It’s the church where the Royal grandchildren are christened and it features in many family photographs. It’s also where the royal family attends Christmas services.
Sandringham is by far my favourite royal estate. Himself declares it stunning. High praise indeed. Now I’m no poker player, but having now visited Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, Windsor and Sandringham, I’m declaring it a royal flush. Most pleased with self and inclined to forgive Himself for churning miles to get here.
Oh and did I mention? Our campground is on the Sandringham estate, surrounded by woodlands and a fiesty, thumpity fluffle of bunnies who hop around at night flashing their little white tails. My own Princess Snow White moment. Bliss.
Miss Baci Travels 