Dorneywood – the facts
Dorneywood was gifted to the nation in 1942 for use by the Prime Minister
or a Minister of the Crown and has been used by successive Cabinet
Ministers since Anthony Eden in the 1950s. The Deputy Prime Minister
decided in May 2006 that he no longer wished to make any further use of the
house.
Dorneywood is owned by the National Trust but is administered by the
Dorneywood Trust, a private charitable trust which funds the house
entirely. It therefore does not carry any costs for the British taxpayer.
As well as providing a residence, the property is also used for events such
as an annual lunch for the Lord Mayor of London and the gardens are opened
four times a year under the National Gardens Scheme to raise money for
charity.
Ministers who have previously used Dorneywood:
Anthony Eden
The Earl of Home
Patrick Gordon Walker
Michael Stewart
George Brown
James Callaghan
Merlyn Rees
Viscount Whitelaw
Nigel Lawson
Sir Geoffrey Howe
Kenneth Baker
Norman Lamont
Kenneth Clarke
John Prescott
