History of Hedsor House | Country House Venue in Buckinghamshire

1100s

There has been a house at Hedsor since the 1100s. The de Hedsor family lived in an Early Medieval manor house on the grounds, giving the name Hedsor to the estate.
1500s

A new Tudor manor house was built on the estate, replacing the Early Medieval manor.
1750s

Dowager, Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III used Hedsor as a minor accommodation, conveniently located just next door to Cliveden, where King George III spent his time.
1764

In 1764, the house was purchased by William Lord Boston, who served as the Royal Equerry to the Prince of Wales, George III.
1776

His son, Lord Boston II, started to draw up plans for a new house, called Hedsor Lodge. He was captivated by Hedsor’s picturesque position high above the River Thames and its proximity to London. In his elevated role as the Lord of the Bedchamber to King George III, he was able to take counsel from architect Sir William Chambers (designer of Somerset House) and the King himself on the project.
1778

The rebuild of Georgian Hedsor Lodge was completed. Original portraits of their neighbours, King George III and Queen Charlotte, once owned by the Boston family, today gaze down from the walls of Hedsor House.
1795

Hedsor Lodge was unfortunately badly damaged by a fire in 1795.
1868

The Georgian Hedsor Lodge stood for less than a century before being demolished and rebuilt in a Georgian style in 1868 at a cost of £50,000. Lord Boston IV and his wife, Augusta entertained Queen Victoria and the royal family when they were staying at Windsor Castle. This is the Hedsor House that remains on the estate today.
1925

In 1925, the house passed from the 6th generation of the Boston family to D’Arcy Baker, a famous racing driver and Managing Director of Fiat Motors. He spent thousands of pounds on the house, lavishly remodelling it back to a traditional Georgian style. No expense was spared in this refurbishment and we owe it to him for creating the house’s beautiful interior and exterior.
1932

D’Arcy Baker’s expensive taste meant the house was passed to his creditors in the late 1920s. Hedsor was then bought by Philip Shephard, coincidentally a Godson of Lord Boston IV, in 1932. He bought the estate with 100 acres of parkland for £12,000, which came with 15 staff and four gardeners.
1934

In 1934, Philip Shephard gifted the house to his son, also called Philip, and his daughter-in-law Florence on the occasion of their wedding. Our Lavinia Suite is named in reference to their beautiful honeymoon to Sri Lanka, where they stayed in the Mount Lavinia Hotel.
1937

Florence and Philip Shephard had their only child in 1937, a son named Alexander who was born in the house and still lives on the estate today. He talks fondly of his upbringing around the estate, learning to swim in the deep bathtub of the primary bathroom and his model railway setup in the Dustin suite.
1939-44

During WWII, Hedsor House was requisitioned for use as a small school – Alexander Shephard was the only boy!
1950-60s

Between the 1950s and mid-60s, the family leased the main house to the United States Air Force, which used it as a top-secret communications centre, later processing information from U2 aircraft during the Cold War. Hedsor was securely protected at this time with guard’s trip wires in the woodlands. The main gates to the estate were made wider for military tanks and today still do not meet in the middle!
1970s-2000s

For the next thirty years, the house was leased as the headquarters of International Computers Ltd, which used the estate as a training and entertaining centre. Indeed, the computer that was used to draw the numbers for the National Lottery lived in Hedsor’s courtyard for several years.
2000-2007

After the lease to ICL, the Shephard family decided to renovate and restore the property to its former glory – as you can imagine, corporate event requirements took a toll on the design of the building.
2007

For the first time in 800 years, Hedsor opened its doors to the world as an events venue and filming location.
2008

The house made a splash by starring as Nicole Kidman’s home in the box office hit, The Golden Compass.
2009

Following the world financial crash of 2008, there was less appetite for corporate sector celebrations, so Hedsor opted for filming work instead. The Boat That Rocked, Brighton Rock, Quartet and Downton Abbey are some of Hedsor’s most notable features.
2010s

Over time, interest in country-house weddings grew, and Hedsor House started to host beautiful, exclusive-use luxury weddings.
2016

Hedsor House underwent more renovation in the form of bedroom upgrades on the second floor. Our ten guest bedrooms now allow you to host your closest friends and family on the night of your wedding.
2022

In 2022, Hedsor launched the UK’s first carbon-neutral wedding, The Alexander, setting an example as an industry-leader.
Present

The house and estate remain completely private and managed by the fourth generation of the Shephard family. This ensures the utmost privacy and exclusivity.

Timeline

1100s

There has been a house at Hedsor since the 1100s. The de Hedsor family lived in an Early Medieval manor house on the grounds, giving the name Hedsor to the estate.

1500s

A new Tudor manor house was built on the estate, replacing the Early Medieval manor.

1750s

Dowager, Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III used Hedsor as a minor accommodation, conveniently located just next door to Cliveden, where King George III spent his time.

1764

In 1764, the house was purchased by William Lord Boston, who served as the Royal Equerry to the Prince of Wales, George III.

1776

His son, Lord Boston II, started to draw up plans for a new house, called Hedsor Lodge. He was captivated by Hedsor’s picturesque position high above the River Thames and its proximity to London. In his elevated role as the Lord of the Bedchamber to King George III, he was able to take counsel from architect Sir William Chambers (designer of Somerset House) and the King himself on the project.

1778

The rebuild of Georgian Hedsor Lodge was completed. Original portraits of their neighbours, King George III and Queen Charlotte, once owned by the Boston family, today gaze down from the walls of Hedsor House.

1795

Hedsor Lodge was unfortunately badly damaged by a fire in 1795.

1868

The Georgian Hedsor Lodge stood for less than a century before being demolished and rebuilt in a Georgian style in 1868 at a cost of £50,000. Lord Boston IV and his wife, Augusta entertained Queen Victoria and the royal family when they were staying at Windsor Castle. This is the Hedsor House that remains on the estate today.

1925

In 1925, the house passed from the 6th generation of the Boston family to D’Arcy Baker, a famous racing driver and Managing Director of Fiat Motors. He spent thousands of pounds on the house, lavishly remodelling it back to a traditional Georgian style. No expense was spared in this refurbishment and we owe it to him for creating the house’s beautiful interior and exterior.

1932

D’Arcy Baker’s expensive taste meant the house was passed to his creditors in the late 1920s. Hedsor was then bought by Philip Shephard, coincidentally a Godson of Lord Boston IV, in 1932. He bought the estate with 100 acres of parkland for £12,000, which came with 15 staff and four gardeners.

1934

In 1934, Philip Shephard gifted the house to his son, also called Philip, and his daughter-in-law Florence on the occasion of their wedding. Our Lavinia Suite is named in reference to their beautiful honeymoon to Sri Lanka, where they stayed in the Mount Lavinia Hotel.

1937

Florence and Philip Shephard had their only child in 1937, a son named Alexander who was born in the house and still lives on the estate today. He talks fondly of his upbringing around the estate, learning to swim in the deep bathtub of the primary bathroom and his model railway setup in the Dustin suite.

1939-44

During WWII, Hedsor House was requisitioned for use as a small school – Alexander Shephard was the only boy!

1950-60s

Between the 1950s and mid-60s, the family leased the main house to the United States Air Force, which used it as a top-secret communications centre, later processing information from U2 aircraft during the Cold War. Hedsor was securely protected at this time with guard’s trip wires in the woodlands. The main gates to the estate were made wider for military tanks and today still do not meet in the middle!

1970s-2000s

For the next thirty years, the house was leased as the headquarters of International Computers Ltd, which used the estate as a training and entertaining centre. Indeed, the computer that was used to draw the numbers for the National Lottery lived in Hedsor’s courtyard for several years.

2000-2007

After the lease to ICL, the Shephard family decided to renovate and restore the property to its former glory – as you can imagine, corporate event requirements took a toll on the design of the building.

2007

For the first time in 800 years, Hedsor opened its doors to the world as an events venue and filming location.

2008

The house made a splash by starring as Nicole Kidman’s home in the box office hit, The Golden Compass.

2009

Following the world financial crash of 2008, there was less appetite for corporate sector celebrations, so Hedsor opted for filming work instead. The Boat That Rocked, Brighton Rock, Quartet and Downton Abbey are some of Hedsor’s most notable features.

2010s

Over time, interest in country-house weddings grew, and Hedsor House started to host beautiful, exclusive-use luxury weddings.

2016

Hedsor House underwent more renovation in the form of bedroom upgrades on the second floor. Our ten guest bedrooms now allow you to host your closest friends and family on the night of your wedding.

2022

In 2022, Hedsor launched the UK’s first carbon-neutral wedding, The Alexander, setting an example as an industry-leader.

Present

The house and estate remain completely private and managed by the fourth generation of the Shephard family. This ensures the utmost privacy and exclusivity.