Visiting the Queen

Sandringham is a private residence owned by the Queen in Norfolk. The original house and the surrounding land were given to the then Prince and Princess of Wales (later Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). They spent a good deal of their time there and rebuilt the house to accommodate the many parties which were held in the late 19th and early 20th Century.

The Royal family today go to Sandringham for Christmas until February. We have all seen news reports of the Queen attending the Christmas day service at the local church, which we were able to visit. It is only small, very charming, with the most magnificent silver pulpit and altar.

The house itself certainly did feel like a family home. The rooms were large, light and airy with many examples of beautiful art work, and collections accumulated by previous Queens. The attached museum proved to be an eclectic collection of gifts given to the Queen on her overseas trips, as well as garages full of carriages and motor vehicles used by various members of the royal family over the last 100 years.

As interesting as all these things were, the highlight was the grounds which were immaculate, made more impressive by the sunshine in which we enjoyed them.