Fort Belvedere, Surrey facts for kids

Fort Belvedere is a beautiful country house located on Shrubs Hill in Windsor Great Park, England. It's very close to Sunningdale, Berkshire, but actually sits just over the border in Runnymede, Surrey. This fort was a royal home from 1750 to 1976. It's most famous for being the home of King Edward VIII. Fort Belvedere is still owned by the Crown, which means it belongs to the royal family, but it is now rented out to private people.

Early History of Fort Belvedere

Fort Belvedere was built between 1750 and 1755. It was made for Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who was the younger son of King George II and Queen Caroline. Prince William was well-known for his part in the Battle of Culloden.

At first, the building was just a "folly." A folly is a building made for art or decoration, not for a practical purpose like living in. Fort Belvedere was used as a summer-house. From the top of its flagstaff tower, you could see seven different counties! The building has a unique triangular shape with turrets, and it was surrounded by many trees. It looked out over Virginia Water, which is a large lake made by people. Thomas and Paul Sandby created this lake for the Duke.

In 1828, Sir Jeffrey Wyattville made the house bigger. He was the same architect who helped rebuild Windsor Castle for King George IV. Fort Belvedere was then used as a hunting lodge. New parts were added, including an octagon-shaped room on the north-east side, where the King often ate dinner.

The house was designed to look like a military fort, even though it was never used for real battles. It had 31 guns that were made between 1729 and 1749. These guns were used to fire salutes, which are special gun displays, until 1907. Queen Victoria often visited and enjoyed these salutes. The person who took care of the guns, called the Bombardier, lived in a small house connected to the main fort by an archway.

Later, many different royal family members or their staff used the property. In 1911, the old building was turned into a proper home. Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn lived there. The fort has seven bedrooms.

You can also see some old ruins in the grounds from the shore of Virginia Water. These ruins are from an ancient temple that was brought from Leptis Magna, a city near Tripoli. The ruins are located between the south shore and Blacknest Road.

King Edward VIII's Home

In 1929, Fort Belvedere became empty. King George V then gave it to his son, Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales. This became Prince Edward's main home. He used it a lot for entertaining guests and as a quiet place in the countryside. When he became King in 1936, Edward continued to live at the Fort, even though he could have chosen many other royal residences.

Prince Edward lived at the Fort from 1930 to 1936. During this time, he made many changes to the inside of the house. A decorator named Herman Schrijver, who had also decorated the home of Wallis Simpson (who would later become the prince's wife), worked on the Fort's interiors in 1935.

Fort Belvedere became a very important place during the Abdication crisis in 1936. This happened when King Edward decided to give up his throne. He wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, but the British government and other countries did not agree with this marriage because she had been divorced. At the Fort, Edward had his last meetings with the British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. He also signed the document that officially made him give up his role as King. His brothers were there to witness this important moment.

Later Residents of the Fort

During World War II, Fort Belvedere was used by the Office of the Commissioners of Crown Lands. This group had moved their offices out of central London for safety. After the war ended, the house remained empty for some time.

The Hon. Gerald Lascelles became the tenant from 1956 to 1975. He was the younger son of Mary, the Princess Royal, who was King George V's daughter. Gerald Lascelles worked to restore the gardens. He also added a swimming pool and a tennis court to the property.

In 1976, the Emir of Dubai moved into Fort Belvedere. More recently, the house has been occupied by private tenants. The Crown Estate Commissioners still own the land and the building, as it is still part of the Great Park.

Images for kids

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  The New Lodge built by the late Duke of Cumberland on Shrubs Hill, Windsor Forest. This is an old picture of "Shrubs Hill Tower," which was later called "Fort Belvedere."

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  Edward in 1932 during his time living at and renovating Fort Belvedere.

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  Fort Belvedere's tower flying the Canadian flag in January 2014.

See also

In Spanish: Fort Belvedere para niños