English country house

The Classicist: London's Luxe Salon Prive Comes to 'Gosford Park'

Filed under: Estates, Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Events, The Classicist

The Salon Privé, Europe's finest and largest dedicated display of supercars, exotics, classics and luxury goods in an English garden party setting, is moving to an amazing new venue this summer to house the largest exhibition to date and an incredible auction alongside. Syon Park (above), the sprawling London estate of the Duke of Northumberland, whose family have lived there for over 400 years, is best known as the mansion used in the movie Gosford Park and is the last surviving ducal residence retaining its country estate in Greater London, making a fitting new setting for the five-star event slated for June 22nd – 24th.

To mark the occasion, RM Auctions, the world's largest collector car auction house, has selected Salon Privé as the venue for its third annual European sale. Themed 'Quintessentially English' and scheduled for June 23, the new RM sale is set to become a regular fixture on the company's global events calendar, catering specifically for collectors with an affinity for British marques. Also joining the luxe event, now in its sixth season, for the first time is Land Rover who have confirmed that they will show the new Range Rover Evoque models which guests will be able to test drive.

2011 marks a return to the event for Porsche alongside such brands as Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Maserati, Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Morgan and Rolls-Royce. In addition to the stunning display of modern super and luxury cars, the event's internationally renowned Concours d'Elégance returns with seven new categories and a display of some of the rarest and most valuable cars in the world. Examples of this year's categories include Ferrari 250 Competizione, Historic Grand Prix Single Seaters, Grand Routier, Oddballs, Motorcycles from the Steve McQueen era and a collection of stunning Rolls-Royce models to celebrate the 100 year centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy. [cont'd]

Gallery: Salon Prive & Syon Park

Tags: Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, classic cars, Concours dElégance, concours delegance, English country house, events, Ferrari, Gosford Park, Land Rover, London, luxury goods, Maserati, Porsche, Range Rover Evoque, RM Auctions, Rolls-Royce, Salon Privé, Salon Prive, Steve McQueen, supercar, the+classicist, theclassicist

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Go Hunting at Julian Assange's Country House Hideout

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Sports

When not serving as a hideout for much-maligned Wikileaks frontman Julian Assange, stately Ellingham Hall (above) in the UK's bucolic Norfolk is available for sportsmen to hunt gamebirds in a classic English country house setting. The 10-bedroom Georgian mansion sited on 650 acres has been a prime shooting ground for four generations of the aristocratic Smith family's ownership. The Ellingham estate offers shooting days in season of between 150 – 200 birds at about $40 per bird, or about $6,000 – $8,000 per day. "Whether you like snap shooting over tall trees, partridges bursting over hedges, or high pheasants flying back to woods, we have something to please all," the estate's listing on the Guns on Pegs site notes. "We work very hard to deliver a smoothly-run but relaxed and friendly shoot. The shoot makes a very good day for eight guns but nine can be accommodated for teams." Ellingham provides refreshments and lunch, and participants are encouraged to bring their own Purdeys and Range Rovers; shooting at Assange is strictly prohibited.

Gallery: Ellingham Hall, the Assange Hideout

Tags: country house, current events, English country house, estates, hunting, Julian Assange, mansion, Norfolk, shotgun, sports, UK, Wikileaks

An Aristocrat's View of Ireland's Great Country Houses

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Books

The country houses of Ireland are not as well known and celebrated as those of England, yet no serious student of the form can afford to miss what are undoubtedly some of the most stunning examples on the Emerald Isle. Ten exquisite Irish country estates are given lavish treatment in The Irish Country House, a beautiful new book by Irish aristocrat the Knight of Glin – whose own castle is among the finest – and James Peill from the Vendome Press. All of the historical houses and castles featured in the book are still owned and lived in by the original families, an increasing rarity, and many have never been published before. Specially commissioned photographs by James Fennell show grand but inviting living rooms, hallways lined with hunting prints, well-trampled mudrooms and richly-furnished libraries. The decor of the houses has "evolved over generations, furnished with heirlooms and cherished hand-me-downs, exuding the mossy scent of peat fires", full of telling details capturing the distinctive personalities of the colorful inhabitants whose stories are recounted in the text.

Gallery: The Irish Country House

Tags: aristocrat, books, castles, coffee table books, country house, English country house, estates, historic houses, Ireland, UK

The Classicist: Sotheby's to Auction Treasures from Chatsworth, England's Most Famous Country Estate

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Auctions, Art, The Classicist, Architecture & Design

On October 5–7 Sotheby's will stage what amounts to the world's most luxurious yard sale at Chatsworth (above), England's most famous and beautiful country estate, owned by the the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. The treasures on offer include art, architectural elements, furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, and other items – even an antique motorcar – with estimates ranging from £20 to £300,000, or about $30 to $450,000. The sale comprises 20,000 objects in over 1,000 lots which will be on view in a series of marquees on the grounds of the house from October 1st. The several million dollars which the sale is expected to generate will go towards upkeep on the famed estate, which has 126 rooms – including a bathroom with murals painted by Lucian Freud – and sits on over 30,000 acres.

Several of the most magnificent pieces – handsomely carved fireplaces, architraves, doors and shutters - were once part of the fabric of the many great houses that have featured in the Devonshire family's extraordinary history, including Chatsworth itself, Chiswick House, Hardwick Hall, Lismore Castle in Ireland, Compton Place, Bolton Abbey and especially their palatial London residence, Devonshire House – now destroyed but for centuries the centre of the city's social, political and cultural elite. The sale includes works from almost every conceivable area, including books, carriages, glass, collectibles, sculpture, garden statuary, natural history, jewelry, prints, carpets, textiles, tapestries and wine. Some items relate to royalty and others to one of the family's most colorful members, the beautiful and charismatic Georgiana Cavendish, 5th Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806), one of the most beloved and influential characters in British history. [continued]

Gallery: Treasures from Chatsworth & Devonshire House

George III gilt-bronze mounted library bookcase / doorway, circa 1800

The Devonshire Borghese table, an Italian carved giltwood console table with a serpentine alabaster veneered top, mid-18th centu

An ormolu-mounted Sevres style jardini�re, late 19th century, Est. �2,000-3,000

Tags: antiques, architectural, aristocrats, British style, castle, Chatsworth, Chatsworth Estate, country estate, country house, Duchess of Devonshire, Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, Duke of Devonshire, England, English country house, fireplaces, furniture, Jane Austen, Keira Knightley, King George IV, Lismore Castle, London, mahogany, mansion, marble, Pride and Prejudice, royalty, silver, UK

Continue reading “The Classicist: Sotheby's to Auction Treasures from Chatsworth, England's Most Famous Country Estate”

Live Like King Edward VII at Rangemore Hall

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The luxe Edward VII Wing at Rangemore Hall (above) in Burton-upon-Trent, England, has been listed for sale at £2.5 million or about $3.8 million, the London Daily Mail reports. Built for the Bass family of brewing fame, Rangemore Hall's owner Lord Burton constructed the wing for a visit from King Edward VII, known as "Dirty Bertie", and his bride Queen Alexandra in 1907. At 12,000-sq.-ft. it is far larger than the Hall itself, and includes a one-bedroom flat attached to the wing by a hidden staircase used to accommodate Edward's mistress Lillie Langtry. The wing features its own ballroom, seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, three reception rooms, a study and a strong room used to house the royals' family's crown jewels. Successive owners have renovated it to include a leisure complex completed in a Romanesque style and a heated swimming pool and jacuzzi. The wing overlooks 10 acres of parkland including two private lakes, a topiary garden with an in-set water feature, four-car garage and electronic gated private driveway.

Tags: British royals, BritishRoyals, Edwardian, English country house, EnglishCountryHouse, king edward VII, KingEdwardVii, royalty, UK

The Ultimate Gentleman's Shooting Companion from Viscount Linley

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Spirits, Sports, Men's Style

Shooting grouse at one's country estate in England is a time-honored tradition, and every sporting gentleman worthy of the name owns a pair of fine bespoke shotguns from Purdey or Holland & Holland. Of course it's thirsty work, and so Viscount David Linley has come up with the perfect accessory to put in the back of the Range Rover when setting off for a day's sport. The Linley Shooting Companion (above), priced at about $5,600, is a traveling case constructed of oiled walnut with saddle leather handles and an inlaid engravable, hallmarked sterling silver plaque. The case contains two lead crystal decanters with sterling silver plaques laid onto square rosewood stoppers, a cigar cutter and a walnut box to hold eight Corona No. 5's. A removable walnut rack walnut holds eight pewter tumblers, numbered 1 to 8 to reference the shooting pegs given to sportsmen denoting their gun positions.

[via Duncan Quinn]

Tags: David Linley, DavidLinley, English country house, EnglishCountryHouse, hunting, luggage, shooting, shotgun, sporting, UK

The Best Victorian Country Houses in England

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Books

England's great tradition of country houses spans 700 years, but reached its magnificent apex in the 19th century, Michael Hall demonstrates in his beautiful new book Lasting Elegance: English Country Houses 1830 - 1900 from Monacelli. The houses, designed by the most eminent architects of the age, were bigger, more elaborate, and more lavishly furnished than ever before, Hall notes. The English country house became a byword throughout Europe and in America for luxury, technological innovation, and convenience. Hall's opulently illustrated survey draws on the vast archive of the great British magazine Country Life to present the fullest visual record yet published of the Victorian-era country house in England and Wales. The photographs contained in the book are in many cases the only record of great houses in their heyday, such as Orchardleigh in Somerset, Hewell Grange in Worcestershire, Thoresby Hall in Nottinghamshire, and Stokesay Court in Shropshire - featured in the 2007 award-winning ﬁlm Atonement - all sold in the 20th century and their contents dispersed.

Tags: country house, Country Life, CountryHouse, CountryLife, England, English country house, EnglishCountryHouse, mansion, UK, Victorian