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| History of the House GREAT FOSTERS THROUGH THE CENTURIES Set in the heart of the Windsor Forest and originally reputed to be a royal hunting lodge, parts of which date back to the late 16th century, Great Fosters has a long and celebrated history. The property is believed to have taken its name from a corruption of the word ‘foresters’, and over the centuries the name ‘Great Fosters’ has gained worldwide acclaim. Among a host of distinguished owners, Great Fosters lists Judge Dodderidge who was Solicitor General to King James I, and Sir Robert Foster who took up residence in 1639. Sir Foster was eventually made Lord Chief Justice of the King’s Bench and Common Pleas by King Charles II and, at his death in 1663, left the house to his son, Sir Thomas Foster, also a High Court Judge. Great Fosters remained in the family following his death in 1685 when it passed to his daughters. In 1715, Sir Charles Orbey resided here, and it was not until 1787 that one of Sir Thomas’ great grandsons sold the property to a Mr Wyatt for £700. Early in the 20th century, Great Fosters reinforced its regal connections when it became the property of Queen Alexandra’s lady in waiting, the Baroness Halkett. From the Halkett family, it passed to the Earl of Dudley and thence to the Hon. Gerald Montague before finally becoming the property of the Sutcliffe family, who remain the hotel’s custodians to this day. If you would like to read more about the history of Great Fosters, please click below to download PDF:  THE HOUSE AND ITS SITE At the far end of a wide gravel driveway, Great Fosters stretches out in all its splendour – an outstanding 16th century red-brick house dominating what is believed to be an Anglo-Saxon site, backing onto formal gardens and surrounded on three sides by a moat. Over the centuries, Great Fosters has been extended, embellished and renovated, yet with each addition the history and charm of the property have been faithfully preserved. Wander through the house and at every turn intricate craftsmanship, celebrated artistry and acclaimed architecture bear testament to Great Fosters’ distinguished past. A View Of The House The centre of the house is believed to date back to around 1550, when it was most likely built as a symmetrical U-shaped Elizabethan homestead. The slightly larger brickwork in the porch and at the sides of the house suggests a later extension, around 1600. Elizabethan craftsmen excelled in designing varied styles of tall chimneys, and whilst a bomb blast during the war necessitated all Great Fosters’ chimney pinnacles to be removed, they have been so accurately replicated that they won Great Fosters an award in the 1970s. Another dominant feature of the house is the windows, all of which are stone mullions and transoms with leaded lights. The History Within Entering Great Fosters through its central porch you walk through a doorway, above which the arms and initials of Queen Elizabeth I date to 1598. From here, a stout inner door gives way to the main hall and the wealth of treasures within. Some of Great Fosters’ most celebrated features are included below - please click on any area to find out more:
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