Adelaide Cottage was built in 1831 as a summer retreat for Queen Adelaide, who first occupied it on her birthday, August 13, of that year. It initially consisted of two main rooms, with additional rooms for the queen and the pages. The Mirror praised the design of the building at the time, writing, “It has none of the obtrusive splendor which characterizes palace-building, but much of the quaint elegance of the embellished order of domestic architecture in the Old English school.”
William and Kate’s home was built with reclaimed materials
Adelaide Cottage was built using materials from the Royal Lodge, the majority of which had been demolished in 1830. According to Jane Roberts’s book Royal Landscape: The Gardens and Parks of Windsor, “the covered veranda, the port cochère, the decorated roofline, the French windows, even the roof tiles and chimney could all have been transferred from the Royal Lodge.” The queen also transferred furniture from the Royal Lodge to the new retreat. The Ladies’ Pocket Magazine reported in 1834 that the cottage had been newly redecorated prior to the king and queen’s return from Brighton. The primary bedroom also reportedly features a coved ceiling decorated with gilded dolphins and rope ornaments that were reused from the yacht Royal George.
Its architect worked on many important homes of the era
Architect and garden designer Sir Jeffry Wyatville, who designed the cottage, came from a highly regarded architectural dynasty. The nephew of architects Samuel and Joseph Wyatt, Wyatville—who changed his name in 1824—worked on the remodel of Windsor Castle, beating out architect John Nash (known for Buckingham Palace and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton) for the commission. The architect added towers, turrets, and crenellations, giving the castle its Gothic appearance. He was also responsible for the spectacular Waterloo Chamber, which showcases portraits commissioned from Sir Thomas Lawrence. Wyatville was known for his additions and renovations, and he also completed alterations on Chatsworth House.
Adelaide Cottage has a scandalous past
In 1941, Adelaide Cottage became a “grace-and-favor home,” the term for properties which are owned by the monarch and leased—often rent-free—to members of the royal family or employees. One of its notable residents was Group Captain Peter Townsend, who was given the home to live in with his young family by King George IV in 1945. As fans of The Crown are well aware, Townsend, who worked as equerry to the king as well as Queen Elizabeth II, later had an ill-fated love affair with Princess Margaret. In his autobiography, Time and Chance, Townsend notes that the house only had two radiators and was an “ice-box” during the winter. According to Roberts, the Office of Works declined the family’s request for central heating, citing the office’s focus on repairing bomb damage in London at the time. Adelaide Cottage has been updated several times since Townsend’s tenure, most recently in 2015.
It’s on the National Heritage List
In October of 1975, Adelaide Cottage was listed as a Grade II–building on the National Heritage List for England, which designates buildings that are of architectural or historic interest. Its listing describes it as picturesque and cites its marble Graeco-Egyptian fireplace, stucco façade with elaborate pierced bargeboards, and south entrance flanked by a pair of diagonally set chimneys with stepped bases.
It was the final resting place of Queen Victoria’s favorite dog
When Queen Victoria’s beloved King Charles Spaniel passed away in 1840, she had him buried at Adelaide Cottage. His grave was marked by a marble effigy inscribed, “Here lies Dash, The favorite spaniel of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, In his 10th year, His attachment was without selfishness, His playfulness without malice, His fidelity without deceit, Reader, If you would live beloved and die regretted, Profit by the example of Dash.”
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It’s near the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Adelaide Cottage is about a 10-minute walk from Frogmore Cottage, the grace-and-favor home provided to Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, by Queen Elizabeth in 2019. The couple spent £2.4 million renovating the home, a sum they repaid after they stepped down from their roles as senior royals. By June 2023, the couple had fully moved out of the cottage.