49. Hughenden Manor:


This is the magnificent red brick Victorian Manor is the home of Benjamin Disraeli in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, one hour north of London, 1.5 miles north of High Wycombe on the west side of A4128. Left as 'Dizzy' left it when he died here on April 19, 1881, this two time Prime Minister lived in the house since 1848. His study, his books, his furniture, pictures…all still there as left by him. 'Dizzy' had little money and he was able to buy the house and estate with a loan from Lord George Bentinck. It has a beautiful garden available for weddings and events, originally laid out by his wife Anne. The Manor has been left as Disraeli left it: his Study with his papers, books, pipe…; private rooms. To preserve these priceless personal items several of the rooms have little, if any, electric lighting. It may seem dark as you enter the rooms, but it is worth it to preserve what was 'Dizzy’s' and his wife’s. There is a life-size statue of 'Dizzy' to the left of just outside the front door. Stop and say hello to him as you enter!!

‘Dizzy’, his wife and some of his family are buried in the little church just inside the entrance to the estate at the bottom of the hill. My wife and I visited here in 2001. This is a must see. Contact: telephone: 44 0449 755573; e-mail: hughenden@nationaltrust.org.uk and www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-hughendenmanor for directions, maps, open times, tickets ad more information.

48. Houghton Hall:


Houghton Hall is the home of Robert Walpole, the first real Prime Minister in the modern sense. It is in Norfolk. It is a mid 18th Century Palladian building with sumptuous interiors and great garden. The House has changed little from the 18th Century when it was built, and one can imagine Walpole entertaining his guests, political allies and cronies here for political discussions and planning after a day of hunting. It is known for the wonderful herds of white deer and the peacocks in the Park.

It has been preserved as it originally was thanks largely to the Cholmondeley family, especially the 1st Marquis who inherited it in 1797, saving the original contents from sale. Later Marqueses continued to restore it and to preserve its authenticity.

In 1990 the 7th Marquis inherited from his father and between then and 2007 has marvelously restored the Hall to what it was like when Walpole lived there. He also did much work restoring the beautiful gardens, including the wall garden which he dedicated to his grandmother. We owe him a lot.

In Houghton Hall is an excellent example of the tragedies these proud and brave families frequently have to bear at the hands of the tax hungry central government in the UK. Recently an ‘agreement’ has been reached between the National Government and the Cholmondeley family whereby the Victoria and Albert Museum in London will take over ownership of several priceless items in the State Rooms in lieu of taxes. Shameful pressure on the family!

This is absolutely shameful!! and dreadfully nearsighted. It is shameful for the National Government to use the threat of taxation to pry away cherished family heirlooms, when these same families are doing all they can to turn the estates into businesses and are making them pay for themselves!

This is what this BLOG is all about. We must petition the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown to remove the 100 year of Inheritance Tax. It is punitive. He should also reduce land taxes as long as the families and estates are doing all they can to be self-financing. We must help them! We must help them all!!

See http://www.houghtonhall.com/ for directions, open times, tickets and more information on contents.



47. Holyroodhouse Castle:



This is the Sovereign’s official residence in Edinburgh, Scotland. It sits on the Royal Mile and is dripping with history. It was started by James IV of Scotland in 1498. It is the birthplace of James II of Scotland, where he was married and where he is buried. Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed here in 1745 in the wars when he and his Stuart supporters re-entered England to turf out the foreigner on the throne of England – William and Mary of Orange from the Netherlands. They were not successful.

But it is the presence of Mary, Queen of Scots who lived there between 1561-1567 that predominates the history of the Castle. One can tour the ruins of Holyrood Abbey where Mary was twice married.

Today it is the setting of State ceremonies and royal entertaining. The Sovereign customarily visits the Castle for May and June each year. One can tour the Royal Apartments and the Queen’s Gallery. Contact can be made by phone: (44) (0) 131 5565100 and through such websites as: http://www.stuckonscotland.co.uk/.

46 Holwood House:


This marvelous house is in Keston, near Hayes in the London Borough of Bromley. It was built between 1823-16. It is currently privately owned. Procuring a picture of this house has proven very difficult.

But it is not the current house that is the focus here. It is the site of an earlier building owned by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger (d. 1803) and my favorite British politician. Pitt’s home has long gone although the name of the building is the same.

The grounds also contain the remains of an Iron Age remain known as ‘Caesar’s Camp’, which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Also on the grounds is the stump of the tree known as the ‘Wildberforce Oak’ that goes back to Pitt’s time, with the stone seat constructed in the shade. Wilderforce was a close friend of Pitt and very progressive cabinet member in his government in the later 18th Century. In his diary it reads: “…At length, I well remember after a conversation with Mr. Pitt in the open air at the root of an old tree at Holwood, just above the steep ascent into the value of Keston, I resolved to give notice on a fit occasion in the House of Commons of my intention to bring forward the abolition of the slave-trade.” A new oak sapling in 1969 was planted to replace the original Pollard Oak, the original having blown down in a storm in 1991.

See http://www.en2005.gov.uk/ for more information and directions.



45. Holkham Estate:


This superb huge estate and Palladian house is on the North Norfolk coast, on Holkham Bay on a majestic windswept beach. It has been the ancestral home of the Coke family, the Earls of Leicester. Queen Victoria and mother Charlotte, Duchess of Kent stopped here on one of their grand tours before Victoria assumed the throne. This is a virtual treasure house of art, sculpture and history going back in this famly for generations. A must see!! There is a marvelous virtual tour website: http://www.holkham.co.uk/., providing information to those who wish to come, stay overnight or just visit this very highest quality country house.



44. Hillsborough Castle:


This 18th Century mansion houses is in Hillsborough Village in Northern Ireland and was owned by the Hill family, the Marquis of Downshire. In 1922 the government purchased it from the Hills and it became the home of the Governor of Northern Ireland. From 1972 it has been the official residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

As a result it is used extensively for high level government meetings. For example the ‘Good Friday Agreement’ between N and S Ireland (Eire) was signed here in 2000 on the way to peace in that island. The Royal Family stays here as their official residence when they are visiting the island. Presidents Clinton and Bush have stayed here for meetings with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The wonderful iron wrought gates at the front entrance were originally at Richill Castle, but were brought here. There are marvelous gardens with the largest rhododendron bush in Europe.

For visiting information contacts are: telephone: 028 9268 1309; e-mail: Hillsborough.castle @ nio.xgsi.gov.uk. and website: www.visit/lisburn.com/ vistor_attractions/Hillsborough_castle_/ for more information and directions.


43. Highgrove House:

This is the 37 acres country estate of HRH Charles Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and his sons Prince William and Prince Harry. It is located near Tetbury, Gloucestershire. The estate was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall in 1980 along with nearby farmland called Duchy Home Farm from MP Maurice Macmillan, son of the former Tory Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. When Charles married Diana in 1981, this was their home.

Charles is very proud of the gardens at Highgrove, on which he has spent 500,000 pounds. In it are rare plants and flowers and it is tended completely in the organic fashion.

The estate is generally not open to the public except on rare occasions. One can apply to visit it and be put on a waiting list that is at present 5 years long, by writing to : The Prince of Wales Office, St. James’ Palace, London, SW1A 1AA.

See: www.bbc.co.uk/gloustershire/content/articles/2005/05/03/highgrove_house
for more information and directions.


42. Hatfield House:


This is the county seat country home of Robert Cecil and family, the Marquis of Salisbury located near Hatfield in Herfordshire. The house was built by Robert Cecil,
1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister of King James I (1603-1624), and has been the home of the Cecil family, one of England’s foremost political families both in Royal and Parliamentary government, ever since!

It is incredibly significant historically. In the original version Henry VIII’s children Elizabeth (1) and Edward (VI) lived their youth. When Mary I, her older sister, came to the throne in 1558 with the death of Edward she accused her sister of plotting to marry Thomas Seymour and subvert the throne. Elizabeth was interrogated at Hatfield House and exonerated. Seymour was executed in 1549. After 2 months imprisoned in the Tower, Elizabeth returned to Hatfield to live. It was in its gardens, by the ‘Queen Elizabeth Oak’ that she apparently learned that Mary had died and she was Queen. Her first meeting with her Council of State was in the Great Hall of Hatfield House.

Elizabeth’s successor James I disliked the House and gave it to Elizabeth’s Chief Minister Robert Cecil – who became his own Minister - in exchange for the Cecil home Theobolds. The 3rd Marquis of Salisbury was Prime Minister three times under Queen Victoria.

It remains in the Cecil family today and it’s a major tourist attraction because of the large and unique items belonging to Elizabeth I it has on display: her gloves, stockings, a 22’ parchment outlining Elizabeth’s genealogy and pedigree. In Marble Hall is the famous ‘Ermine Portrait’ of Elizabeth I by Nicholas Hilliard.

During WWI the marvelous 42 acre gardens were turned into a replica of the trenches in Europe to test new British tanks. Many movies have been shot at Hatfield House: ‘Elizabeth’ with Kate Blanchett, ‘Nora Croft' series with Angela Jolie, ‘North Works’ with Colin Firth, it was Wayne Manor in ‘Batman’, ‘Cromwell’ with Alex Guiness, the ‘Avengers’ with Sean Conway.

Hatfield house is the current home of the 7th Marquis of Salisbury, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil and his family and is open to the public.

See http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/ for directions, open times, tickets and more information.


41. Harewood House:

This estate is the home of the Earls and Countesses of Harewood. King George V’s daughter, HRH Mary, was the current Lord Harewood’s mother. Mary lived there from 1930-1965 when she died. It has beautiful gardens, e.g. the Himalayan Garden and Spiral Meadow.

See: www.harewood.org/houses.shtml for directions and more information.


40. Hampton Court Palace:

This magnificent Palace on the Thames River is about ½ from London. It was built by Cardinal Woolsey and given (or taken by!) to King Henry VIII in 1526. At various subsequent times it was the residence of Mary Tudor (Mary 1), Elizabeth 1, Charles I, William III and Mary II (William and Mary of Orange) and George II.

It retains its marvelous Palace Gardens and Maze, the Floral Clock, The Great Hall, Tudor kitchens, much of its marvelous art collection, and personal memorabilia of these great monarchs who both lived and visited there. One can get to it by car, bus or by water transportation from the Embankment by the Parliament Buildings in London. See www.hrp.org.uk/hamptoncourtpalace/ for directions, tickets and more information on its contents and history.


39. Greenwich Palace/Palace of Placentia:


This Royal Palace is no longer there, but was a most favorite one in the Tudor period. Its location is in Greenwich, just north of Trafalgar Road and Greenwich Park, just across the Thames River from the Isle of Dogs.

It was begun in 1433 and completed in 1439. It was altered and expanded between 1447-1452, and enlarged again by Henry VII and Henry VIII prior to his death in 1547. His daughters, Mary Tudor (Mary I) and Elizabeth I, and subsequent Stuart Kings, James I and Charles I spent much time there. Henry VIII’s only son and heir, Edward VI, died in the Palace prematurely in 1554. It was the birthplace of Henry VIII, Queen Mary his daughter, of his other daughter Elizabeth I and of Charles I. It came into the hands of the Duke of Gloucester and his Spanish Queen renamed it the Palace of Placentia (Pleasure).

After the Restoration in 1660, Charles II tore it down to create a hospital for seamen which opened in 1707. Also on the site was built in 1675 the Old Royal Observatory, from which signals go out everyday at 1 P.M. in the afternoon of the exact Earth time, and through whose structure runs the Longitudinal Meridian that governs all other longitudinal measurements around the globe.

See www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/greenwichpalace.htm for more information.


38. Glamis Castle:


The Castle is the ancestral home of the Lyon family, the Earls of Strathmore since 1372 when King Robert II of Scotland gave it to Sir John Lyon. As a result, it was the home of the 14th Earl and Countess of Strathmore, the parents of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother, their youngest daughter, and her childhood home.

Princess Margaret, Elizabeth’s youngest daughter, was born there in 1930. It is located outside the village of Glamis, north of Dundee in Scotland and is open to the public from May to September everyday except Sunday. A picture of the Castle is featured on the Royal Bank of Scotland 10 pound note.

It is the setting of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’: in it are the lines: “….Glamis thou art…and yet woulds’t wrongly win thou’dst have great Glamis…”.

The main Tower was added in 1435 and enclosed within a fortified court. Lady Janet Douglas, wife of the Earl of Glamis,, was burned at the stake as a witch in 1540 by Scottish King James V.

Mary Queen of Scots visited here in 1562. In the 17th Century a West Wing was added, and the chapel in the small north-east wing. Many of the fortifications were swept away and a less military appearance was seen. In the mid 18th Century the grounds at the front were landscaped with avenues of trees. New kitchens, a Billiard Room and service areas beyond the East Wing were added in 1773. The original Tower remains the center of the Castle today, giving it the look of more of a French Chateau than a medieval fortress.

In 1775 the West Wing was demolished and landscaped parks appeared as the gates were moved back to their present position and the garden walls torn down at the front of the Castle. In 1893 the 13th Earl laid out a Dutch Garden in the front of the Castle. In 1910 the Queen Mother’s parents, the Earl and Duchess of Strathmore created the Italian Garden, thus completing the modern appearance of the Castle. The Castle sits on an estate of 14,000 acres! It is a working estate producing several cash crops, including beef and lumber.

Of particular note are the plasterwork ceilings for their detail and preservation, considered one of the finest in Scotland.

There are plenty of ghosts attributed to the Castle including the hideously deformed child locked up in the Tower and bricked up in his suite of rooms after his death. In an attempt to find where it was towels were put over all the windows. Viewed from the outside several windows did not show towels. A second ghost is for Janet Douglas, a Duchess of Strathmore burned as a witch. One of the 46 seats in the Chapel is always left empty for her.

Consult http://www.glamis-castle.co.uk/ for details on directions, tickets, opening times and more information.



37. Gatcombe Park:


This manor house and estate is the private home of HRH Anne, Princess Royal and her 2nd husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence. It is in Minchinhampton in the Cotswalds, 5 miles south of Stroud and 6 miles from Highgrove, the country home of Anne's brother Charles, HRH Charles Prince of Wales.

It was bought by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976 for Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips at their wedding from Lord Butler, Master of Trinity College. It has 5 main
bedrooms, 4 secondary bedrooms, 4 reception rooms, 1 library, 1 billiards room and a conservatory. It sits on 730 acres. After the initial purchase adjacent Ashton Farm was bought to increase the size. After their divorce Anne stayed at Gatcombe Park and Mark Phillips moved to the Ashton Farm where he lives with his second wife. Their children Peter and Zara Phillips live in their own cottages on the estate. Peter recently married a commoner Autumn Kelly from Ottawa, Canada and they live at Ashton Farm.

Anne and Mark Philips were both Olympian equestrians and have retained a love of the sport all their lives. Each year the estate hosts the Gatcombe Park Horse Trails ‘British Eventing’ on the first weekend in August.

See en:wikipedia.org/uk/Gatcombe_Park for directions and more information.


36. Frogmore House:


This is a fabulous Royal residence in Windsor in Windsor Great Park (Home Park). It is just a few 100 yards just south of Windsor Castle in Windsor Great Park. It was the home of Victoria’s mother, Charlotte, Duchess of Kent where Victoria spent some of her youth; later home of George V and Queen Mary when they were first married and were still Duke and Duchess of York. Queen Victoria had wonderful memories of this home Through much of the 20th Century it was shut up and fell again into disrepair No one took possession of it after the 1920’s and it again fell into disrepair as it was closed up.

It was opened in the 1980’s by Queen Elizabeth II who instructed that there be major restorations. Extensive restoration was carried on in the 1990’s and it was open to the public again in the early 1990’s as gradually more rooms were restored. It was finally fully and beautifully restored – to how it looked in the early 19th Century – in 2005. Recently Princess Anne’ son, Peter Philips and his Canadian bride, Autumn Kelly, had their reception at Frogmore House. It is truly a must see!!

It is just a few yards east of the royal Mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, built by her after 1861 when he died of typhoid fever. She joined him there in January 1901. The Mausoleum is closed except for 2 weekends per year on 'charity days' to raise money for charity.

Buried in the lawn at the back of the Mausoleum are a number of royals, including the uncrowned Edward VIII who abdicated in 1936 to marry Wallace Simpson, taking the name the Duke of Windsor. He and Wallace are both buried beside one another just inside a large hedge that borders the burial lawn on the west side. Buried here are the Duke’s other brothers, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Glouchester, as well as Angus Ogilvy. My wife, and I have been there a number of times and aunt M accompanied us in 2007. Truly a must see!!; but you must get your tickets ahead of time via Internet because the Mausoleum complex is only open 2 weekends a year to support charities, and tickets go very fast.

Consult: http://www.royalcollections.org.uk//default.asp.action=article:ID=35 or Google ‘Frogmore Mausoleum’.

35. Falkland Palace:


This was a Royal Palace of the Scottish monarchy from as early as the 14th Century located in Fife, Scotland. The Stuart family has been greatly associated with it. Between 1501-1541 James IV and James V of Scotland transformed it into one of the finest Renaissance Palaces in Scotland. James V died there when he learned his Queen had given birth in the Palace to a daughter – Mary, Queen of Scots.

When James VI came down to become James I of England at the death of Elizabeth I in 1603 (she was unmarried without heir), he often returned to visit the Palace, as did his successor Charles I. With the execution of Charles in 1649, Oliver Cromwell destroyed the Palace. In 1660 with the restoration of Charles II to the throne from his exile in France, the 3rd Marquis of Bute restored the Palace, and Charles II actually visited it.

In 1952 it was taken over by the National Trust of Scotland. Visitors can see the King’s Bedchamber as he left it, the Queen’s Rooms and the Chapel Royal. In the gardens is the original tennis court, built in 1539, the world’s oldest tennis court still in use (today it is the home of the Falkland Palace Tennis Club!!).

See http:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkland_Palace for more information and
directions.


34. Eltham Palace:


This property is in the Borough of Greenwich, London. It is important for many reasons; one of which is that it is regarded as one the rare important English royal palaces to survive relatively intact. It is also one of the most important Art Deco pieces of architecture one can find in England.

It was originally given to Edward II in 1305 by the Bishop of Durham. It was in this Palace that Edward III conceived his idea for an Order of the Garter. When
visiting the Palace you will see the original jousting ‘tilt’ yard that is still there. It was very well used by Royalty until the 1630’s when Greenwich Palace was rebuilt (although never finished). Eltham Palace declined and was rarely used by Royalty after that. It was a farm for 200 years after the Civil War which ended in 1660.

In 1933 the Courtauld family bought the property and stayed in it until the mid 1940’s when they gave it to the Army Educational Corps, which remained there until 1992. It has been administered by English Heritage since 1995 and is open to the public. Under its auspices major repairs were completed by 1999, restoring the interiors and gardens to 1930’s brilliance. The train from London stops at the Eltham Station after a very short run.

See: http://www.elthampalace.org.uk/ for more information and directions.


33. Eaton Hall:

This fine property is the country estate of the Grosvenor family, the Dukes of Westminster, and sits on 11,000 acres in the village of Eccleston, near Chester in England. The family has lived in it since Henry VI in the 15th Century!

In 1675 the original Eaton Hall was designed and completed in 1682. Between 1804 and 1812 it was rebuilt in the Gothic style and doubled in size. In the 1870’s there was a further expansion that cost a staggering 600,000 pounds at that time – this was not a problem because the Marquis of Westminster was the richest man in England. He became a Duke in 1874. The house included a tower like Big Ben in Westminster Palace (Parliament Buildings) in London.

During both WWI and WWII the Hall served as a hospital. In 1963 the main part of the mansion was demolished. The bell tower, chapel and stable block were saved and a more modern building constructed by the 5th Duke’ brother-in-law. The appearance was not pleasing and in the 1990’s it was again refurbished on the outside to look more like the Classical style of French chateau. Grosvenor family made its fortune as real estate developers in London. They owned and developed vast lands in the Belgravia, Pimlico and Mayfair sections. They still own vast properties there. One of the areas in West London is in fact called Grosvenor Place and a number of streets bear their name. Eaton Hall is designated and protected as a Grade 11 Property and is not open to the public except on special days. Check their website for details.

See: http://en.wikpedia.org/wiki/Eaton_Hall (Cheshire) for directions and more information.