About
A Tudor Estate With Royal Roots
Great Fosters is a Grade I listed Elizabethan mansion dating to around 1550, believed to have been built as a royal hunting lodge on the edge of Windsor Great Park. Elizabeth I's crest above the entrance marks what is thought to be her visit in 1598, and the estate's rich past includes connections to Tudor monarchs, a prominent King's Bench judge and even rumoured links to King George III.
The formal gardens, laid out in 1918 and Grade II* listed in their own right, are among the most celebrated Arts & Crafts gardens in the country. Features include listed parterres, a Saxon moat, a Japanese bridge over a sunken rose garden, a lily pond and a sundial said to have been gifted to the estate by Sir Francis Drake.
Today, Great Fosters is a five-star hotel — the only AA five-star property in Surrey — and part of the Alexander Hotel Collection. Its 56 individually designed bedrooms, Michelin-starred Tudor Pass restaurant and Utopia Retreat spa make it as compelling a place to stay as it is to celebrate. The estate is also home to an apiary, kitchen gardens and an art-deco outdoor pool, all adding to its remarkable character.