History | Sunningdale Park

October 2022

Sunningdale Park SANG opens for the general public to access.

Image: Representatives from Berkeley & Audley attending the official opening of the SANG parkland to the public.

February 2020

Berkeley & Audley finalised the acquisition of Sunningdale Park to build new homes whilst also restoring the historic parkland.

March 2012

The Civil Service College closes, and is used as a De Vere hotel and conferencing centre. The College of Policing was still based in the park for several years after.

February 2003

Sunningdale Park is designated a Grade II Registered Park & Garden (no. 100166).

Northcote House was granted a separate Grade II listing in 1998 (no. 1323678).

Link to Historic England Registry

May 1980

After the 1980 Iranian embassy siege in April-May 1980, the UK government transported the 30 freed hostages to Sunningdale Park to be debriefed, arriving shortly before noon that day.

Reference: UK Parliament Hansard. Volume 59: debated on Tuesday 1 May 1984

Image: Photos showing an ongoing fire inside the Iranian embassy during the 1980 siege.

December 1973

The short-lived Sunningdale Agreement was signed in Northcote House on the 9th December 1973.

Image: UK & Irish governments including Prime Minister Edward Heath, sign the Sunningdale agreement in Northcote House.

The Sunningdale Agreement is considered by many to have been the forerunner and inspiration to the current Good Friday Agreement.

Read about the Sunningdale Agreement

June 1970

The Civil Defence Staff College closed in 1968, however the Civil Service College then opened in June 1970.

The Civil Service College (later named National School of Government) was part of the Cabinet Office, and was responsible for running training, organisational development and consultancy courses for UK civil servants and private learners.

January 1950

After Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen's death in 1947, Sunningdale Park was sold to the Crown. The Civil Defence Staff College opened in 1950, specialising in the problems of Atomic war.

1931

Northcote mansion is remodelled in neo-Georgian style and used mainly as a place to entertain Ascot house parties. There are also reports of the gardens being opened up to the public under the National Gardens scheme.

August 1929

The Estate was acquired by Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen, President of the British-American Tobacco company.

Image: The previous Northcote House from the South West circa 1900, before its 1931 remodel.

1890

Sunningdale Park was once again sold, this time to Major William James Joicey, coal baron and High Sheriff of Durham.

The Joicey family were quick to make their mark on Sunningdale Park. They hired James Pulham II (a student of Capability Brown) to remodel the lake, and construct various rock works and boat cave.

Around this time, several red bricked Victorian buildings were constructed around the site, including the North and South lodges.

Image: Sunningdale Park lake in 1899, after the remodelling by James Pulham II.

Image: A drawing room in Northcote House in 1893. The chandelier was by F and C Osler.

1888

Sunningdale Park was the starting point of the Royal procession for Royal Ascot week in 1888.

1883

The estate is sold again, to Sir James Thompson Mackenzie, a self-made Scottish millionaire.

1859

The estate is sold to Sir Charles Crosley.

Image: The previous Northcote House from the South East, circa 1866, whilst under ownership of Sir Charles Crosley.

1842

James William Steuart dies in Brussels and the estate is inherited by his brother, the Rev. Charles Augustus Steuart. He builds a new house higher on the hill, on the site of the present Northcote House building.

1813

The park laid within the Royal Forest of Windsor until the forest’s enclosure in 1813.

1785

House built by James Wyatt for James William Steuart, a gentleman farmer and the grandson of Admiral James Steuart.

Reference: Hodgetts, Christine (2017): Sunningdale Park: Heritage Report

The house built by James Wyatt for the Steuarts is believed to have been constructed just east of the current Walled Garden, however there are no photographs to indicate its design, and was later demolished at some point between 1842 and 1868.

1752

Evidence of farming and/or plantation on land where Northcote house now stands.

Reference: Rocque painting (1752)

Image: A Rocque painting (1752) showing Sunningdale and the local area. A red border imposed onto the painting shows the outline of the current estate boundary.

48 AD

No prior evidence of land use or ownership exists before 1752. However a major Roman road ran just south east of the estate, running between London and Silchester, known as 'the Devil's highway'.

Story of Sunningdale Park