History of Cooper's Hill

History of Cooper's Hill

Today, the Victorian Gothic building at Cooper's Hill is the centrepiece of a luxury Audley retirement village, but the former Brunel University Runnymede campus has a long and colourful history.

In the 16th Century, Henry VIII gave the site to Andrew, Lord Windsor. Two centuries later it passed to the Harcourt family, who built a new house on the site in the early 1800s. It became known as Coopershill.

Since that time the property has served as an engineering college, a refugee centre, an army convalescent home, student halls of residence and a training college (under various guises).

You'll find much more – including the site's links with London's statue of Eros and the singer Elton John – on our Audley Stories blog.

• The history behind Audley Cooper's Hill