Catalogue description Records of the Windsor Estate

There had long been established at Windsor an office to administer the Crown estates there. From the formation of the Office of the Commissioners for the Crown estate in 1924, the office was maintained in Windsor to manage the Crown estate in Windsor Great Park and in the surrounding area (principally town properties in Windsor itself, and agricultural and mixed usage estates in Ascot, Bagshot, Datchet and Swinley). While most Crown estates have local managers or agents to execute directions from the commissioners, the Windsor estate is the only one large enough to warrant its own establishment.

From 1924 until 1968 the estate office was responsible to the appropriate headquarters branches for each part of its operations (ie to Agricultural Branch, Finance Branch and Urban Branch). In 1968, when the headquarters were relocated to Bracknell, a Windsor and General Branch was established which had control of the Windsor Estate Office (which nonetheless continued as a separate entity).

The Windsor Estate Office is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Windsor Park area and Crown land adjoining it, and staff based at Windsor also have responsibility for the general administration of forestry matters in all Crown estates. The office is run by the Surveyor and Deputy Ranger, who has general direction of all common services, and management responsibility for all the estates. Beneath him is a Director of Gardens, who is responsible for managing the formal gardens in the estate, particularly Savill and Valley Gardens. Also based in the office is the Director of Forestry, who has responsibility for Crown estate forestry policy.