The Great Park is recorded in Saxon documents as a hunting forest used by monarchs and nobles. Adjoining the royal residence of Windsor, it has evolved over the centuries, under the patronage of Kings and Queens.
Located in the south-east corner of the Park, The Royal Landscape has been developed as an area of recreation over several centuries. The most active period of landscaping took place in the 18th Century, under William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. He created Virginia Water, and also introduced the new fashion for garden design, with a more natural, picturesque landscape adorned with follies.
Thomas Sandby, the renowned topographical draughtsman, worked under George III further designing the landscape, and the Leptis Magna ruins were installed by George IV in 1818.
The farms and forests were expanded by Prince Albert, and much of the tree planting is a legacy of the Victorian era. In the 1930s and 1940 The Savill Garden and Valley Gardens were established.
