century, it was home to Prince John, the youngest of the six children of King George V and Queen Mary. Born in 1905, the Prince was epileptic, and spent much of his short life in relative seclusion at Sandringham. He died at Wood Farm, his home for the last two years of his life, on 18 January 1919. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, lived at Wood Farm after retiring from royal duties. York Cottage York Cottage, originally known as Bachelors' Cottage, was built by Edward, Prince of Wales, soon after he acquired Sandringham to provide further accommodation for guests. It was home to George V from 1893 until his mother's death enabled him to move into the main house in 1925. Edward VIII, by then Duke of Windsor, told his father's biographer Harold Nicolson, "Until you have seen York Cottage you will never understand my father". The cottage was no more highly regarded architecturally than the main house; James Pope-Hennessy, the official biographer of Queen Mary, called it, "tremendously vulgar and emphatically, almost defiantly hideous". Nicolson described it as a "glum little villa (with) rooms indistinguishable from those of any Surbiton or Upper Norwood home". He was particularly dismissive of the royal bathing arrangements: "Oh my God! what a place. The King's and Queen's baths had lids that shut down so that when not in use they could be used as tables". "It is almost incredible that the heir to so vast a heritage lived in this horrible little house." Nicolson's strictures did not appear in his official biography of the King. York Cottage is currently the estate office for the Sandringham Estate. Public access The country park and the visitors' centre are normally open throughout the year. The house, gardens and museum were usually opened annually from the end of March until the end of October, but COVID-19 led to the closure of much of the estate. Staged re-opening took place from February 2022. Following the death of Elizabeth II, Sandringham was closed for a period of official mourning. The country park has subsequently reopened but the house and gardens will remain closed to the public until April 2023. See also St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham Notes References Bibliography External links Sandringham Estate website Sandringham House entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses Sandringham House entry from the English Monarchs website Recording of King George