The Royal County of Berkshire boasts many royal establishments – among them Ascot’s luxurious Royal Berkshire Hotel.



However, the building has only been in existence as a hotel for a number of decades.

Built in 1705, the 15 acre estate house was a private residence, and it was given as a gift by Queen Anne to Charles Churchill, son of the first Duke of Marlborough, and an ancestor of Sir Winston Churchill.

Charles Churchill’s wife, Lady Mary, was the daughter of Sir Robert Walpole, and she worked as a housekeeper at Windsor Castle.

The couple had a daughter, Joanna, who continued to live at the house, which was then known as ‘The Oaks’ until her death at the age of 95.

The house, therefore, remained in the possession of the Churchill family for more than 100 years.

Following the death of Joanna, however, the house was bought by Robert Blane, a man with a distinguished army career, who became a Commander of the Bath, and who for the final five years of his life, was military attaché at St. Petersburg. Following his death, his widow remained at ‘The Oaks’. And the property was not sold again until 1880, when it was acquired by a Mrs. Entwistle

From 1911 until the beginning of the First World War, the house was occupied by another military personage, namely Major Guy St. Aubyn.

And, still maintaining this military tradition, at the start of the First World War, it became the property of Colonel Horlick.

‘The Oaks’ now became known as ‘Little Paddocks’, a name that the property retained up until its transition into a hotel in 1971.

The Horlicks family remained at ‘Little Paddocks’ for almost 30years. During that time Colonel Horlicks did much to improve the estate, adding one of the first private swimming pools, and installing a walled garden. An acclaimed authority on shrubbery, particularly rhododendrons, Colonel Horlick took a particular interest in landscaping, and it is claimed the spectacular rhododendron displays that the property now enjoys can be attributed to his gardening skills.

When, later, Sir John Horlick visited the Royal Berkshire Hotel – his former family home – he brought with him a number of photographs and documents relating to the property when it was in the family possession. And included among these historical archives was an inventory and valuation volume, compiled by Colonel Horlick in May 1936 for insurance purposes.

Although it is several decades since the Horlicks family owned the property, a memorial to their occupation still exists.

For tucked away in the vast grounds of The Royal Berkshire Hotel, near the modern tennis courts, is a dogs’ cemetery. And while some of the headstones border the graves of former guide dogs belonging to those who had been pupils when the premises were used as a school for partially sighted girls prior to it becoming a hotel, a number of gravestones bear different inscriptions.

These carry engraved epitaphs dedicated to the memory of several Pekinese dogs and one golden retriever – the beloved pets of Colonel Horlick.

And in addition to these epitaphs to the past, the Horlick family also had a stake in one of the hotel’s traditions. For a special ‘nightcap’ was devised for the hotel guests – described as a Horlicks cocktail, and bearing the title ‘Sleep Well’!

And, while a good night’s sleep was certainly guaranteed, it was also recommended that the drink be taken literally at bedtime! For the Horlicks Cocktail comprised several potent ingredients, namely a third of Horlicks paste, a sixth of brontee liqueur, and a tenth of drambuie, all of which was topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate!

And satisfied customers claimed that the beverage certainly beat a mug of hot milk at bedtime!

While the occupancy of the Horlick and Churchill families remain as the hotel’s most dominant historical feature, for almost three decades the property took on the role of a school. For, at the start of the Second World War, in 1941, the Barclay School for partially sighted girls was evacuated from Brighton, and succeeded the Horlicks family at ‘Little Paddocks’.

And, over the years, the girls of Barclay School were to become a familiar feature of the village landscape – often seen wending their way to church on Sunday in a long crocodile, or out walking with the aid of their guide dogs.

The property remained a school until 1969, when the establishment was disbanded, and for two years lay empty. Then in 1971 it was purchased by the Hoffman family – who were well known European hoteliers.

And it was at this juncture that The Royal Berkshire Hotel as such came into being!

Starting as a private residence, graduating into a school, the building now adapted itself to the requirements of a luxurious hotel.

And luxury, seclusion and stately surroundings certainly set the scene for this new establishment that was soon to become one of Britain’s foremost country house hotels.

Described as ‘a handsome building in a handsome setting, surrounded by mature parkland’, The Royal Berkshire Hotel became the venue for the discerning and the famous – and a haven for those seeking to escape from the glare of publicity.

The hotel played host to a party of pop stars one memorable week-end – a party that included Stevie Wonder, Elaine Page and Tim Rice – to name but a few!

On another occasion it offered sanctuary to a group of British hostages, who had just been released from foreign captivity, and who were on their way home from Heathrow. The hotel became the refuge for a reunion between the hostages and their families – but not a single member of the press or the public knew about it until after the event. And, commenting later on the success of this well kept national secret, the proprietress Mrs. Hoffman declared that ‘the only way to keep a secret was to tell no-one’!

Mrs. Hoffman’s son married television star Anthea Redfern, and together the family ran The Royal Berkshire Hotel for a considerable length of time. Then, wishing to retire from the business, the Hoffmans sold The Royal Berkshire Hotel to Ladbroke Hotels.

And the property underwent a programme of total refurbishment. This refurbishment programme included the construction of a new wing, designed in the style of the original mansion, which raised the amount of available accommodation to more than 60 bedrooms. It also included the provision of an extensive range of sporting activities for the use of the guests – such as two hard tennis courts, a croquet lawn, a squash court, two saunas and an indoor heated swimming pool.

The hotel has now changed ownership and is referred to as Ramada Plaza The Royal Berkshire Hotel, Ascot.