THE CHINA MAIL, ''SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1960.
C
▲ BERNARD HARRIS investigation into the Stately Homes League
Are the feudal showmen making money?
IN stately homes up and down England the
"Pay Here" and "This Way Round" notices are coming down. Priceless bits of old furniture are being shrouded in dust covers. Old Masters are being shifted from the now-deserted "public" rooms to the warmth of the family's living quarters.
For one more season in the deadly serious business of putting an- cient houses and their contents on show is coming to an end.
What sort of season has it been? Most of the aristocratie the top-ranking owners of- showplaces report that business has slippet le
compared
with last year. And for that they weather.
blame the
Indiferent
Even SD. it is reckoned that 2,000,000 fee-paying closu customers have visited Britain's
stately homes
spring wid Gunner-
THE TOP TEN
the latest placings in the Stately Homes League.
A late Easter gave some a shorter season than last year.
1960
-1959
WOBURN-Duke of Bedford
431.000..
457.900
*BEAULIEU-Lord Montage
300.000
258,000
CHATSWORTH-Duke of Devonshire
238,800
,252,000
*WARWICK-Earl of Warwick
217.000
225,009
BLENHEIM-Duke of Marlborough
123,000
124,000
during the
*LONSLEAT-Marquis of Bath
112,000
115,000
HATFIELD-Marquis of Salisbury
99.000
97,009
HAREWOOD-Princess Royal
73.00B**
$4,000
BELVOIR-Duke at Rotland HADDON-Duke of Rutland
68.000
$2,000
69.000
66,000
* Open all year.
** To end of September.
The duke owns Two show. places. One
Its total assets amount મ his hame £800,000. But the latest ** has fortress-like counts which the duke
of ncar filed a ridge
with the Registrac
to
Tight-lipped
weekend On a single fine
about £1,500 has probably tinkled into the each box of the Duke of Marlborough at Blen- heim. And nearly as much for that other leader in the bust- ness, the Duke of Devonshire,. at incomparable Chatsworth.
But how much of suns like
been these will have
of a
} Belvoir Castle, clear
house sol on profit? Is the opening
It averages nearly Companies show that they pro- fumed old house to the public Grantham.
pro- 70,000 visitors a season,
duced a profi. for the year of really money-making
only £1,910. position? Or does it do no more than contribute to the cost of upkeep?
like this the On questions owners preserve a tight-Upped silence.
They will gladly tell you how They many visitors turn up. may even revel in the statistics
of teas served, ice creams con sumed, guide books said. they prefer to keep
But
to them serves how much they have
They cloped
аге
homea
Martens
#
stillBut the house is of suff Since artsiocrats
or architectural warmly welcomed in many City clent historic boardrooms, you may suggest it interest there is mother course would be far better for these open to the owner.
to
it into He can convert owners of stately accept a few directorships. They bustness and Invite the pubile would make more money that to visit on nye a six day Way and be spared the trouble a week in 'sining and summer How miraculously that will of coping with conch loads of
change Stee entire financial sightseera.
picture.
But that is to leave out Atcount
of
whelming advantages the own
ers have obtained?
that
The house has been kept "in the family!" It is simply be- cause of the gate money, as the Duke of Rutland says, "The poor old aristocracy have For now the owner can managed to hang on to some against his receipts remarkable examples of country
houses and property." almost all the expenses that previously had to be met out of his taxed income.
the most Important charge man of all in the stately homes business,
He is not the owner. He is the tax inspector.
In luxury
they have
in
was paki on the cent dividend £1 to the owner of the house be provided, a restaurant and has a 20-room fm, with central)
A modest 2
£300,000 Or dinary dapital-all held by the dulte and his mother-but only at the expense of drawing on previous profis.
The other, away in Derby
(11th shire, is the much older custury) Haddon Hall, which attracts about 66,000 visitors a The actual showing of Belvoir year-largely because of Castle to the public resulted in romantic association with a loss of £1,137. Haddon Hall, Durothy Vernon, daughter of did rather better, with
e tiny Sir George Vernon, who owned profit of £10 lis. 20.
addon in the 18th century.
You may say these are miser- able figures.
made for themselves when the The story goes that Dorothy books are ruled off at the end eloped with John Manners, son
TOG
Repairs to the house, wear and tear on the furnishings,
But, of course, or the grounds He is the man who can trans maintenance form £1 of carned Income into und gardens, cost of staff all done more than bang on. They
crown of netual these can be met oui of the have been enabled to live 3 only half
coinperative luxury in the old gate money, spending money.
Of course, if the house is to home. And who, by a magical 30-quality as a business under- Thus at Chalsworth--amlived verse process, can make your inking some cupitut will have in for the previous 21 years—
to be spent. Che parts must the Duke of Devonshire now half-crown at the gate worth you are visiting. •
shack bar may have to be built hooting, new bathrooms,
upxlous Some owners,
10 electric lift, and a streamlined aftit
many visitors as klichen. possible, will add things like a
The cost of that conversion putting green, boats on
between the has been reckoned at
£80,000 and £100,000. It has inke, swings for the children.
all been made possible by the Without public's half-crowns. them. *"as the duke admits, "Chatsworth could not be maintained."
Temptation?
£
*Com
26
Extras
an
So don't be tempted to feel pity for the aristocrylic owner, when you visit one of these old'
10
yourself places. Don't say
Suppose you owned a house
Such a house, which cost £10,000 a year to keep up.
palaces pared with the great which head the historie, houses compara-
These extras will add to run league, would be
ning, costs. But that need be tively modest affair.
they you would need to no headache if
swell Even so, this like How can results
carm nearly £50,000 your it receipts at the gate and in of the season. Today, however, of the then Bart of Rutland. As compensate for having invading you were to have enough left, crease the income from gulle
how dreadful it must be for I can throw some light on the her father had no male heir then 100,000 people
outgoings on ft.
him to have all these people precise uncial experience of this runaway marriage brought your property during the spring after paying tax, to meet all the books, postcards, food, and sou-
At the end of the season, as pushing their way through his| one who ranks among the Top Haddon Into the Mamers and summer?
How many people today have Why allow your trim dawns Ten in this highly competitive cotutes.
of that size? How the Duke of Rutland's experi- property. w be worn bare, or your flow incomes
may be For the truth is that with He is 41-year-old business,
with peanut many would be tempted to give ence suggests, there Manners, 10th These two family seats, with er beds littered Charles John
struggle and sell, the nothing much to show by way out your half-crowns it would duke's
kitchen shells if the outcome is to be up the farms,
not be "his" proparty for very Duke of Rutland, who took as the
But does that really matter much longer. his duchess two years ago the gardens, and other property, only a few hundrod pounds in house to a nationalised industry of cash profit.
it converted Into
compared with the other over- called your pocket--or perhaps even or have
(London Express Service.) former noted debulante, are run by a company
girls school7: Frances Swechy.
Belvoir Estates, Ltd..
a loss?
I'm for
Mrs. Mudd
by Jill Butterfield
von fres
I meet beautiful
Madame X...
to
by
TUDOR JENKINS
WHAT is your idea of the barmiest reason for IN a garden at Cap D'Antibes on the French
WH
boycotting a bride?
To me, the one given by Mrs Jean Bent, mother of ex-beauty queen Leila Williams, just about takes the wedding-cake.
Riviera I have just been introduced Madame X. She is a wonderful new rose.
So far, only a few experts beside myself have been allowed to see her secret glory. All agree
virtuosity. It had a tremendous
success throughout the world,
The Peace rose made Francois Mellland rich. This enabled him
Bent refused to play undoubtedly a love match win that she is destined to be the Rose of the Century. to carry out the plan' which up
woman's affect what is called a
career
Mrs
She has no name yet. In of producing a fragrant rose at middle-aged
Identified will. every: davosirile rate--the misty-eyed seems to me to be a complete the records she is
in con coldly by a number; reversal of values. mother of the bride.
There is no doubt this rose versation she is normally
will bring new wealth to Cap The dictionary defines the called X.
d'Antibes. her word career as "a. manner wed life," but do Britain's 0,000,000 curly, pearly daughter anger Fred Mudd, Mrs Bent wives who daily go out to work Blayed at hame, pulog pints see their Jobs as that?.
While in a shower of rain ond
o storm of good wishus
husband's pub 1th
At her Staffordshire,
4
Why? She disapproved of the marriage.
The danger
of
Not a bit of it. Most of them work for the cash. A few of
NOT because Leila was too them work for the kicks, some young. She is 24 soon.
This hereidean effort under- mined Melond's health. Ir two years he was dead. He was only 40,
,
Eighteen-year-old
Alain till now had seemed a dream decided to carry on his father's
of fulfilment; to work.. impossible create Europe's first TOSC
Ench spring, with a team of || research laboratory.
girls, Alain Meliant carries out Melland bought "for a song" the tosis of pollination, which seven ares of rocky hillside is the first step towards "pro- alongside the place where his ducing a now rose, I call her Madame X; for
She will also make the coffers father, Papa Meilland, nos
for more Between them, the team per- this rose 18 as beautiful mysterious as a woman. She is sing at the rose gardens of the been growing/roses
Brothers-Harry than half a century.
forms this operation thouKenda stately, too. One bloom I saw Wheatcroft
of times, The' moods, resulting a half inches and Altred at Nottingham. five and Was
the, land, from this marriago: see Sown, Francois leveiled RCTOSS
They will raise Madame X, and covered the whole seven Tons of thousands of little acollimation ber and sell her in acres with Innenso groen bushes are raised. England.
The secret?
and
Lord Chancellor
houses,
Madame X in the first 1930 "The value of land hero has sold Papa
cigar after lunch. "At present
Good name
now roses,
for a bit of both. But you will In colour, Madame X is a tred by Alain Bielland at his kept bounding up NOT because she has only and mercifully few, from shop glorious crimson. The petals are folly's rose research station Molland happily, handing me just met her man. She has been girl to scientist, capable of or
of the finest velvet, soft mod deep at Cap d'Antibes. wanting to have the kind 'engaged for a year
or three only we finally select- Five feet tati, he is a bundles 20 to £7 a square yard. From the whole of these two NOT because Mr Mudd can- dedication that puts their job like the
of naredible energy. And In the spring of 1980 the out- ed es acceptabilo not afford to keep his wife, it is before their home and husband. rabe. estimated that he carnis more Watch any giggling group of Magnificent inte viniai, jog only 20 years old, it look changed dramatically. In Nearby all the rest are discord-
ben another is plain that bh has inherited the great freeze-up that looked ed than 270 a week ・・・
six-year-olds women at Her beauty, Mudathe NOT oven, as far as I can most elemental-int out from great attribute. She smells like the stall and business acumen. Europe, a snow blizzard hit Cap: But riot ath 411, because his
name is school. They are not playing a rose. Her bouquet is rich and that made his father Francols Andber. "Marriage," Mudd. this Justifiably proud and Mrs Bent told mo: "Lella puts totally misguided mother, will her heart and soul into the one affect, her career."
thing of the moment.”
The values
Haye flim star. They play Mother,
Land values
Some of them seedlings kro crossed with. A Melfland, one of the greatest dvostranti
Under the great weight of cthers. And occasionally an rosarians, the world has known.
Freno Melland's outstanding rose resilie For most sc-piled fragrani
SCOTTLES DE -vellspand 'rem, #2)",
.'. One of these wil be tro- roses, you have to bury your
soven nères of the duced to the world as 1953. || THIRD In the heart of the. But why should any girl be loom before you get atly spent
The disaster host Maillende It is a forkunde, pure munge restricted to one thing? Wo all at all. But not with Madame - 2444,
there in sukur, and called Zemāra £100,000—arid" pground
after a Spanled demce Alsón have the right to live our own ise nose savoury her sweels In 1943, when Franon wrlibed
Meilland saw while attending' à What prazy way of looking lives and, modern patiem, that trous distance of two or be under the Now, he was po thotropEE SOVERREE,
fridden hosing both a job and feet.
onių, Melllarid lyted a pole yaliow With his workers, He cleared" dower, show in Madrid recently, at ife lo put your job before min. Even the most ambitie Does this men that the arust rozhose patahlworkinged oway the snow, tore town the Your man.
iny doting mother who career women pigeontiola a per hoes bens discovered seator Th pinjaman or twined strda romaved the A Back me, I of the first
ing the old kragraigs. 10) the ended he launched 11. Murgush. (broken glaas}}, privately world-leather of their lives for marriage. - daughter's spell in the limelight As I see it, the only danger modern, shapely hight affect the stability of her occurs when the puttonhole gets not, this way martiste has my granpathy. But ■ lille 100 small
Thiên tới publicly to declairn that what lo
amatic live, Mave the
Zambrel was
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