The Windsor estate covers around 6,300 hectares (15,600 acres) and includes Windsor Great Park and the private Home Park, the Savill and Valley Gardens, residential properties and some commercial properties including Berkshire and Swinley Forest golf clubs, Ascot Racecourse, Smith’s Lawn, two let farms and almost 3,200 hectares (almost 7,900 acres) of forest.
It is currently valued at £173 million, representing 2.5% of the total property value of The Crown Estate. In 2007/08 the cost of maintaining the park was £7.9 million; this was offset by income from commercial and residential property (£4.8 million), and from agriculture and forestry (£1 million).
Windsor Great Park is the only Royal Park managed by The Crown Estate. The board of The Crown Estate has a duty to maintain its character as a Royal Park and forest.
The park welcomes over two million visitors every year who enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities such as horse riding, walking, fishing and cycling. The majority of the park has Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) status and has to be managed to a high environmental standard.
The Crown Estate has other traditional holdings in the UK, a legacy of the Sovereign’s historic duty to defend the realm. Castles at Dover, Chester and Scarborough are leased to English Heritage and enjoyed by the nation.
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