Wood Farm is a farmhouse on the British Royal Family's

Sandringham Estate Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is one of the royal residences of Charles III, whose grandfather, George VI, and great-grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a estate ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Historically occupied by members of the Royal Family and their guests, the house was a long favourite of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. From his retirement in 2017, the house was home to

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

Design and location

Wood Farm is a five-bedroom cottage located in a secluded part of the

, overlooking the sea. It has been described as a “comfortable open beamed cottage two miles from the ‘big house’”. The house is two miles from the

Wolferton railway station Wolferton was a railway station on the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway line which opened in 1862 to serve the village of Wolferton in Norfolk, England. The station was also well known as the nearest station to Sandringham House, and royal trains ...

and is located near the stables and

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family (biology), family Phasianidae in the order (biology), order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera na ...

shooting grounds.

, reportedly decorated the walls with his own

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

, redesigned the kitchen and bedrooms.

History and occupants

In 1904, the farmhouse was referred to as “Marsh Farm" by local residents.

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

and Queen Mary sent their youngest son, Prince John, who suffered from

epileptic seizures An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

to reside at Wood Farm in 1917. He tended to a garden alongside a flock of chickens, occasionally receiving

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...

as a visitor before his death in 1919. The cottage was subsequently rented out for a number of years, including to James Ansell, the royal family's physician, before his retirement in the 1960s.

and her family began using Wood Farm in 1967. Prince Philip, chose the cottage for the family or guests to stay in without the huge staff or costs presented by the main house. Staff have been reported to not wear

uniforms A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, ...

at the cottage. The Queen has also been described to have cooked and done the dishes while in residence.

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

, began to host shooting parties at Wood Farm during his college years, and continued to use it as a country retreat in adulthood. The cottage is also a

guest house A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use o ...

for visitors who want "complete privacy".

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

, stayed at the farm with the Queen during a shooting party before her engagement. Divorced spouses of royals such as

Sarah, Duchess of York Sarah, Duchess of York (born Sarah Margaret Ferguson; 15 October 1959), also known by the nickname Fergie, is a member of the British royal family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the younger brother of King Charles III ...

are often put up at Wood Farm during holiday periods so they can be close to royal children without officially being at the Queen's festive holiday celebrations at

Sandringham House Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is one of the royal residences of Charles III, whose grandfather, George VI, and great-grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a estate ...

Catherine, Princess of Wales Catherine, Princess of Wales, (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next ...

, stayed at the cottage during her visits to Sandringham early in her relationship with

William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

. The couple reportedly continued to host shooting parties at Wood Farm after their marriage. After his retirement,

lived at Wood Farm. He was often visited by the Queen, and reportedly ran a

truffle A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including ''Geopora'', ''Peziz ...

farm on the grounds of the cottage.

References

{{coord, 52, 49, 22.59, N, 0, 27, 20.89, E, region:GB-NFK_type:landmark, display=title Gardens in Norfolk Country houses in Norfolk Royal residences in the United Kingdom Sandringham, Norfolk