News

Scottish National Trust saga continues

Matthew Beckett - The Country SeatLeave a comment

The sad decline of the National Trust for Scotland continues with the news that they are to vacate their offices in the historic centre of Edinburgh for an anonymous office block.

The financial mis-management that has beset the Trust has led to the closure of some of it’s houses and drastic cuts within the rest of it’s operations so this may be seen as a logical step.  However, as the project to convert the buildings for their HQ was funded by the National Lottery, as much as 70% of the hoped-for selling price of £10m will have to be paid back.

Full story: ‘National Trust loses its own stately home – and faces bill for millions‘ [Scotsman]

National Trust loses its own stately home – and faces bill for millions

Hugh Johnson’s garden hit by thieves

Matthew Beckett - The Country SeatLeave a comment

The well-known wine critic Hugh Johnson has said there will be no more public open days to the garden at his home, Saling Hall in Essex, following thefts from the gardens.

After 40 years of providing pleasure for many who turned up to his 12-acre gardens, he has been forced to restrict access to approved groups only, after thieves used the open days as a way of planning their thefts.

Losses include a large statue which he now fears has become “£300 of  lead sheet” and bizarrely, packets of seeds from the potting shed.  A previous burglary in May had removed other fine objects including a 17th century astronomical sphere.

As always, someone with little care for others will ruin a good thing.  One can only be grateful it lasted as long as it did before some idiot took advantage as is all to common.

Full story: ‘Hugh Johnson keeps stately home garden closed after thieves steal sculptures‘ [Daily Telegraph]

City confidence leads to increased interest

Matthew Beckett - The Country SeatLeave a comment

As the City starts to recover from the tumult of the last two years, workers are increasingly feeling that they can once again venture into the property market.  The City has always been a strong source of buyers and their absence has been keenly felt at all levels of the country house market.  Prices seem to have stabilised and in some cases even risen – but this relies on sellers pricing their properties realistically as buyers are now, more than ever, very price sensitive with over-priced houses languishing.

More details: ‘City confidence boosts country house sales‘ [Country Life]

Minor fire at Chastleton House, Oxfordshire

Matthew Beckett - The Country SeatLeave a comment

Visitors had to be evacuated from the beautiful Grade-I listed, Jacobean, Chastleton House on Saturday 11 July when a small fire broke out in an upstairs bedroom.  Luckily, damage was minor and the house was largely unharmed, but yet another reminder that fire is always an ever present danger.

Full story: ‘Firefighters tackle stately home blaze‘ [Oxford Mail]

Simon Halabi and Mentmore Towers

Matthew Beckett - The Country Seat10 Comments

The Times (‘Halabi may have to sell-up to pay loan‘ – 16 July 2009) is reporting that Simon Halabi, the multi-millionare businessman, may have to sell part of his London property portfolio to satisfy bond holders after the value of the properties dropped by nearly half, breaching the loan-to-value ratio of the bond secured against it.  In 1997, Halabi bought the Grade-I listed Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, formerly one of the Rothschild banking family’s most famous and impressive houses,  with the intention of converting it into a luxury hotel.  It’s not known how far work on that project has progressed but the grand chateau-style house, which also starred in the film ‘Batman Begins’ as Bruce Wayne’s house, is just too important to be forgotten so I hope that his other issues don’t impact on the work being undertaken as part of that project.