A den in the woods

L2 Day 11. A visit to Claremont Gardens. Despite the forecast of heavy rain it was sunny when we were there! Still some autumn colours and despite the playground not being open during this lockdown there are plenty of places for our grand children to explore and climb. The blip is a ‘den’ which is great for little people!
In 1709 the renowned architect, playwright, courtier and spy Sir John Vanbrugh bought a large amount of land and built himself an elegant retreat and began to develop the garden. He sold it to Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (he was twice Prime Minister) in 1714 who comissiomed Capability Brown to develop the garden. In 1769 it was sold to Lord Clive of India. In 1816 it was bought by the nation as a wedding present for George IV’s daughter Princess Charlotte and her husband Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. Sadly Princess Charlotte died there the following year after giving birth to a still born son. From 1816-1922 Claremont was a much loved home to British and foreign royalty but in 1922 much of the Claremont estate was sold for housing development leaving just the house and part of the garden. The house became Claremont Fan Court School in 1930. In 1949 the surviving 49 acres of garden were passed to the National Trust and in the 1970’s a grant for the Slater Foundation allowed the Trust to restore the grounds.