Originally styled ‘High Grove’, the house was built between 1796 and 1798 in a Georgian neo-classical design on the site of an older property; the most likely architect was a local mason, Anthony Keck. Immediately prior to His Royal Highness’s arrival, Highgrove was the home of Maurice Macmillan whose father, Harold Macmillan, was the British Prime Minister in the late Nineteen-Fifties and early Sixties.
Since 1980, both the house and garden have been the subject of many thoughtful and innovative changes. When the Prince first arrived, Highgrove possessed little more than a neglected kitchen garden, an overgrown copse, some pastureland and a few hollow oaks.
Today, after the hard work of scores of people, the garden unfolds in a series of highly personal and inspiring tableaux, each one reflecting the Prince’s interests and enthusiasms. Highgrove now welcomes nearly 40,000 visitors a year.
Highgrove is also the location of Home Farm, part of the Duchy of Cornwall, which has developed into a centre of excellence for organic farming and gardening, as well as an acknowledged haven for wildlife.
Above all, Highgrove is the family home of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.