In the mid 1600s, a property called Byfield House was built within Windsor Great Park to house the Ranger – who at the time was Baptist May – and this is now known today as Cumberland Lodge. Then in 1766 Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland, became the first Ranger to live in Lower Lodge, now known as the Royal Lodge – which became the home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother until her death in 2002.

King George IV also held the role of Ranger, both as Regent and King, from 1815 to 1830. During this time he recruited the help of the architect Sir Jeffry Wyatville to introduce new features to the Virginia Water landscape – most notably Five Arch Bridge, from where you can look out across the lake towards the same views that King George IV enjoyed. During this time he made other important additions to the Great Park, including the folly of the Leptis Magna Roman Ruins and the iconic Copper Horse statue, erected at the Long Walk as a tribute to his father, George III.

Under the patronage of King George VI, who was Ranger from 1936 to 1952, Sir Eric Savill created The Savill Garden and The Valley Gardens – two of the most important developments within the Great Park in the 20th Century. Then one of the most recent additions to Windsor Great Park has been Ranger’s Avenue, a row of young native oaks which was created at the same time as the restoration of Cow Pond and runs from the pond towards Cumberland Lodge. This was planted in 2012 in honour of the current Ranger, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Please visit our Heritage section for more information about the History of Windsor Great Park and its Rangers.