EnglishCountryHouse

Live Like King Edward VII at Rangemore Hall

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