Great Fosters

Great Fosters is a 16th-century mansion which originally lay within Windsor Great Park and is still adjacent to the town of Egham, Surrey, England. It is a Grade I listed building, close to Heathrow and the M25 London orbital motorway.

Great Fosters
Great Fosters
LocationEgham
Coordinates51°24′58″N 0°32′42″W
OS grid referenceTQ0131369697
AreaSurrey
Builtc. 1550
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Great Fosters
Designated11 July 1951
Reference no.1294166
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
Official name: Great Fosters
Designated1 July 1988
Reference no.1000303
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Great Fosters Residential Block
Designated17 Nov 1986
Reference no.1189680
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name: Great Fosters Barn
Designated11 July 1951
Reference no.1028959
Location of Great Fosters in Surrey

It has been listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England since July 1951, and its gardens and parkland have been Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens since July 1988.[1][2] The grounds are also home to a 17th-century Grade II listed barn which was reconstructed on the site from its original home in a field in Malden, Surrey.[3] The Grade II listed former stables date from the 16th century and are now used as a conference centre.[4]

The formal gardens of Great Fosters were laid out in 1918 by W. H. Romaine-Walker in partnership with G. H. Jenkins, the pair also extended the house.

History

Great Fosters was the London seat of Sir John Dodderidge (1555–1628), a judge of the King's Bench and formerly Solicitor General to King James I. He had been brought up in Barnstaple, in North Devon, and purchased the estate of Bremridge near South Molton, Devon, as his country estate. His epitaph on his monument in Exeter Cathedral states "He departed this lyfe at Forsters nere Egha(m) in Surrey". Sir Robert Foster owned the house in 1639. When he died in 1663 he left the house to his son, Sir Thomas Foster. Great Fosters remained in the family following his death in 1685 when it passed to his daughters. In 1715, Sir Charles Orbey resided here, and it was not until 1787 that one of Sir Thomas’ great grandsons sold the property to a Mr Wyatt for £700.

In 1818 Great Fosters was sold[5] to Dr George Frederick Furnivall[6] (father of Frederick Furnivall), Sir John Chapman (one of the 300 founder members of the Royal College of Surgeons) and another partner, who operated it as a lunatic asylum. Chapman was one of the "modern thinkers" who believed mental illness was not solely related to physical illness, and Furnivall was described in local documentation as "Doctor to the Poor" in Windsor.[5]

Although not confirmed by Windsor Castle records, it is said that King George III was treated at Great Fosters towards the end of his life.[5]

Early in the 20th century, Great Fosters was owned by Baroness Halkett, Queen Alexandra's lady in waiting. Later it passed to the Earl of Dudley and then to the Hon. Gerald Montague. The hotel was purchased by Harold Sutcliffe in 1931 and owned by the Sutcliffe family until late 2018 when it was purchased by Alexander Hotels Group who operate it to this day.

The house

In about 1550, the original house was built as a symmetrical U-shaped Elizabethan homestead. It is probable that it was extended in the early 17th century because there is slightly larger brickwork in the porch. It was at this time the initial tall chimneys were built. However, these pinnacles were removed during World War II after a bomb blast. They have been replaced by replicas.

A dominant feature of the house is the windows, all of which are stone mullions and transoms with leaded lights.

It is now a 4-star hotel.[7]

The front of the house was used in the opening title sequence of the 1950s TV comedy series Whack-O! set at a minor public school. It was also used in the 1958 Rank Organisation film about the Titanic, A Night to Remember.[8]

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References
  1. Historic England, "Great Fosters (1294166)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 12 February 2018
  2. Historic England, "Great Fosters (1000303)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 12 February 2018
  3. Historic England, "Great Fosters Barn (1028959)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 12 February 2018
  4. Historic England, "Great Fosters Residential Block (1189680)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 12 February 2018
  5. "History of the Hotel" (PDF). 5 September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  6. Havercan, Peter (30 March 2010). "The Furnivalls of Sandbach". roots.havercan.net. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  7. "Great Fosters luxury country house hotel in Surrey". www.greatfosters.co.uk.
  8. "A Night To Remember (1958) filming location – Sir Richard's house". www.british-film-locations.com.
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