The cottage was originally called the Bachelor's Cottage, and built as an overflow residence for Sandringham House.[2]
In 1893, it was given by the future King Edward VII, then the Prince of Wales, as a wedding gift to his son Prince George, the Duke of York (later King George V),[1] who lived there with his wife, the future Queen Mary, after their marriage.[3] The couple lived there for 33 years until the death of Queen Alexandra in 1925;[4] their five youngest children were born there.[1]
George V loved York Cottage, which is said to resemble "three Merrie England pubs joined together." He furnished it himself with furniture purchased from Maple & Co. furniture store. "Too large and too full of footmen to be unremarkable in Surbiton or Upper Norwood, York Cottage in its own context is a monument to the eccentricity of the family who lived there," Lady Donaldson wrote of the cottage.[4]
Today, York Cottage is the estate office for Sandringham; holiday accommodation and flats for estate employees also occupy part of the building.[4]
