Month: January 2010

House of the week for sale: Abbey House, Dorset

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Abbey House, Dorset (Image: savills.com)

The New Year period can be a very quiet time for the sale of country houses.  This can often be easily seen in the much-thinner-than-usual selection of property adverts at the front of Country Life magazine, the weekly bible of the country house.  However, someone has obviously decided to steal a march on the spring rush by putting a stunning home on the market; Abbey House in Witchampton, Dorset.

The Grade-II* listed property was originally built in the early 16th century and is thought to be the first brick-built house in Dorset.  Formerly known as Witchampton Manor, it has 5 reception rooms, 8 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms (you might want to do something about that), plus the usual selection of outbuildings. The 6.8-acres of beautiful gardens also includes river frontage – perhaps an eco-alternative to the swimming pool.

This is a jaw-droppingly lovely house and I suspect with the currently dearth of decent larger homes on the market the owners may well have timed the sale very well as the bonus money from the City looks to find a country hole to escape to.

More details: ‘Abbey House, Dorset‘ [savills.com]

The hunt for the lost contents of Strawberry Hill

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Strawberry Hill, Middlesex (Image: World Monuments Fund)

Although Horace Walpole’s large and impressive art collection initially remained at Strawberry Hill after his death in 1797, it was later sold off by his heir in a 24-day sale in 1842.  With the sale, one of the best collections of it’s time of art, furniture, cermanics, glassware and manuscripts was scattered.

Now the Strawberry Hill Trust who look after the house are trying to find some of the objects in the collection with a view to borrowing or even purchasing some of the items.  In particular, if you know the whereabouts of:

  • Roman funerary urn;
  • mirror with portrait of Viscount Malpas;
  • ornate Turkish dagger;
  • Gothic dining table;
  • basalt Bust of Vespasian

For more details about each of the items, see the story at The Art Newspaper:

Full story: ‘Strawberry Hill on the hunt for lost Walpole treasures‘ [The Art Newspaper]

Lowther Castle to be partially restored

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Lowther Castle, Cumbria (Image: dailymail.co.uk)

Empty since 1942, Lowther Castle was used during WWII as a weapons research lab and the grounds as a practice ground for tanks who did their best to destroy the ornaments, fountains, paths and gardens.  The house was not lived in again and in 1957 was unroofed and abandoned as a shell, leaving it as an ornament in the gardens of the 3,000-acre estate.  The castle deteriorated over the passing decades until it was overgrown and the central tower was in danger of collapse and was featured in the 2008 Buildings at Risk register. However, this decay is about to be arrested and ambitious plans are afoot to partially restore the tower and invest in the gardens and park.

An application has been lodged to restore the gardens including the kilometre-long central avenue and create an indoor garden within the shell of the house once this has been stabilised.  The work is expected to cost up to £9m but will attract 160,000 vistors a year to the attraction, generating £10m for the local economy.

Although the loss of the castle as a house is lamentable it’s encouraging to see that the shell and estate still have such value which will hopefully secure the future for this elegant building for future generations.  Who knows, one day it may be possible for the Lowthers to restore the castle and move back in?

Full story: ‘Move to restore Lowther Castle could see gardens open in 2010‘ [The Cumberland News]

Castle Drogo under seige – from rain

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Castle Drogo, Devon (Image: wikipedia)

The last castle to be built in the UK, Castle Drogo, occupies a commanding position far up the Teign Gorge in Devon.  Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and built in the 1910s and 1920s and finally finished in 1931 for the wealthy businessman Julius Drewe, the Grade-I listed house is a brilliant modern interpretation of a castle combined with the comforts of a country house.

It was also one of the last houses to be built entirely in granite, the local stone of the area.  The grey stone and the clever massing of towers and wings give the house a solid, impregnable air but the house is under attack from the elements, with rain penetration causing serious concern.  The many flat roofs hidden behind the battlements started causing problems only two years after the house was finished and ever since it has been a constant battle to keep the house watertight.

House manager Bryher Mason told BBC News: “I wouldn’t be surprised to walk into a room one morning and find a section of the ceiling having fallen in because the metalwork in the ceiling has failed.”

The National Trust, who have cared for it since it was handed to them in 1974, have instigated a restoration and repair programme on the many roofs, which will include the replacement of all 13,000 window panes, and has been estimated to cost £10m, and will be completed by 2016.

Full story: ‘Leaking castle needs £10m repairs‘ [bbc.co.uk]

Sewerby Hall restoration projects secures HLF funding

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Sewerby Hall, Yorkshire (Image: East Riding Council)

Sewerby Hall has secured £50,000 to develop further it’s plans for a £2.6m restoration of the house. 

The grade-I listed Sewerby Hall was inherited by John Graeme in 1714 who promptly rebuilt the house which is the core of the current building.  The Graeme family owned Sewerby unti 1934 and in intervening 200 years made many alterations to create the elegant house which survives today. 

The Council are proposing to redevelop the outbuildings such as the former laundry block to provide the necessary visitor facilities.  The house will also be restored but encouragingly the Council have said that they “will work closely with planning and architectural colleagues, English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund and other specialist advisors to take the project forward to the next stage” – which sounds encouragingly sensitive in contrast to the plans of other councils (see earlier post on Forty Hall in Middlesex).  Of course, the proof of how sensitive they will be will only become apparent when the plan is published but hopefully this project will not only protect but enhance this important house.

Full story: ‘Big step forward for Sewerby restoration project‘ [Nafferton Today]