Author: Matthew Beckett - The Country Seat

Leicestershire County Council to sell Beaumanor Hall?

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As in any time of austerity hard choices have to be made as to whether to sell assets.  The councillors of Leicestershire County Council are currently discussing whether they should retain ownership of Beaumanor Hall, near Woodhouse which is currently used for events, receptions and weddings. 

Currently under-utilised, some are arguing that the council might better use the £1m-a-year it currently spends on maintenance – as well as the benefits of the cash sum from the sale. 

Local estate agents estimated that if the house was sold along with it’s 70-acre estate it might raise £4-5m. 

Full story: ‘Sale of Leicestershire’s historic buildings could ease cash crisis‘ [Leicester Mercury]

Some new country houses to visit?

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Dorneywood, Buckinghamshire
Dorneywood, Buckinghamshire

One interesting proposal to come out of the Conservative Conference this week is that the grace-and-favour country houses, currently used by ministers, would be open to view and for use by the public.

At the moment Dorneywood in Buckinghamshire – where John Prescott was famously snapped playing croquet instead of ruining running the country – and Chevening House in Kent, would be available for the first time.

Francis Maude, the shadow cabinet office minister, has indicated that he would like to see them being used for events and by local charities rather than just as retreats for ministers. 

So, anyone who has exhausted their National Trust book in the south east might be able to add two more to their itineraries.

Full story: ‘John Prescott croquet estate Dorneywood will be opened to public by Tories‘ [Daily Telegraph]

Moat Brae House saved!

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Though not strictly a ‘country’ house, it’s worth including a particularly good piece of news that Moat Brae House in Dumfries, which was threatened with illegal demolition by the housing association which owned it, has been saved following its sale to a preservation trust for £1.

The gardens at Moat Brae were an inspiration for ‘Neverland’ for JM Barrie who visited regularly when at school locally.  The house had become neglected but was easily restorable but the housing association had intended to demolish the house without following any of the annoying little things like the proper legal procedure.  If they had followed through with their plan, not only would Dumfries have lost a key piece of local architecture but those in the housing association may well have ended up with criminal convictions.

Work on the house and fund-raising for future restoration begins to secure the long-term future of this fine house.

Full story: ‘Peter Pan mansion secured for £1‘ [BBC]

Drug farm in rented country house

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Showing that there are always new threats to country houses, the police recently raided a cannabis factory which had been created in Cheshire.

Field House in Hoole had been rented but no sooner had the tenants moved in than they blacked out the upper windows, installed a hosepipe-based irrigation system from the kitchen sink, and planted a huge cannabis plantation on the upper floors.  As has been seen with suburban houses which have been similarly converted, the owners will now face a massive bill to restore the damage from water saturation, ruined floors, destroyed ceilings, holes in walls to accomodate wires and pipes etc.

Full story: ‘Huge cannabis factory uncovered at £2.4m mansion rented by criminal gang‘ [Daily Mail]

Lost Country House Reborn

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Proposes new house
Proposed new house

The site of a country house demolished in the 1930’s has been proposed as the location for a new country house designed to be “the closest thing to an original stately home that it’s possible to build”.

The design of The Ridge in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire is inspired by the original 19th-century house, built in the 1820s, which was demolished in 1936 after a decline which saw the house ending it’s days a nursing home.

The creation of a new house on this scale is certainly to be welcomed – especially in any location where the essential components of the lost house still remain.  However, it’s important that the new house is not simply a modern patische of the original.  This clever approach, by Yiangou, a Gloucestershire-based architectural practice, not only follows the long tradition of re-building country houses but also makes it more likely to get through the modern planning process.

Full story: ‘Brand new ‘stately home’ planned for the Cotswolds‘ [The Telegraph]

‘Spectacular new £10m mansion in the Cotswolds‘ [Country Life]