English country houses have uncertain future

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33664, 14 October 1974, Page 22

English country houses have uncertain future

(By

VIRGINIA SMALL,

N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent)

LONDON. The historic country houses of the British landed gentry are still standing- today in their hundreds, but for most of them the future is perilously uncertain. More than just tangible remnants of a vanished way of life, they are a major part of the country’s heritage and yet, in the last 30 years, no less than 250 country houses have faced the demolition bulldozers. In the last century, the; “death toll’’ of country! houses has amounted to a i staggering 1200 victims. Unless something drastic is done urgently to preserve these monumental buildings, the mortality rate is bound to go up. But how can the problem be tackled? This is the question growing numbers of concerned people in Britain, and not just the landowners, are asking themselves.

There is no doubt in the minds of these people that the “punitive combination” of existing taxes and Labour’s proposed wealth tax will spell the end for country houses. In a recent report called “Country Houses in Britain —Can They Survive?” Mr John Cornforth said that the cost to the nation of preserving the country houses would involve sums never before contemplated in British preservation. “If the nation were to take

on the top 50 of the 600 most notable privately-owned country houses in Britain, the capital involved would be somewhere between £l5O million, not to mention a yearly deficit on running costs in the order of £3 million,” said Mr Cornworth, who is the architectural editor of “Country Life.” So even without the proposed wealth tax, it looks as if the historical faces almost certain extinction. The urgency of the situation stems not just from the detrimental effects of rising costs and increasing taxation, but from the sheer size of these houses.

Whether they are being lived in or are used as museums, all the rooms require a certain amount of cleaning, heating, and light to prevent deterioration. And on top of this the grounds require an extensive amount of upkeep. In his report, Mr Cornforth praises owners like the Duke of Bedford and Lord and Lady ‘Hertford who have opened their homes to the public in an effort to keep their estates intact.

“What would have happened to Woborn and its collections if the present ■ Duke of Bedford had not taken up the challenge there?” he asked. However, the fact remains that the income from opening these houses to the public is far from sufficient to meet the increasing costs of their maintenance. Clearly, the Government or the pub-

lie will have to dream up a solution soon if the country houses are to be prevented from rack and ruin. An exhibition which opened in London this week should go a long way towards bringing the public’s attention to the problem. Entitled, “The Destruction of the Country House, 18751975,” its aim is to show the tragic loss of country houses over the last century. The exhibition stresses the need to preserve important houses with their contents and settings intact, and forcibly points to the problems ahead.