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Today’s Blog Post
My Dream Home – Apethorpe, Northamptonshire, UK
What began as a listless flipping through a magazine has turned into a winter adventure… a great story and a dream all mixed into one.
As I turned the page over there was this unbelievable “house” for sale. Not quite like my smaller sized Canadian bungalow… but a wee bit larger.
To find out more about the place I needed to contact “Smithsgore”, a real-estate company that handles higher end properties. The telephone number is 0207 7290 9490 in London and two other numbers in Oxford and Peterborough were given.
I wasn’t about to call long distance but would rather find it myself. Through the wonders of the Internet this is and was possible.
I went first to Google Earth and popped in Apethorpe, Northamptonshire and then waited for the world to revolve on my monitor until it stopped over Britain… and then the camera started zooming in over the Apethorpe, Peterborough, PE8, UK.
Then by zooming out a little I could see that just south of Apethorpe was the “house” that is listed for sale. Actually it is “For Sale by Private Treaty”
Now this is a HOUSE! Double WOW!
More of my searching continued and I found the real-estate company’s Web Site that is handling the deal… that states the following – quote…
Apethorpe Hall
For sale - Offers invited
An exceptional and important English Country House dating from early Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean periods with powerful connections with the Royal Court and politics between the 15th and 17th Centuries – over 500 years of history, of which over 350 years was in one family ownership.
End quote.
Imagine a 500 year old home with it being in one family for 350 years!
Now they have pricked my interest. Coming from a Country that has a mere 158 year old history – 500 years in one spot for one house is a little hard for my Canadian mind to comprehend!
There below me on my Google Earth view was a dream house.
The Web Site states… quote…
Magnificent State Rooms including Great Chamber, Withdrawing Chamber, the King’s Room, the Duke’s Room and the Long Gallery all with original plaster ceilings and fireplaces recently restored. Unique Roof Walk. 15th century Great Hall with Minstrel’s Gallery.
About 48 other rooms on ground, first and second floors and an Orangery all in need of further restoration. Estimated total GIA about 51,000 sq ft (c.4739 sq m).
End quote.
Did you catch that 51,000 square feet of living space.
The English football field including the end zones is 57,600 square feet.
This house’s floor space is almost the same size – and that does include the inner courts and spaces between the buildings!
I am impressed.
I am impressed that the house has kept record of 18 Royal Visits over those years.
I have entertained some very famous people at my home over the years but non quite that famous.
This little journey into cyberspace brought me to the site that I can look around this home without any problem at all. Amazing. If you click on the link below and go to the “Image Slideshow” it shows you all the rooms…
WOW!
Now how much is it?
One of the sites suggested that the price is only 5 Million Pounds Sterling or that is $39 Million USD. The site also suggested that it will need 20 Million Pounds Sterling or 156 Million or so to restore it.
Hoping to win the Lottery or Main Prize of some contest of $1 Million seems a little light now. I would need $200 Million USD to by my dream house now.
Of the History of the House – the Web Site states – quote…
Apethorpe Hall - History
The original house was built in the late 1400’s for Sir Guy Wolston, who served as Constable of the nearby royal castle at Fotheringhay, Esquire of the Body to Edward IV. Wolston established the house on an impressive scale, built around two courtyards, separated by the Hall Range and with the North Gate Tower as the main entrance.
In 1551 the property was acquired by Sir Walter Mildmay, who became one of the foremost public figures of the 16th century. He served as one of the few Privy Councillors and Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth 1 for over 20 years. He created a State suite in 1562 (the date on the fireplace in the Great Chamber) and entertained Queen Elizabeth here on the royal progress of 1566. Mildmay was closely involved in the power struggles that culminated in the execution of Elizabeth’s cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, who was imprisoned for a number of years and finally executed at Fotheringhay Castle, only 3 miles to the east of Apethorpe.
Sir Walter was succeeded in 1589 by his son, Anthony, who served as Elizabeth’s Ambassador to France in 1596. In 1603, Sir Anthony entertained James 1 at Apethorpe; James returned to Apethorpe nine times in ensuing years, more than he visited any other country house. On his visit of 1614, James 1 met the young George Villiers for the first time. Villiers became James’ favourite and rose to become Duke of Buckingham. At Apethorpe, the Duke’s Chamber was placed to adjoin the King’s.
Sir Francis Fane, who had married sir Anthony’s daughter, inherited the estate in 1617, becoming the 1st Earl of Westmorland in 1624. James 1 continued to visit, granting Fane 300 acres of land from the royal forest of Rockingham to enlarge the deer park, to provide better hunting for the King’s pleasure. Then, in 1622, James ordered Sir Francis to enlarge the house for the ‘more commodious entertainment of his Majesty and his princely recreation’, giving him 100 oak trees from the royal forest for the purpose. This unparalleled royal command led to the construction in 1622-4 of the State apartment in the South and East Ranges. This whole sequence of rooms, with their unrivalled Jacobean interiors culminating in the Long Gallery, was designed to entertain the monarch.
Apethorpe received four visits from Charles 1 up to the outset of the Civil War. Subsequent Earls served as diplomats or soldiers under Marlborough and Wellington and the 6th and 7th earls did much work on the gardens and house. In 1904 the Westmorland ownership came to an end after 352 years and the property was bought by Leonard Brassey (later Baron Brassey of Apethorpe), whose grandfather had amassed a fortune building railways. He carried out a major programme of works to the house, gardens and park with the leading Edwardian architect Sir Reginald Blomfield.
In 1949 Lord Brassey sold the property and it became an approved school, which closed in 1982. Following a protracted period of neglect, the site was transferred to English Heritage in 2004 after compulsory purchase proceedings, and they have undertaken a major programme of repair and restoration in the last two years. These Phase 1 works have exceeded £4million. The Phase 2 works, that English Heritage are seeking the purchaser to complete, are likely to cost in the same region.
End quote
Man that was fun. In my mind, on this cool winter’s day I bought the Estate. And then I began to do the renovations necessary to get this building in shape.
It has been a wonderful escape to places I have never been before.
Now I pause…
The original house of this Estate was being built when Columbus first landed in North America.
In 1620 when my relatives were landing at Plymouth Rock in what is now Massachusetts, the Estate was then 200 years old.
In 1867 when Canada became a Nation – it was already 400 years old.
This small exercise is overpowering. We are truly the Wild West. I know little of the history of where I came from.
I have decided to move this “life goal” a little higher up my list of to do things. I am going to Apethorpe, Northamptonshire for a little visit.
Would you like to come along?
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/
Resource
http://apethorpehall.smithsgore.co.uk/
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/architecture_and_design/article4035870.ece
2 comments:
I think your exchange rate calculations are wrong. One dollar is equal to about 0.63 british pounds. So 5 million pounds is about 8 million US dollars at the moment. Not anywhere close to the numbers you were suggesting - perhaps that makes it more affordable?
Did you ever get to Apethorpe?
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