1960-10-22 — Page 15

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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