Sandringham

Sandringham Village

Sandringham is a village and civil parish in the north of Norfolk. The village is situated 6 miles northeast of Kings Lynn and is signposted from the A148 Fakenham Road and the A149 Hunstanton Road. There are regular buses from King’s Lynn if you choose to travel by bus. Take bus number 35 from either the bus station or from Hunstanton and National Express run coaches to King’s Lynn Bus Station for your return journey. The nearest train station to the estate is King's Lynn which has connections to London, Peterborough and Norwich.

Sandringham House, Royal Residence of Queen Elizabeth II

The village is best known for its royal family residents who frequent their country home there. Located within a 20,000 acre estate in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty within Sandringham lies Sandringham House, the country retreat of Her Majesty the Queen. The British royal family acquired the Sandringham House Estate in 1862, when it was purchased by Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, and his soon-to-be wife, Alexandra of Denmark. However, after three weeks, it became evident that the old house was too cramped for the Prince’s growing family and the home demolished to make way for a new house, which was completed in 1870 with a ballroom added in 1881 and a guest accommodation wing in the 1890s to make more room in the home.

It has been the private home of four generations of British Monarchs since then (King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI and the present Queen Elizabeth II). The Queen inherited Sandringham from her father in 1952 and The Duke of Edinburgh took overall responsibility for its management. One of His Royal Highness's principles was to maintain the estate for future generations. His death has left a big hole in the family and the estate.

It is one of two personal and private residences owned by the royal family unlike the Royal palaces that belong to the Crown. Currently over 200 people gain a living from the Estate, including farmers, foresters, gamekeepers and gardeners.The Queen usually celebrates Christmas at Sandringham, where she is joined by many members of The Royal Family who traditionally visit The Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate. Sandringham more recently hosted the now-famous 'crisis talks' in the news between the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry after Harry and Megan announced they will 'step back' as senior members of the Royal Family. They now live in the USA with two children.

Things to do and See on the estate

Whilst you might expect this area and facilities to be out of bounds, there is a great deal of it open to public access despite its Royal Ownership. Sandringham house, gardens and grounds are simply stunning and well worth a visit at all times of the year and some of the approach roads are lined with flourishing rhododendrons and. It is pleasing to note that disabled access in and around Sandringham House is excellent. The grounds have a restaurant in the visitor centre, gift shop and terrace cafe for afternoon tea as well as a garden plant centre. You can also take a picnic into the woodland around the nature walks. Or just explore the wooded country park on foot or by bicycle using the various sign-posted trails. There’s also a children’s adventure playground. There are even pre booked tours around the estate and through the summer, there are sometimes concerts and other performances. At Christmas a twinkling light display known ‘Luminate Sandringham’ is put on creating a light trail through the woods. At this time the museum on site is currently closed with its future under review. The woodland walks are a great place to walk dogs with a tap and bowl for our canine friends at the end of it. The estate, house and gardens are a great place to visit if in Norfolk at all times come rain or shine.

The Church of St Mary Magdalene

As well as the house, on the corner of the estate you will find a small historic church built of carstone, visited at Christmas by the Royal Family. Inside it has an ornate silver altar which was given to Queen Alexandra as a memorial to her husband, Edward VII by Rodman Wanamaker, an American store owner. It is normally the Church where the Queen celebrates mass at Christmas and is regularly shown on TV.

Sandringham Flower Show

Every year the Sandringham estate features the Sandringham Flower Show, where HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall attend. The Show draws thousands to the estate every July. A range of stalls and events are staged in the grounds offering a wide variety of goods and experiences.

Opening Times

Sandringham Royal Parkland and Courtyard facilities are open all year (except Christmas Day when facilities remain closed). Sandringham House, Gardens and St Mary Magdalene Church are now closed until Spring 2022.

The Royal Park is open daily throughout the year to walk or cycle and is dog friendly. There are two waymarked Nature Trails, one 1½ miles long and the other 2½ miles long with many other woodland paths to explore for a casual excursion. December is a particularly exciting time to visit, as the grounds are lit up by thousands of twinkling lights in the Luminate Sandringham display..

Current times Until 4 February 2022

Royal Parkland
Children's Play Area – open daily from dawn until 4.15pm
Facilities at the Courtyard will be open daily.
Information Office 10am - 3pm.
Sandringham Shop and Terrace Takeaway Café 9.30am - 4.30pm.
Sandringham Restaurant | 10am - 5pm.

Parking at Sandringham

Sandringham West Car park is open from 8am to 6pm and Sandringham North Car park from 6am to 9pm. After closing times an entry barrier comes down.The cost of parking depends on the length of time you are visiting the estate. There is free parking for up to 30 minutes, but it costs £3.50 for 2 hours parking, £5 for 4 hours parking, and all day parking costs a total of £7.

News

In 2022, Her Majesty The Queen will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, seventy years of service, having acceded to the throne on 6th February 1952 when Her Majesty was just 25 years old. Throughout the year, Her Majesty and members of the Royal Family will travel around the country to undertake a variety of engagements to mark this historic occasion culminating with the focal point of the Platinum Jubilee Weekend in June.No doubt some of the events or celebrations of it will take place at the Royal family Sandringham house and the surrounding estate and beautiful garden which forms part of their home. Events will also take place throughout the royal family commonwealth.

Beaches nearby

There are a number of beaches near to Sandringham including Heacham and the popular seaside resort of Hunstanton

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