Gothic Ruin, Frogmore

Gothic Ruin
Map
General information
TypeFolly
Architectural styleGothic Revival
LocationFrogmore, Home Park, Windsor, Berkshire
Coordinates51°28′31″N 0°35′47″W / 51.4752°N 0.5963°W / 51.4752; -0.5963
Construction startedc.1790s
Governing bodyCrown Estate
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameGothic Ruin of Temple by Lake in Frogmore Gardens
Designated2 October 1975
Reference no.1319305
Design and construction
Architect(s)James Wyatt

The Gothic Ruin is located at Frogmore, in the Home Park of Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. Designed by James Wyatt in the late 18th century, the structure is a folly, comprising a summer house enveloped in the trappings of a Gothic ruin. It is a Grade II* listed structure.

History

Frogmore House and its estate were bought by George III for his wife Queen Charlotte in 1792, although the land had formed part of the Windsor royal hunting ground since the reign of Henry VIII.[1] Charlotte engaged James Wyatt to redesign the house and sought the advice of her Vice-Chamberlain, William Price, regarding the redevelopment of the grounds.[a][3] Price's brother Uvedale, an early exponent of the Picturesque, clearly influenced the design.[2]

The Gothic Ruin was designed by James Wyatt, reportedly in collaboration with Princess Elizabeth, the seventh child of George and Queen Charlotte.[4] Elizabeth was a talented amateur artist.[5] A pencil sketch of the ruins of 1831 by William Alfred Delamotte, formerly in a collection of drawings of the Frogmore Estate put together by Elizabeth, was returned to the Royal Collection in 1984.[6]

In 1840, Frogmore was inherited by the Duchess of Kent and, following her death in 1861, by her daughter, Queen Victoria.[2] The estate became a favoured, almost sacred,[7] retreat; after burying her mother in a mausoleum overlooking the lake, the Queen commissioned another, the Royal Mausoleum, for her husband Albert, Prince Consort and for herself, after Albert's death in 1861.[b][4]

During her long widowhood, when she rarely visited London, Victoria spent much of her time at Windsor and at Frogmore.[8] She undertook further building work in the gardens, employing Samuel Sanders Teulon to construct a teahouse,[9] and had the Indian Kiosk installed.[10][c] Victoria also engaged Thomas Willement to redecorate the Gothic Ruin.[4] Victoria used the ruin as an outdoor breakfast room in the warmer summer months.[12]

Description

The Gothic Ruin is a single-storey building clad in castellated battlements to give the appearance of the ruin of a much older structure. It is an early example of the Gothic Revival style.[13] The exact date of construction is uncertain; the Historic England listing suggests the 1790s,[14] and other sources ascribe it to the very late 18th century.[15] The Gothic Ruin is a Grade II* listed building.[16]

Public access

Frogmore Gardens are opened to the public on a limited number of days each year, under the National Garden Scheme.[17]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Charlotte’s ambition was to create a Paradis Terrestre, a secluded enclave enabling an escape from the rituals of court and modelled on the, almost contemporary, Hameau de la Reine at Versailles.[2]
  2. ^ As well as the royal mausolea, Frogmore is the site of the Royal Burial Ground, last resting place for a host of Victoria’s lesser descendants.[4]
  3. ^ Geoffrey Tyack, Simon Bradley and Nikolaus Pevsner, in their Berkshire volume of the Buildings of England series, describe the kiosk as a “pretty, octagonal domed pavilion of white marble”,[4] while the garden historian George Plumptre notes its “exquisite oriental symmetry”.[11]

References

  1. ^ Plumptre 1981, p. 87.
  2. ^ a b c Plumptre 1981, pp. 91–95.
  3. ^ RCT 1997, p. 33.
  4. ^ a b c d e Tyack, Bradley & Pevsner 2010, pp. 680–683.
  5. ^ "Princess Elizabeth (1770-1840)". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  6. ^ "The Gothic ruins in the garden at Frogmore 1831". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  7. ^ RCT 1997, p. 35.
  8. ^ St Aubyn 1991, p. 343.
  9. ^ Historic England. "Teahouse to south of Frogmore House in Frogmore Grounds (Grade II) (1117779)". National Heritage List for England.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Kiosk to south east of cottage in Frogmore Grounds (Grade II) (1319306)". National Heritage List for England.
  11. ^ Plumptre 1981, p. 98.
  12. ^ Picard, Caroline (6 June 2016). "The Royal Family's "Secret Garden" Is Opening to the Public". House Beautiful. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Gothic ruin of temple by lake in Frogmore Gardens (Grade II*) (1319305)". National Heritage List for England.
  14. ^ Historic England. "Royal Estate, Windsor, Frogmore Gardens (Grade I) (1000587)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  15. ^ Evans, Elinor (10 January 2019). "Your history guide to Frogmore Cottage". History Extra. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  16. ^ Historic England. "Gothic ruin of temple by lake in Frogmore Gardens (Grade II*) (1319305)". National Heritage List for England.
  17. ^ Batt, Francis (29 April 2018). "Frogmore Gardens at Windsor Castle to open to the public in June". Windsor Observer.

Sources

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