Virginia Water

The Lake

The lake at Virginia Water was created in the 18th century under the stewardship of William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, with the help of his architect Henry Flitcroft – and the construction work first began in 1752. The Duke had ambitious plans for the area, and his work on the project continued when his brother Henry Frederick succeeded him as Ranger. However on 1 September 1768, under Henry’s stewardship, a great storm destroyed the pondhead and Cascade, and emptied the lake!

Thankfully, under the guidance of George III, work soon began to reconstruct and extend the lake to its present day size and scale. The lake and its grounds were reinstated as a place of pageantry and spectacle, with fishing temples along the shore and an ornate Chinese junk peacefully resting on the waters. Today, our team continues in the traditions of skilfully tending and developing this ever changing landscape - with new trees and plantings, careful restoration and the uncovering of stunning vistas.

The Totem Pole

The 100 foot totem pole was a gift to HM the Queen from the people of Canada, carved by master craftsman Chief Mungo Martin of the Kwakiutl Federation. It was erected in 1958 to mark the centenary of the establishment of the province of British Colombia as a Crown Colony.

The Ruins

The Leptis Magna ruins is a folly that, in the fashion of the time, was built to look like a genuine Roman relic - using some of the remnants of a classical Roman city near Tripoli. Because of the age and delicate nature of the ruins they are now enclosed within a fence line, but you can still get remarkably close to these impressive stones - and restoration in 2009 meant that even more of them can now be seen.

The city of Leptis Magna flourished during the first and second centuries AD, developing into a city with a theatre, colonnades, temples and a market. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Leptis Magna was occupied briefly by the Byzantines, but today is an abandoned site, still largely buried in the sand.

In 1816, the Prince Regent, (later George IV) was gifted a series of stones from the ruins of the Leptis Magna city. An assortment of granite and marble columns, pedestals, cornice and inscribed slabs were shipped to England. After a stay at the British Museum, the stones were transferred to Windsor Great Park in 1826.