The original buildings were designed by the Victorian architects Gordon, Lowther & Gunton, and the foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria’s son The Duke of Connaught.

The Royal Masonic School for Boys was to enjoy mixed fortunes during the 20th century, finally closing its doors in 1977 when, after much wrangling, the building was sold.

Original footage from The Royal Masonic School for Boys.

Approached through impressive entrance gates, a historic clock tower sits within JFK House, the signature building at Royal Connaught Park and named as a tribute to the Kennedy family who once resided nearby during the Second World War.

In recent years Royal Connaught Park has been used as location sets for numerous films including Children of Men, Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life, Oxford Murders and features in some scenes for the Harry Potter movie. Additionally the development has featured in various TV series as well including Judge John Deed and Little Britain.

So the building that first saw the light of day at the dawn of the Edwardian age, is once again looking to the future. This time it also has a past, but remarkably its “dignity and homeliness”, its “welcoming appearance” and its blending of “the grand and the intimate” have survived intact down the years.

No pastiche or nostalgic gesture to the past, Royal Connaught Park is the genuine article, purpose-built a century ago and today able to offer discerning home buyers their own place in history in surroundings of warm, civilised seclusion.