Raising the standard Windsor estate
Blooming marvellous
Featuring over 2,500 roses, the new Rose Garden at The Savill Garden was completed during the year. The garden explores the contemporary use of roses, in keeping with the key values established by Sir Eric Savill. It was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen in June 2010.
Restoring former glories
Following the restoration of the Leptis Magna Ruins in 2008/09, we continued with our programme to improve facilities and restore important heritage features around the Park. In addition to work on the area around the Totem Pole, we also repaired the Five-Arch and the Obelisk Bridges, which date back to the early 19th Century.
Reducing waste by 85%
The introduction of two compactor skips, one for organic waste and one for non-organic, has reduced the amount of waste we send to landfill by around 85% and cut the number of journeys made by waste collection vehicles by 97%. The organic waste is taken off-site to generate electricity. We are now investigating the practicalities of providing more skips on the Park, including at the school.
Riding through the glen
The Park is frequently chosen as a key location for films and we recently welcomed the cast and crew of ‘Robin Hood’, starring Russell Crowe. The team filmed in our forest and at the Virginia Water lake. The Park was also the setting for scenes in ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’.
The outdoor classroom
During the year we provided a ‘forest school’ where local schoolchildren can learn outside in the natural environment. The programme ran in the autumn and spring terms, with activities reflecting the changing seasons and wildlife diversity which thrives in our woodland.
Revenue by activity 2010£million
- Residential – 1.9
- Savill Garden and Building – 2.1
- Commercial property – 1.5
- Forestry – 0.8
- Agricultural – 0.3
The Windsor estate covers 6,300 hectares (15,600 acres) of the Surrey and Berkshire countryside. It includes the Great Park, farms, Ascot Racecourse, forests, golf courses and residential and commercial properties. Within the Great Park is the Royal Landscape, including the renowned Savill and Valley Gardens. The estate enjoyed 12 months of steady progress, bolstered by an increase in revenue which reduced the deficit to a level below that of recent years.
In the year 2009/10, revenue on the Windsor estate was £6.6 million, up by 4.8% on the previous year. Capital value was £176.6 million, up by 6.7% which more than compensated for the slight dip we experienced in 2008/09 as the recession first made its mark. The cost of maintaining the Windsor estate was £8.2 million which was offset by income from commercial and residential property of £5.5 million, and £1.1 million from agriculture and forestry. The net operating deficit is some 20% lower than that recorded in the previous year.
Visitor numbers to the Gardens were healthy and we enjoyed a successful trading year in our restaurants and other facilities, despite the recession.
The Great Park lies at the heart of the Windsor estate. One of our primary roles is to maintain this beautiful resource for the public to use and enjoy. In the past year we welcomed 2.5 million visitors to the Park where they take part in a great range of recreational activities, from fishing and horse riding to walking, cycling and simply being in the fresh air. With its varied landscape, the Park abounds in wildlife and the greater part of it has Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) status.
Beyond the Great Park, the responsibilities of the estate include a number of adjacent commercial and residential properties which continue to be attractive propositions for tenants. Occupancy levels were relatively high during the year, reflecting the highly desirable area in which the estate is located. However, the adverse economic climate did result in slightly longer void periods, in line with those experienced elsewhere on The Crown Estate, particularly for larger properties which can be difficult to re-let when they fall empty.
A starring role
One of the highlights of the year was the selection of the estate as the location for two major feature films.
We welcomed the cast and crew of ‘Robin Hood’ for a total of some three months, during which time they filmed in our forest and also at the Virginia Water lake which represented the Thames, complete with large sailing vessel. Starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott, ‘Robin Hood’ was released in May 2010. The estate’s extensive forestry areas were also the setting for scenes in ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, with filming taking place over a period of six weeks.
Although we are accustomed to a stream of single-day shoots for minor features or commercials, shoots of this length are unusual. Together, they added a significant sum to the year’s revenue and again demonstrated the value and international importance of the unique landscape at Windsor.
Focus on sustainability
A new waste handling system introduced during the year has reduced the amount of waste we send to landfill by around 85%. Working with a local firm, we now have two large compactor skips, one for organic waste and one for non-organic. The organic waste, primarily litter and food, is taken to a facility close to Heathrow Airport where a furnace converts it into electricity. The project began at The Savill Building and it is working so effectively that we are looking to introduce more skips within the Park.
As reported in last year’s Annual Report, we are establishing an environmentally-friendly sewage treatment system that uses natural bacteria and a network of lagoons. Planning consent was granted as this publication went to print.
The eco-house pilot project, which aims to identify energy-saving technologies that could be incorporated in properties on the estate, continued through the year. While the initial results were not as encouraging as anticipated, we are now working alongside the eco-house tenant to evolve our approach. After careful consideration, we have decided not to progress the building of our own heat and power plant but this will be reviewed again as the technology improves.
Improving the estate
We carried out a number of projects during the year to improve and enhance the fabric of the estate.
The new Rose Garden at The Savill Garden was completed at a cost of £220,000 and features a modern design which focuses on the contemporary use of roses. It was opened in June 2010 by Her Majesty The Queen and will be an important addition to the Garden.
The Royal Chapel now features a new roof and restored stonework, following a £350,000 renovation project to which we contributed £100,000. The work was carried out through the autumn and, despite delays caused by the presence of bats, the Chapel was opened in time for the annual carol service.
We have a clear duty to ensure the safety of the public while, at the same time, protecting our natural resources. To this end, we developed a tree management capability which is now being used to assess the safety of roadside trees. Not only are we inspecting a vast number of trees at Windsor, but our expertise is also being shared with the rural estate.
Working with the community
The year again saw our involvement in a number of community-based initiatives, including the annual Easter Egg hunt, free admission for the public to The Savill Garden throughout December and the opening of a new hall at The Royal School, Windsor, for which we provided the land and some funding.
We are keen to share both our Park and our knowledge of the countryside, and were therefore pleased to provide a ‘forest school’ where young children from local schools can learn outside in the natural environment.