Waddesdon Manor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Waddesdon Manor |
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The north-facing entrance facade
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Renaissance |
| Classification | Museum |
| Address | Waddesdon, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0JH |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°50′32″N 0°56′16″W / 51.84222°N 0.93778°W |
| Groundbreaking | 1874 (est.) |
| Construction started | 18 August 1877 |
| Completed | 1883 |
| Renovated | 1990–1997 |
| Client | Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild |
| Landlord | National Trust |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Hippolyte Destailleur |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Reference #: | 11117804 |
Waddesdon Manor is a huge country house in the village of Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire, England. It is owned by the National Trust and looked after by the Rothschild Foundation. This makes it one of the most popular places to visit for the National Trust, with over 463,000 visitors in 2019.
The house is listed as Grade I, which means it's very important. It was built in a style called Neo-Renaissance. This style copied parts of several French castles, known as châteaux. It was built between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839–1898). He used it as a weekend home to entertain guests and to keep his amazing collection of art and old objects.
As the manor and its land were passed down through three generations of the Rothschild family, the things inside the house grew. It became one of the most rare and valuable collections in the world. In 1957, James de Rothschild gave the house and everything in it to the National Trust. This meant the house and gardens could be opened for everyone to enjoy. It's special because James Rothschild's family still helps manage the house. The Rothschild Foundation, which was led by Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild until he passed away in February 2024, takes care of the property and keeps investing in it.
Contents
History of Waddesdon Manor
Building a Dream Home (1874–1898)
In 1874, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild bought the Waddesdon farming land. He bought it from the Duke of Marlborough using money he got from his father Anselm. Rothschild knew the area well from fox hunting. When he bought the land, there was no house, park, or garden. The spot where the Manor would be built was just a bare hill. It was called Lodge Hill, and the Duke of Marlborough had cut down all its trees before selling it.
For the next three years, the top of the hill was made flat. Finally, on August 18, 1877, the first stone of the house was laid. The first party at the house was in May 1880. Seven of Rothschild's close male friends enjoyed a fireworks show. When the main house was finally ready in 1883, Rothschild invited 20 guests to stay.
Before he died in 1898, Rothschild hosted many important guests. These included the future king Edward VII. Parties usually had 14 to 20 guests and happened on weekends between May and September. Guests often talked about how luxurious the service was. There were 24 staff members just for the house. In 1890, Queen Victoria even asked to visit, which was unusual. She loved the house and gardens. She was also amazed by the new electric lights that looked like candles in the chandeliers. It's said she asked for the room to be darkened to see the effect better.
New Owners and World War II (1898–1957)
When Baron Ferdinand died in 1898, the house went to his sister Alice de Rothschild. She saw Waddesdon as a way to remember her brother and wanted to keep it just as it was. She did add some important items to the collection. These included furniture and carpets that had belonged to French royalty. She also added Meissen porcelain, special fabrics, and armour.
After Alice de Rothschild died in 1922, the house and its collections went to her great-nephew, James A. "Jimmy" de Rothschild. He was married to an English woman named Dorothy Pinto. James added even more treasures to the Manor. These came from the collections of his late father, Baron Edmond James de Rothschild of Paris.
James and Dorothy hosted a Liberal Party meeting at Waddesdon in 1928. David Lloyd George, a famous politician, spoke to the crowd there. During World War II, young children from Croydon were sent to live at Waddesdon Manor to be safe. This was the only time children lived in the house. James and Dorothy also gave a safe place at Waddesdon to a group of Jewish boys from Frankfurt.
Becoming a Public Treasure (1957–1997)
When James de Rothschild died in 1957, he gave Waddesdon Manor, 120 acres (49 ha) of its land, and everything inside to the National Trust. He wanted it to be kept safe for the future. Dorothy moved to a nearby place called Eythrope, and the Manor was never used as a home again. It opened to the public in 1959, with about 27,000 visitors in the first year. Dorothy led the new management team with the National Trust and cared deeply about Waddesdon for the rest of her life.
When Dorothy died in 1989, her nephew Jacob Rothschild took over her role. He started a big restoration project on the Manor from 1990 to 1997. They also made the place more interesting for visitors, including creating the Waddesdon Wine Cellars.
Recent Times (1997–2019)
Until he died in February 2024, Jacob Rothschild led the Rothschild Foundation. This family charity manages Waddesdon. Waddesdon Manor works as its own organization within the National Trust.
From 2004 to 2006, the Baron's Room and Green Boudoir were restored. They were made to look like Baron Ferdinand's original design. In 2003, a group called the Johnson Gang broke in. They stole about 100 gold snuff boxes and other items. This led to new security being put in place. In 2021, one small sweet-box from this theft was found at an auction and returned to Waddesdon.
Since 2004, Waddesdon has had special art exhibitions. One famous one was the Lod Mosaic in 2014. Waddesdon also showed works by Henry Moore in 2015 and Eliot Hodgkin in 2019. The Rothschild Foundation has bought new artworks to add to the collections at Waddesdon. For example, Le Faiseur de Châteaux de Cartes by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin was added in 2007.
Waddesdon has also worked with modern artists. This started with Angus Fairhurst in 2009. Artworks by Richard Long and Sarah Lucas have been placed near the Manor and on the wider estate. In 2012, Christie's chose the Manor to show sculptures by top modern artists.
Between 2013 and 2017, Bruce Munro had a special art project at Waddesdon Manor. It started with a music and light piece called Cantus Arcticus in 2013. Winter Light (2013) had unique wigwam-like structures in the gardens. It was Munro's first big outdoor exhibition. Winter Light came back in 2016–2017. In 2014, Munro made pod-like structures and added words in Snow Code, shown inside the Manor. In ...---...SOS, Munro's winter exhibition of 2015–2016, tents were lit up with sound. This was a response to images of disaster relief.
In 2012, Edmund de Waal showed his work in the Manor. His art talked to the old historical rooms. In 2015, artist Joana Vasconcelos was asked to put two sculptures called Lafite in front of the Manor. In 2016, Kate Malone showed new pottery inspired by the people, gardens, and collections. Two portrait pots of Baron Ferdinand and Alice de Rothschild by Malone are still on display.
Architecture of Waddesdon Manor
Before Waddesdon Manor was built, there was no house on the land. Ferdinand de Rothschild wanted a house that looked like the grand Renaissance castles of the Loire Valley. Ferdinand chose Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur as his architect. Destailleur already knew how to work in this style. He had helped restore many castles in that region, especially the Château de Mouchy.
Destailleur's design for Waddesdon mixed different styles. It was based on the castles Baron Ferdinand admired. The towers at Waddesdon were like those of the Château de Maintenon. The two staircase towers on the north side were inspired by the staircase tower at the Château de Chambord. But Waddesdon was meant to be super luxurious. So, the windows of its towers had glass, unlike the open staircase at Chambord. They were also much more decorated.
The way Waddesdon was built was not old-fashioned at all. Hidden from view were the newest ideas of the late 1800s. This included a steel frame, which held up the walls on the upper floors. This meant the layout of the upper floors could be completely different from the lower ones. The house also had hot and cold running water in its bathrooms, central heating, and an electric bell system to call the many servants. The company that built it was Edward Conder & Son.
After the Manor was finished in 1883, Ferdinand quickly decided it was too small. His architect had predicted this! The Bachelors' Wing on the east side was made bigger after 1885. The Morning Room, built in a late-Gothic style, was added to the west after 1888. The stables to the west of the Manor were built in 1884. Ferdinand and his horse trainer planned them with Conder. Destailleur designed the outside of the stables in a French 17th-century style.
Wine Cellars
The Wine Cellars in the Manor were built during the big restoration project that started in the 1990s. They opened in 1994. They look like the private cellars at Château Lafite Rothschild. More than 15,000 bottles are stored in the Cellars. Some are 150 years old! Most are from the Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild estates. It is the largest private collection of Rothschild wines in the world. There are also wine labels designed by famous artists like Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol.
Amazing Collections
Once his castle was complete, Baron Ferdinand filled it with his huge collections. These included English 18th-century portraits by artists like Gainsborough and Reynolds. He also had French 18th-century wooden wall panels (called boiseries), Savonnerie carpets, and Gobelins and Beauvais tapestries. There was also furniture, Sèvres ceramics, books, Dutch paintings, and Renaissance treasures.
These items were chosen because they were incredibly well-made and had a famous history. Many had belonged to French royalty from the Ancien Régime (old French government). One of the most special items is the amazing musical automaton elephant. It was made in 1774 by the French clockmaker H Martinet.
There are only ten examples left of the Sèvres pot-pourri vase in the shape of a ship from the 1760s. Three of them are at Waddesdon! One even shows a very rare scene of a battle from the Seven Years' War.
In the 1890s, Baron Ferdinand focused on his Renaissance collection for a small museum in the New Smoking Room. This collection was later given to the British Museum and is now called the Waddesdon Bequest.
The inside of Waddesdon Manor was photographed in 1897 for Baron Ferdinand's private book, The Red Book. Later family members added more famous collections. These included paintings, Limoges enamel, weapons and armor, maiolica pottery, old handwritten books, prints, and drawings.
Waddesdon's world-famous collection was mainly put together by four members of the Rothschild family: Baron Ferdinand (1839–1898), his sister Alice de Rothschild (1847–1922), their cousin Edmond James de Rothschild (1845–1934), and Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild (1936–2024).
Beautiful Gardens
Baron Ferdinand wanted a garden where he could entertain his guests during weekend parties. To create the gardens, a lot of work was done to shape the hill, including making the top flat. The gardens and park were designed by the French landscape architect Elie Lainé. They even tried to move full-grown trees by putting chemicals on their roots to reduce the shock. This new idea didn't work, but many very large trees were successfully moved.
Fancy flower beds were planted, especially around the south Parterre (a flat garden area). James Pulham created several artificial rock formations. Some were even made to house mountain goats and llamas, which were part of Ferdinand's small zoo. Overall, creating his garden cost a huge amount of money.
After her brother died, Alice brought her gardening skills from her home at Eythrope to Waddesdon. Alice was a very keen gardener who understood flowers and plants well. She would often walk around and pull weeds from the paths. With her head gardener, George Frederick Johnson, who worked at Waddesdon from 1905 to 1954, Alice grew flowers for competitions. Alice was also the one who started the idea of three-dimensional flower beds shaped like a bird. You can still see this recreated in the gardens today.
Under James, the gardens were not as grand. The South Parterre was covered with grass in the 1930s. It was replanted with flowers when the house opened to the public under the National Trust in 1959.
As part of the 1990s restoration, Beth Rothschild led a team that brought back Ferdinand's original color plan for the trees, shrubs, and bedding plants. The carpet bedding (patterns made with plants) is now designed on a computer. This allows the designs to be put in quickly. The patterns change each year to fit different themes.
The gardens are listed as Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, meaning they are very important.
Garden Trees
Even though the trees are not extremely old, there are many beautiful deciduous (lose leaves in autumn) and coniferous (evergreen) trees. They have grown big and create the perfect look in the Waddesdon landscape. Some of these trees were planted in the 1870s. William Barron was in charge of moving trees from the surrounding countryside. His job was to make the grounds of Waddesdon look mature, creating lovely views and focal points, following instructions from Elie Lainé.
Deciduous trees were chosen for their shape, flowers, and amazing autumn colors. Conifers were chosen because they stay green all year and have interesting cones and berries. Today, you can see many types of trees like chestnuts, limes, and maples. There are also yew, cedars, and redwoods.
From Baron Ferdinand's time until today, important visitors have been invited to plant special memorial trees. Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, and Queen Mary were some of the early royal visitors. Charles III (when he was Prince of Wales) and Prime Ministers Sir John Major and Tony Blair have also planted trees.
Garden Sculptures
Baron Ferdinand bought many beautiful statues and fountains to make the gardens more interesting. He especially loved 18th-century Italian pieces. The fountains north and south of the house have sculptures of Pluto, Proserpina, tritons, and nereids. These were originally made by Giuliano Mozani around 1720 for the Ducal Palace of Colorno. A statue of the muse Erato has recently been identified as being made by Filippo Parodi.
A wonderful example of French early 18th-century sculpture is near the Aviary. It's a statue of Apollo by Jean Raon, made in 1699. It was part of a project for the Versailles. There are also Dutch vases in the style of Albert Jansz Vinckenbrinck and sculptures by Jan van Logteren. These were first shown at Aston Clinton House.
In 2001, Stephen Cox's tomb-like sculpture Interior Space: Terra degli Etruschi was placed at the end of the Baron's Walk. On a marble slab nearby, you can see the names of the Rothschilds who built and cared for Waddesdon.
Aviary
Baron Ferdinand also built a cast-iron aviary (a large cage for birds). He was inspired by 18th-century pavilions at the Palace of Versailles and Château de Chantilly, as well as his childhood home. It was finished in 1889. Like other members of his family, such as Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Ferdinand loved animals. He filled the aviary with exotic birds and enjoyed feeding them for his guests.
The aviary's paint and gold details were restored in 2003. It now houses endangered bird species and focuses on breeding programs to help them survive. It is a registered zoo.
The Wider Estate
In Ferdinand's time, there was a large kitchen garden and many glass houses. These grew fruits and flowers, including Ferdinand's favorite orchids. They were near the Dairy Water garden, which has fancy rock formations by James Pulham. As part of the day's fun, Ferdinand's guests were taken to the beautiful Dairy. There, they could taste milk from cows that wore Meissen porcelain name tags.
In recent years, new buildings designed by modern architects have been added to the wider estate. Windmill Hill Archive (2011) was designed by Stephen Marshall. Flint House (2015) was designed by Skene Catling de la Peña. It won the RIBA House of the Year award in 2015.
In 2012, it was announced that Waddesdon Manor would be one of the places for Jubilee Woodlands. These woodlands were created by the Woodland Trust to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.
Waddesdon on Screen
Many films have been shot at Waddesdon Manor. These include:
- Carry On film Don't Lose Your Head (1966)
- Never Say Never Again (1983)
- An Ideal Husband (1999)
- Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001)
- Ladies in Lavender (2004)
- Ripley Under Ground (2005)
- The Queen (2006)
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
- A Little Chaos (2014)
- Victor Frankenstein (2015)
- Our Kind of Traitor (2016)
- The Infiltrator (2016)
Waddesdon Manor has also been used for many TV shows. These include:
- Howards' Way (1985)
- Downton Abbey (2011)
- And Then There Were None (BBC One, 2015)
- The Crown (2016)
- Endeavour
Gallery
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Architectural detail above main door
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The west stair tower, one of two identical towers flanking the entrance.
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Dining Room
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The Parterre
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Tower Drawing Room
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Rolltop desk dated 1777–1781 probably made for Pierre Beaumarchais
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Jean-Siméon Chardin, Le Faiseur de Châteaux de Cartes (Boy Building a House of Cards), 1735
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Writing table made for Marie-Antoinette by Jean-Henri Riesener, 1780–1785
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3 out of only 10 original surviving examples of the Sèvres pot-pourri vase in the shape of a ship, 1760s
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Blue Dining Room
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South Fountain
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Emma Hart, Lady Hamilton as Circe, George Romney, 1782
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David Garrick Between Tragedy and Comedy, 1761, Joshua Reynolds
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Thaïs, 1781, Joshua Reynolds, modelled by Emily Warren
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Elephant musical automaton by Hubert Martinet, London, 1768–1772, bronze with gilt and patinated bronze, oil paint, paste, mother of pearl, glass
See also
In Spanish: Waddesdon Manor para niños
