Sunningdale Park history

The Sunningdale Park story

Close to the north tip of the park stands a magnificent Grade II listed neo-Georgian mansion called Northcote House. Built by Rowland Paul of Cheltenham, it stands on a plateau above the parkland and offers staggering views over Coworth Park and the hills, with Windsor Great Park lying beyond.

The history of this place dates to the 18th Century. The original house was built in 1785 as a private home, designed by James Wyatt.

The first known owner of Sunningdale Park was James William Steuart (c.1770-1842), great-grandson of General William Steuart (1643-1726), from whom the family’s wealth can be traced. 

This property, near the site of the present stables, passed to his brother the Reverend Charles Steuart, one time curate at Sunninghill who, about 1830, built a new house higher on the hill on the site of the present building. This new house was sold 25 years later to Sir Charles Crossley, and by his executers in 1883 to Mr Mackenzie who enlarged and altered it, subsequently selling it to the Joicey family in 1891.

The site was purchased in 1931 by Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen who replaced the original house with the current Grade II listed neo-Georgian mansion. President of the British-American Tobacco Company and Chairman of Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft Limited, the coat of arms still appears above the main entrance today. After Cunliffe-Owen died in 1947, Sunningdale Park was sold to the Crown, and the Civil Defence Staff College was established there in January 1950.

The Park together with its grounds of about 63 acres became the headquarters and one of the centres of the Civil Service College in 1969.

Sir Hugo, younger son of a civil servant, and his first wife, Helen, shared a love of horseracing and the present house, which was completed in mid-1931, was used mainly as a place to entertain Ascot house parties.

From 1975 until its closure in March 2012, Sunningdale housed the National School of Government, and it was temporarily occupied by the College of Policing.

Most recently

Most recently, Northcote House was renowned as a beautiful wedding venue. Managed by De Vere Venues from 2012, Northcote House was a beautiful wedding venue for many brides until the site was acquired by Audley Group in 2020.