Fine example of luxurious living. (Waddesdon Manor (Aylesbury))

Member Name: garymarsh6

Product:	Waddesdon Manor (Aylesbury)
Date:	18/08/09 (146 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An immense collection of rare and fine art.

Disadvantages: A lot of walking.

Wadddesdon Manor.

Waddesdon Manor is a national trust property set in the beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside. The land was owned by the Duke of Marlboro and was sold to the famous banking dynasty the Rothschild family. It was built by the famous banking family Rothschild's in the latter part of the 1800s and has been lived in ever since by the Rothschild family. it was such a massive project that required the whole of the top of the hill to be flattened for the house to be built and the grand open area at the front of the house and its majestic avenue.

It was left to the National trust in 1958 on the death of James Rothschild and opened to the public in 1959. The currant Lord, Jacob Rothschild inherited the collection in 1988 from Dorothy Rothschild and he is heavily involved in its preservation.


The vast estate has a lot of things to see and do and I shall highlight the best features of the Estate.

The house.

Waddesdon house is built in the style of a 16th century French Chateau with large patio windows on the ground floor and towers with typical slated roof. There is a grand drive up to the house and it appears to be a magnificent way of entering the house. You can imagine arriving there as a guest and being chauffer driven past the grand wrought iron gates driving around the massive water feature at the end of the north drive and driving up the tree lined drive towards the house. You could easily imagine that you are in the Loire valley.

The house is full of rare and valuable art collections and antiques collected over the years by Baron Ferdinand De Rothschild and most of which is on show today. There are paintings by Gainsborough and Reynolds and works of arts by Dutch and Flemish master painters from the 17th Century. There are collections of fine porcelain and richly decorated carpets and furniture. There is even a writing desk that belonged to Marie Antoinette from the palace of Versailles. All the items were looked after meticulously and the collection has been described as a bizarre collection of rare and unusual pieces. There was a collection of rare boxes which according to Waddesdons own web site have been stolen. It is unbelievable that someone could break in to such a magnificent house containing such wealthy and priceless treasures.

You can tour part of the house but not all the rooms are open to the public but what rooms are open there is an immense collection of personal items and looks like a well lived in and loved home albeit a lonely house for Baron as his wife had died in childbirth. He lived there alone with his sister Alice and devoted his time to collecting fine art and entertaining his friends at the famous parties he held there every weekend.
There are two spiral stair cases leading up to the other floors and it can be seen from the outside of the house. It is in keeping with the rest of the building. You go up one staircase and down the other. He was not a happy man and was said to eat just bread and water in a side room whilst his guests dined on magnificent feasts. He claimed just prior to his death that although he lived in a beautiful house he was a very lonely man. The tour of the house covers the ground floor and the first floor. You can accompany your tour with a hand held audio tour which is quite useful as you are able to get a full explanation of various art works and important pieces of furniture.

The house is quite dark inside as a means of protecting the rare pieces of art. I think that it has always been a dark house but there are also special blinds at the windows to stop the harmful sun rays causing irreversible damage to the contents.

It was said that Queen Victoria invited herself to Waddesdon manor so she could see for herself electricity which Buckingham Palace did not have at that time. I believe she found it most intriguing to see electricity at work for the first time and she is reported to have kept turning the lights on and off as she found it such a novelty. She had heard about Waddesdons electricity from the Prince of Wales who often frequented the weekend party's with one of his mistresses.

Guided tours are available or self tours with the aid of an audio tour.


The gardens.

On the south side of the house there is a beautifully laid out parterre which looks beautiful very clean and well cared for. Small privet hedges help maintain the order around the parterre with various plants growing inside the growing area. There are a couple of ornamental fountains on the parterre as well. The grounds have been landscaped and there are some beautiful shaded walks with various trees shrubs and other lovely plants and flowers.

There is a beautiful cast iron aviary which is fashioned on those at Versailles and there are a variety of endangered birds which are bred in captivity and then released into the wilds. It is very picturesque in the gardens and in front of the aviary. There are fountains and various statues dotted around the gardens which are very nice. There are some beautiful topiary around the grounds, privet hedges cut into shapes of birds and bears. There is a rose garden, daffodil, tulip and water garden and a small lake within the grounds.

There are seven miles of roads throughout the estate which will give you some indication of how large the estate is.


The stables.

There are stables down below the mansion house reached by either driving down there or walking through a wooded garden pathway. The stables have been converted into a small restaurant and tea room and a shop. There are two beautiful bronze cast horses in the courtyard of the stables. As would be expected the prices of things to buy in the restaurant and the shop are quite expensive.

Sandwiches between £4-5
Jacket potatoes £5.50 - 6.
Starters £4.50 - 6.
Mains £6-9
Desserts £4.75
Cream tea £5.50
All prices include VAT plus 10% service charge.

There is a summer house selling light refreshments sandwiches coffee tea and soft drinks.

The wine cellar.

The wine cellar contains a magnificent collection of fine wines some dating back to the 1886 and you can tour the wine cellars every Wednesday at 3pm.

The power house.

There is a power house towards the back of the house which supplies the power needs to the house and grounds.

Special events.

There are special events throughout the year and towards Christmas the house is decorated with a tree and various Christmas decorations. It looks very pretty when decorated. There is wine tasting and various talks on certain dates for example about art or furniture or how the servants lived at the manor and what it was like to be one. There are Christmas sales autumn sales and free days for the emergency service personel. You can get the full dates from their own web site.

Where is it.

Waddesdon manor is about 6 miles from Aylesbury and about an hour from London and Oxford. It is just off the A41.

WADDESDON MANOR
Waddesdon
Nr Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
HP18 0JH
Telephone:-01296 653226

Admission prices vary throughout the year and are available for the gardens only or for the house as well.

£5 for the garden and £7 at the weekends.
£10 -£12 winter combined house and garden ticket
£13.20 -£15 Summer combined house and garden ticket

National trust members are admitted free and all admissions are given a timed ticket to ensure that there are not too many people in the house at the same time giving you the opportunity to enjoy your visit.


It really is a beautiful property and well worth a visit a wonderful collection of fine art in stunning surroundings. I would highly recommend a visit here if you get the opportunity.

You can find out more from the two following web sites one is Waddesdons own web site and the other is from the National trust.


http://www.waddesdon.org.uk/


http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-waddesdonm anor

Summary: A fantastic house left to the National trust by the family Rothschild for our pleasure,