Ranger's House - The Wernher Collection
With a National Art Pass you get
An elegant Georgian villa dating back to 1723, Ranger's House includes sumptuous collections of silver and jewels, paintings and porcelain.
The red brick mansion was originally built by Captain Francis Hosier on wasteland adjacent to Greenwich park. At the time, it boasted easy access to London by road and river. After contracting yellow fever at sea, Hosier died in the 1700s and the lease of the house was inherited by the 4th Earl of Chesterfield – a politician and diplomat who was later named Secretary of State. He added a bow windowed gallery to the property, which he used for entertaining and displaying his collection of art. Chesterfield wrote that the view from the gallery gave him 'three different, and the finest, prospects in the world'.
In the early 19th century the property was bought by the Crown, and it became the official residence of the Ranger of Greenwich Park; previous incumbents had previously stayed at the nearby Queen's House. In the same year Sophia Matilda, daughter of the Duke of Gloucester, was appointed Ranger and the house was modified to make it suitable for a princess. Sophia was very popular with the local community and was described as 'a kind and liberal benefactor to the poor of the town'.
From 1862 to 1873 the house was occupied by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and third son of Queen Victoria, while he studied at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich and completed his military service in Canada.
Why you should go
The Wernher Collection is a world class collections of art and antiques
Learn about the life of collector Sir Julius Wernher
Georgian villa located in Greenwich Park with view of the River Thames
Visitor information
Address
Chesterfield Walk, Blackheath, London, Greater London, SE10 8QX
020 8853 0035
Opening times
Please see the English Heritage website for opening times and prices.
Visitor information
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The National Art Pass lets you enjoy free entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, while raising money to support them.