Waddesdon Manor visit on the 9th. July 2008
On a very wet July morning nearly thirty members and friends boarded the Banstead Coach at Sainsbury's car park Kiln Lane Epsom, having left our cars thanks to permission from Sainsbury after careful negotiation by Ken Robinson.
Having been counted at least ten times !, by the organiser of this trip John Mills our President, nearly on the announced schedule but missing a couple of passengers an executive decision was made to depart. The driver handled the adverse conditions in a calm and phlegmatic way, the rain was non stop and torrential and the traffic although after the normal rush hour was heavy and slow.
Waddesdon is situated near Aylesbury, Bucks and is a National Trust property run by the Rothschild family trust chaired by the present Lord Rothschild. The journey was longer than expected due to the weather and our arrival coincided with other coaches hence our embarkation was about midday rather than suggested coffee time, but after briefing from John on our itinerary we proceeded to the nearest coffee cafe for a warm supplement.
The web master at last gets his picture on the web thanks to James Court insistence!
It may not look raining but it was, just look at the ground
Again in the pouring rain, the group split into smaller units and proceeded in various direction, with the understanding that we were due to reassemble at 1.30 being our time entry to the Manor. There was much to see outside, such as the formal gardens, the rolling landscape, the stables, the power house, the Miss Alice gardens, the ice house, grotto, a video of the Rothschild history, the eateries and the aviary. This was enjoyed in parts by all in spite of the continuous rain, the floral planting was much admired especially the purple dwarf dahlias in full bloom (see below picture) in spite of the poor summer and indeed early June, the thought that these were greenhouse boosted
HISTORY
The Rothschild banking dynasty was immensely powerful in 19th century Europe. From roots in the Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt, Mayer Amschel's five sons set up a banking network in the then five major financial centres of Europe - London, Frankfurt, Paris, Naples and Vienna. The Five Arrows, as they became known, created vast wealth and established themselves at the very peak of European society.
Waddesdon Manor was built (1874-1889) by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to display his outstanding collection of art treasures and to entertain the fashionable world. Fascinated by the history and culture of France, he commissioned a French architect, Gabriel Hippolyte Destailleur, to build him a Renaissance-style chateau, based on those in the Loire Valley, and employed a French garden designer, Elie Lainé to lay out the grounds. Like other members of his family he wanted a retreat outside London and chose Buckinghamshire because several of his cousins already had houses there (it was known as "Rothschildshire" in the late 19th century). The Manor was only used for weekends in the summer months, for Ferdinand's famous house parties, and was the last word in luxury with electric lights, lifts and under-floor heating. Single or unaccompanied male friends stayed in the Bachelors' Wing, complete with Billiard and Smoking Rooms. Couples stayed in one of the 9 suites in the Main house.
After Ferdinand's death in 1898, the pace of entertaining slackened, but his sister and heir, Miss Alice, maintained the house, collection and grounds to impeccable standards. James and Dorothy de Rothschild, who inherited in 1922, did not add to the collection until the death of James' father Baron Edmond, at which point a third of the Barons collection arrived, including over 2000 18th century drawings. James' main interest was horse racing and he built the stud at Waddesdon. The war years brought a different emphasis to the Manor, and following James' death in 1957, it was bequeathed to the National Trust and opened to the public, with Dorothy in charge of management.
Now, the Manor is run by a family charitable trust chaired by the present Lord Rothschild. The Collection continues to grow, new features and displays are added to both House and Gardens and we offer a varied programme of events and activities.
Part of The Aviary with real birds
The impressive floral sculpture of birds at the Aviary were massive in size
The tour of the Manor's nearly fifty rooms lived up to the quality of the grounds, with magnificent furniture, fabulous paintings, and craftsman's woodwork supreme, this copy of a French Château in England just takes ones breath away. Even the wood flooring is without fault, hardly a space can be discerned between each parquet tile, a trip to fit the memories of the best National Trust property to been seen.
Again we boarded our coach at 1600 hours precisely, for a 90 minutes journey back to Epsom, but alas the traffic and rain, plus a meeting of a van and a sports car in a spectacular crash closed most of the motorway and hence we arrived somewhat later than scheduled. BUT in spite of the conditions, it was a great day out and thanks are due to John and Ken.
