Virginia Water Lake

Virginia Water lake was originally little more than a stream, which existed from at least the 17th century and may well be named after Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, although this is not certain. The lake itself was begun in 1746 by William, Duke of Cumberland who was then Ranger of the Park. His own regiment, the 23rd Regiment of Foot, undertook the construction.

The lake has been used for lakeside scenes for the Harry Potter films. The Scottish alternative was deemed unsuitable due to the number of midges. The lake was also used for scenes in the 2014 film Into the Woods. It was also used as the scene for the drone strike attack scenes in the 2019 action thriller movie Angel Has Fallen. The park features in a pivotal chapter of Barbara Pym's 1978 novel The Sweet Dove Died.