Mentmore Towers facts for kids
Mentmore Towers is a huge country house built in England between 1852 and 1854. It was created for the very wealthy Rothschild family in a village called Mentmore in Buckinghamshire. Sir Joseph Paxton, a famous designer, and his son-in-law, George Henry Stokes, designed the house. They used a style that looked back to the 16th and 17th centuries, called Jacobethan.
The house was built for Baron Mayer de Rothschild, a banker and art collector. He wanted it as a country home and a special place to show off his amazing art collection. Many people say Mentmore is one of the most impressive houses from the Victorian era. Later, it was inherited by his daughter, Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery, and stayed with her family, the Earls of Rosebery.
Mentmore was the first of several large homes the Rothschild family built in the Vale of Aylesbury. Baron Mayer de Rothschild started buying land there in 1846. Other family members later built houses nearby in places like Tring, Ascott, Aston Clinton, Waddesdon, and Halton.
Most of the Mentmore estate was sold in 1944. However, the main house, its gardens, some farms, and most of Mentmore village stayed with Harry Primrose, the 6th Earl of Rosebery, until he passed away in 1974. After his death, people hoped to save Mentmore Towers and its contents as a public heritage site, like some National Trust properties. But after three years of talks between the family and the government, they couldn't agree.
So, in 1977, everything inside the house was sold at a big auction by Sotheby’s. The next year, the empty house, its gardens, and 80 acres of land were sold to the Maharishi Foundation. They used it for about 20 years. In 1999, it was sold again to an investor named Simon Halabi. He planned to turn it into a hotel, but the plan didn't happen, and the property started to fall apart. In 1992, the Mentmore Golf and Country Club opened on land that used to be part of the estate.
Mentmore Towers is a very important historical building, listed as Grade I. Its park and gardens are also listed as Grade II*.
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Exploring Mentmore's Design
Baron Rothschild asked Sir Joseph Paxton to design Mentmore. Paxton was also working on the famous Crystal Palace at the time. Paxton designed the special glass roof over the main hall, which looked like an old Italian palace courtyard. George Henry Stokes was the co-architect and helped manage the building work. The construction company was George Myers from London, who often worked for the Rothschild family.
The inside of Mentmore was designed to match the incredible art it would hold. It was mainly inspired by the Italian Renaissance style. However, some rooms also had fancy gold decorations from 18th-century France. The outside of the house looks a lot like Wollaton Hall, another historic English house.
The Rosebery Family at Mentmore
Baron Mayer de Rothschild and his wife enjoyed Mentmore for over 20 years. After they passed away, their daughter Hannah inherited the house and estate. She later became the Countess of Rosebery. After Hannah died in 1890 at age 39, her husband, Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, lived there. He even became Prime Minister of Britain for two years starting in 1894. In 1922, the fifth Earl gave the estate to his son, Harry Meyer Archibald Primrose, who became the sixth Earl in 1929.
Both Earls were very successful at breeding racehorses on the estate's two stud farms. They had many winners of important horse races, including five Epsom Derby winners! These included horses like Ladas, Sir Visto, Cicero, Ocean Swell, and Blue Peter. The stud farms and stables were designed by architect George Devey, who also designed many cottages in the nearby villages.
Mentmore During World War II
The sixth Earl's second wife, Eva Primrose, Countess of Rosebery, loved art and knew many museum directors. Because of her friendships, the British government chose Mentmore to store some of Britain's national art collections during the Second World War.
Important artworks from the National Portrait Gallery were kept at Mentmore during the war. Pieces from the Royal Collection, including the famous Gold State Coach, were also stored there. Other items included portraits from the Palace of Westminster and beautiful tapestries and furniture from Hampton Court Palace.
The royal coach was stored in a special room nicknamed the "refuge." This room was part of a group of buildings where gas and electricity used to be made for the estate. Four men guarded the refuge at night, and two during the day, to keep the treasures safe.
The Sale of Mentmore's Treasures
After the sixth Earl died in 1974, the government was offered Mentmore and its contents for £2 million. This would have allowed the house to become one of England's best museums of European art and furniture. However, the government refused to buy it, saying it would be too expensive to maintain. They wanted private donations to cover part of the cost, but these didn't happen.
After three more years of talks, the family decided to sell the contents of the house at a public auction. The huge collection was split up and sold. The sale brought in over £6 million, which was a lot of money then, but only a tiny part of what the collection would be worth today.
Among the items sold were paintings by famous artists like Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Boucher. There were also amazing pieces by famous furniture makers like Jean Henri Riesener and Chippendale. The collection also included beautiful silver, gold, and Limoges enamel pieces. Many people say the Rothschild/Mentmore collection was one of the finest ever owned by a private family. The sale of Mentmore was a big moment for groups trying to save historic buildings.
Before the sale, some family portraits, sculptures, and furniture were moved by the Rosebery family to their historic home in Scotland, Dalmeny House.
Mentmore's Later Years
Mentmore became the main office for Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's educational charity, the Maharishi Foundation, in 1978. The building was put up for sale again in 1997 and was bought by investor Simon Halabi in 1999.
Simon Halabi's Plans
Under Simon Halabi's ownership, the property was renamed Mentmore Towers Ltd. He planned to turn it into a fancy hotel with many suites, including a new section built on the hillside. However, in 2004, a local resident won a court order to stop the work. A court then looked into whether the planning permission was given correctly. In 2005, the court decided that the local council's decision to allow the building was legal.
Halabi's company also planned to develop another property in London. The idea was to make both Mentmore and the London property into Europe's first "six-star" hotels. However, the project stopped in 2007. Later, the plan changed to just fix up the original Mentmore Towers building, without building the new hotel extension. But as Halabi's property business faced problems, the project stalled again, and the house began to decline. By 2022, reports described it as "abandoned" and "left to rot."
"At Risk" Condition
Mentmore Towers urgently needs repairs to its roof and chimneys. Experts are worried that water will get inside and damage the beautiful Victorian rooms, which are considered some of the best in Britain. Historic England has put Mentmore Towers on its "At Risk" list. This means it's in "poor" condition and is at "immediate risk of further rapid deterioration." They explained that the roof of one part of the house is in very bad shape, and the main house is getting worse, with water leaking into the main hall and other rooms. By 2022, the need for restoration was classified as a top priority.
Golf Courses at Mentmore
Much of the old Mentmore estate was sold in 1944 and became farmland. Later, in 1992, it became the Mentmore Golf and Country Club. This club had two 18-hole golf courses designed by Bob Sandow, called the Rothschild Course and the Rosebery Course. The club closed down in 2015.
Mentmore as a Film Location
Mentmore Towers has been used as a setting in many movies, including: Brazil (1985), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), The Mummy Returns (2001), Ali G Indahouse (2002), Johnny English (2003), and Batman Begins (2005). Mentmore Park also appeared in an episode of the TV show Inspector Morse.
The house has also been featured in music videos, such as Roxy Music's "Avalon" (1982), Enya's "Only If..." (1997), and the Spice Girls' "Goodbye" (1998).
See also
- Rothschild properties in Buckinghamshire
- Rothschild family
- Rothschild banking family of England
- Château de Ferrières
