Property: How the restoration of one Windsor home met with a Royal seal of approval – Metro Newspaper UK

WHEN Christian and Ana Cox found this Georgian townhouse, tucked behind Windsor Castle, in 2010, it was a shadow of its former self. One of three houses that had been clumsily converted into offices for an insurance company, its glorious original features had been stripped out and it had no floors and no roof.

The only original feature was an ornate fanlight above the front door and the mahogany staircase, recalls Christian, who runs a property development and design company. It felt like the bones of a fish, once youve finished eating it. But we fell in love with the Georgian faade and the staircase.

It was only after the couple met the landlord of the nearby 16th-century pub, Two Brewers, who produced pictures and paper cuttings of everything to do with historic Park Street, that they were able to piece together images of the original cornicing, the shade of the mortar and the shape of original bookshelves and cupboards. Scaffolding had been holding the house up for around seven years but was now unsafe.

A few weeks into the refurbishment, we had a message from a member of staff at the castle that the Queen was delighted the scaffolding had come down and her view of Park Street had improved vastly, Christian says. We took that as a joke.

It then took us almost a year to refurbish it and create this nearly 3,000sq ft home. It was a lot of work.

Today the exquisite Grade II-listed, four-bed property is a comfortable home to Ana, Christian and their children, James and Clara. It has been restored to its magnificent origins, with lofty 13ft-ceilings in the hall and lavish living rooms, and has been beautifully adapted to modern living. All the bathrooms, and the tiled living areas on the lower-ground floor, have underfloor heating and theres air-conditioning in the splendid master bedroom, with its enormous dressing area (once a separate room), outdoor terrace and elegant en-suite bathroom. At the back of the house, an incredible double-height glass atrium has been added, with sliding doors leading into a lush and leafy landscaped garden.

Then in 2012, when the Coxes received an answerphone message, from the castle to inform the couple that they were to receive an award from the Royal family for the beautiful home they had recreated, they thought it was a prank.

I told my wife about it, but deleted the voicemail, Christian recalls. I thought it was a friend playing a joke.

But 12 days later, a lovely chap from the 2012 Windsor Facelift came to the house concerned we hadnt RSVPd and explained we were receiving an award for works in improving Park Street.

Two days later the Coxes received the award from Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. The photo now sits among a gallery of family pictures in their hallway. But it is the recreation of this glorious house that continues to give them the greatest pleasure a home which sagely nods to the past but has all the facilities desirable for contemporary living.

The grand living room boasts original working fireplaces, engineered oak floors, exquisitely recreated coving, and enormous sash windows to front and rear. There are two vast mirrors one of which craftily conceals the television and a grand piano.

Huge sash windows at the front overlook the stables block at the back of Windsor Castle where the Coxes have often seen Prince Philips carriage horses being exercised.

The kitchen has large, slabbed porcelain floor tiles, an island and classic Corian work surfaces.

In the dining room, within the vast glass atrium, a 19ft x 5ft bespoke picture, created on perspex, depicts family and friends in front of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona the couple once lived in the city for six months.

From the top of the atrium, a Bocci pendant light-fitting, with hand-blown glass globes, adds sparkle and drama.

A nearby snug or playroom features a panel of wallpaper showing an 1850s map of Windsor, while another wall boasts an historic map of Notting Hill, another former home for the couple.

On the landing to the top floor, there are two further bedrooms, one with expansive views of the nearby Great Park, and a study.

A Holloways of Ludlow Swan chandelier holds pride of place, while a galleried family bathroom has a remote-controlled velux skylight, which is a constant delight to the children. The greatest challenge in creating this outstanding family home was the sheer amount of dirt we had to remove from the garden says Christian, as some 300 tonnes of mortar, rubble and dirt were taken out to restore it to its former level. He happily admits, however, that he left much of the day-to-day negotiations with builders down to his wife.

Ana runs the builders, he says. Im far too easy going, Im told. Im happy to leave early to the pub and tell them to get on with it.

The couple is selling with great reluctance and because they now have a third child on the way. It has been wonderful here, but it is a townhouse, Ana says.

I feel with a larger family we need a different kind of home. But it will be a wrench to leave this one.

Park Street is on the market for 2.95million, struttandparker.com

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Property: How the restoration of one Windsor home met with a Royal seal of approval - Metro Newspaper UK