“Home is the starting place of love, hope and dreams”. When in 2013, Queen Elizabeth II gifted Anmer Hall to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as their belated wedding gift, this must be her thought. As a loving Grandmother, she hoped for a happy married life for her Grandson filled with love, hope and dreams.
And The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge turned Anmer Hall into their home that is today filled with joy and laughter for their young family.
Situated in picturesque village Anmer in Norfolk, the Georgian Country House is located at The Queen’s 20,000 acre Sandringham Estate that was bought by Queen Victoria as a wedding gift to Prince of Wales in 1862. The Anmer Hall was purchased at auction for £25,000 by the famed serial fraudster Ernest Terah Hooley before his first bankruptcy in 1896. The Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, bought the house in 1898.
Wikipedia
The house was built in 1802 and have 2 storeys and an attic with dormer windows. The long south front comprises 13 bays and was refaced with red bricks. It has 13 ground floor windows set in blank arches and a semicircular porch on two Tuscan columns, with 11 windows on the first floor.
Before William and Catherine moved into the house in 2015, the Anmer Hall went through hefty renovations costing £1.5 Million, all paid privately from Royal Family’s funds. The building’s Georgian architecture and surrounding landscape were kept intact during refurbishment. Architecture Charles Morris, who also worked with Prince Charles for the design of the Highgrove house, was responsible for the major structure of the house.
One of the most notable addition included a glass-topped garden room, with views of the expansive grounds. The interior of the house is a mixture of antique furniture with modern accessories. Famous British interior designer Ben Pentreath was chosen for the job. Ben also worked with The Duchess of Cambridge to remodel Cambridge’s family’s Official residence Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace in London. Catherine was seen shopping in the nearby areas many times during the refurbishment period looking for antiques, fabrics and other interior pieces.
The nurseries and drawing room are painted white keeping the traditional and classic look.while the dining room is reported to be painted in jewel green giving a pop of colour to the interior. The Duchess, who loves cooking for her family, has the modern kitchen equipment installed in the house. In the recent engagements, we found that the kitchen at the Anmer hall has become the centre stage of the Cambridge household where George, Charlotte and Louis join their mother in cooking. Before William and Catherine moved in, the above video of the kitchen was shared by the manufacturer.
The house has 10 bedrooms, a tennis court, a swimming pool and a children’s playground. The house also has live-in quarters for the security personnel on one side and accommodation for kids’ nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo. You might remember When William and Catherine stepped out of their home with their three children to clap for the NHS. The Getty picture above shows the area they were standing just outside the door of the home.
The house entrance was re-routed to make it more private.
Anmer Hall was the main residence of the Cambrdige family from 2015 to 2017, while William was working as East Anglian Air Ambulance. The country house gave The Duchess of Cambridge a sanctuary away from prying eyes while she learnt the ropes of royal life while raising two young kids. A small peak of Interior was given in Princess Charlotte’s first birthday pics in 2016.
Their three kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis love spending time outdoor. While Louis might not have spent that much time at the family’s beloved home, George and Charlotte have spent the early years of their lives running after butterflies in the gardens of the Anmer Hall. Prince George finished his nursery at Montessori Nursery in Norfolk.
Before William and Catherine became the residents, the house was leased to The Duke and Duchess of Kent from 1972 to 1980. From 1990 to 2000 the house was leased by Hugh Van Cutsem and then to the owner of kitchen timber company Norfolk Oak, James Everett. His lease was going to expire in 2017, but as the house was to be renovated before William can move in with his family, the lease was ended in 2013.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent much of their children’s free time at this country residence. The family spent the whole COVID-19 period of lockdown at the Anmer Hall. We saw a glimpse of the inside during their various Zoom calls. We saw the lavish gardens in the many official photographs shared by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Another view of the interior was seen during this Hold Still Zoom message. The Anmer Hall provides the much-needed reprieve to the young family that is arguably the most famous family in the world. Reportedly, the little village Anmer does not have a pub even. William and Catherine can step out of their home without going through media and public scrutiny. The Duchess loves doing shopping in the nearby Waitrose. Their young kids enjoy the freedom the house provides to them. The locals are very protective of the Cambridge family and do not like the prying-eyes of media and outsiders.
The residence means a lot to William, as he has spent a great time as a child at Sandringham. William and Catherine have many of their close friends living in nearby areas. The property is going to play a big role in the future just like Sandringham Estate is currently doing.
Queen loves spending quality time at her Norfolk estate while Prince Philip has spent much of his retirement at the Royal Lodge, another country residence at Sandringham Estate. The Royal family celebrates Christmas together at Sandringham Estate – a tradition that I can see being continued when the reigns will change.