Eythrope
Encyclopedia
Eythrope is a hamlet
and country house in the parish
of Waddesdon
, in Buckinghamshire
, England
. It is located to the south east of the main village of Waddesdon, and is the present home of a branch of the Rothschild family
.
in origin, and means "island farm", referring to an island in the River Thame
that flows by the hamlet. The medieval village of Eythrope is deserted and all that remains are some earthen banks and ditches on the eastern side of Eythrope Park.
There was a manor house
at this hamlet as early as 1309, when it was the home of the Arch family. It was extended in 1610 by Sir William Dormer. By the late 18th century it became one of the homes of Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield
, though he rarely used it, and it became empty and desolate.
In 1875 the manor at Eythrope was bought by Alice de Rothschild
for £180,000. She had been born in Frankfurt
, the youngest of the seven children of Baron Anselm von Rothschild
. She was the favourite child and inherited a large estate in Germany while still a minor. Orphaned young, she spent a lonely childhood living with various relations and eventually made her home with her widowed brother Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. When he built his country house Waddesdon Manor
, she moved in with him. They were both fastidious perfectionists, with strong wills. If she advised over the designs for Waddesdon, it is doubtful he heeded them. Hence in 1875 he encouraged her purchase of Eythrope perhaps to give them both a little space.
Alice had suffered from rheumatic fever
; the medical advice was that damp was dangerous, so it is surprising she built at Eythrope around which the river Thame curves. Alice's solution was simple, the house would be built without bedrooms, hence she would never be tempted to sleep there, and would return the four miles to Waddesdon every evening when the damp air came off the river.
For her architect she spurned Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur
, who had designed Waddesdon, and instead chose one of the family's other favourite architects George Devey
. Devey had worked at Ascott House
, Aston Clinton House
and Mentmore Towers
. Usually Devey designed the estate cottages, school
s and village halls on the Rothschild's estate villages. He usually worked in a low domestic Jacobean
style, rather than the flamboyant extravaganzas of some of the family mansions. Ascott House was almost entirely his work. Eythrope was something of a deviation from his usual style, it is a mixture of his usual Jacobean coupled with French
renaissance in a low style of Waddesdon, especially noticeable on the concave roof to the round tower, and the gable on the garden facade which are particularly reminiscent of Waddesdon.
The new house at Eythrope was not built on the site of the old manor, but in a field near the river, and was constructed of pale pink bricks, with turrets and gables. It contained drawing and dining rooms (lit by large bay windows), kitchen and staff rooms. Because of its small size the house was christened "The Pavilion" or the "Water Pavilion". With climbing plants and roses covering the walls, it was one of the most charming of the Rothschild properties in England. As in other Rothschild homes "le style Rothschild" pervaded, French furniture, porcelain and fine paintings were collected to enhance the rooms. Padded banquettes and armchairs added to the comfort.
The gardens were laid out with formal bedding, specimen trees and manicured parkland; punts were put on the (deadly damp) river for the amusement of Baron Ferdinand's house-parties who would drive over, in summer, from Waddesdon for afternoon tea, and a guided tour which included the Egypt
ian spring
at Hartwell
, and a grand temple at nearby Sedrup
.
A large stable block, resembling a turreted, half timbered mansion, was designed by W. F. Taylor in what was known as "le style Normand". An example of this unusual style is the (more accessible to the public) Five Arrows Hotel at Waddesdon. Today, it is amazing that such a large stable and service block should be built to house the staff and horses of such a small house.
In late 1898, following the death of Baron Ferdinand, Alice inherited Waddesdon Manor, the conservation of which became her passion. The Pavilion was still maintained but now as even more of an occasional retreat. As her health declined she spent more of her time at her magnificent "Villa Victoria" on the French Riviera. Here she once famously told Queen Victoria
(a close friend) to stop walking on the flowers. Ever afterwards the Queen referred to her as "She who must be obeyed". Always a strong willed woman, she became something of a tyrant in old age. During World War I
she had the formal gardens at Waddesdon and Eythrope given over to the growing of vegetables for the less fortunate.
In 1922 following the death of Alice de Rothschild, The Pavilion was enlarged by her heirs, Dorothy and James A. de Rothschild (they added a large wing with bedrooms and bathrooms) and then let it to Syrie Maugham
, an interior decorator who was the former wife of the novelist Somerset Maugham.
In the 1950s the Rothschilds decided to give Waddesdon Manor, which they also had inherited, to the National Trust
and move to the smaller pavilion themselves. The house was then improved and modernised again, (as much as post war building regulations allowed). James de Rothschild died in 1957, before the house was ready. Following the transfer of Waddesdon, his widow Dorothy
moved to Eythrope — taking with her some of the more comfortable furniture and a few favourite things from Waddesdon. It was to be her country home for nearly forty years.
. The house is the last of the Buckinghamshire Rothschild houses to remain in Rothschild hands. It remains very much a private home.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
and country house in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Waddesdon
Waddesdon
Waddesdon is a village within the Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, 6 miles from Aylesbury on the A41 road. The centre of a civil parish, including the hamlets of Eythrope, Wormstone and Woodham, Waddesdon was an agricultural settlement with milling, silk weaving and lace making...
, in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located to the south east of the main village of Waddesdon, and is the present home of a branch of the Rothschild family
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
.
History
The hamlet name is Anglo SaxonOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
in origin, and means "island farm", referring to an island in the River Thame
River Thame
The River Thame is a river in Southern England. It is a tributary of the larger and better-known River Thames.The general course of the River Thame is north-east to south-west and the distance from its source to the River Thames is about 40 miles...
that flows by the hamlet. The medieval village of Eythrope is deserted and all that remains are some earthen banks and ditches on the eastern side of Eythrope Park.
There was a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
at this hamlet as early as 1309, when it was the home of the Arch family. It was extended in 1610 by Sir William Dormer. By the late 18th century it became one of the homes of Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield KG, PC, FRS, FSA , known as Philip Stanhope until 1773, was a British politician and diplomat...
, though he rarely used it, and it became empty and desolate.
In 1875 the manor at Eythrope was bought by Alice de Rothschild
Alice Charlotte von Rothschild
Alice Charlotte von Rothschild was a socialite and member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of Austria. Born in Frankfurt, she was the eighth and youngest child of Anselm von Rothschild and Charlotte Rothschild...
for £180,000. She had been born in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, the youngest of the seven children of Baron Anselm von Rothschild
Anselm von Rothschild
Anselm Salomon von Rothschild, baron was an Austrian banker, and a member of the Vienna branch of the Rothschild family....
. She was the favourite child and inherited a large estate in Germany while still a minor. Orphaned young, she spent a lonely childhood living with various relations and eventually made her home with her widowed brother Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. When he built his country house Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor is a country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. The house was built in the Neo-Renaissance style of a French château between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild . Since this was the preferred style of the Rothschilds it became also known as...
, she moved in with him. They were both fastidious perfectionists, with strong wills. If she advised over the designs for Waddesdon, it is doubtful he heeded them. Hence in 1875 he encouraged her purchase of Eythrope perhaps to give them both a little space.
Alice had suffered from rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
; the medical advice was that damp was dangerous, so it is surprising she built at Eythrope around which the river Thame curves. Alice's solution was simple, the house would be built without bedrooms, hence she would never be tempted to sleep there, and would return the four miles to Waddesdon every evening when the damp air came off the river.
For her architect she spurned Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur
Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur
Gabriel-Hippolyte Alexandre Destailleur was a renowned Neo-Renaissance French architect noted for his designs and restoration work for great châteaux in France and in England....
, who had designed Waddesdon, and instead chose one of the family's other favourite architects George Devey
George Devey
George Devey was a British architect, born in London, the second son of Frederick and Ann Devey. Devey was educated in London, after leaving school he initially studied art, with an ambition to become a professional artist...
. Devey had worked at Ascott House
Ascott House
Ascott House, sometimes referred to as simply Ascott, is situated in the hamlet of Ascott near Wing in Buckinghamshire, England. It is set in a estate....
, Aston Clinton House
Aston Clinton House
Aston Clinton House was a large mansion to the south-east of the village of Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire, England....
and Mentmore Towers
Mentmore Towers
Mentmore Towers is a 19th century English country house in the village of Mentmore in Buckinghamshire. The house was designed by Joseph Paxton and his son-in-law, George Henry Stokes, in the revival Elizabethan and Jacobean style of the late 16th century called Jacobethan, for the banker and...
. Usually Devey designed the estate cottages, school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s and village halls on the Rothschild's estate villages. He usually worked in a low domestic Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
style, rather than the flamboyant extravaganzas of some of the family mansions. Ascott House was almost entirely his work. Eythrope was something of a deviation from his usual style, it is a mixture of his usual Jacobean coupled with French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
renaissance in a low style of Waddesdon, especially noticeable on the concave roof to the round tower, and the gable on the garden facade which are particularly reminiscent of Waddesdon.
The new house at Eythrope was not built on the site of the old manor, but in a field near the river, and was constructed of pale pink bricks, with turrets and gables. It contained drawing and dining rooms (lit by large bay windows), kitchen and staff rooms. Because of its small size the house was christened "The Pavilion" or the "Water Pavilion". With climbing plants and roses covering the walls, it was one of the most charming of the Rothschild properties in England. As in other Rothschild homes "le style Rothschild" pervaded, French furniture, porcelain and fine paintings were collected to enhance the rooms. Padded banquettes and armchairs added to the comfort.
The gardens were laid out with formal bedding, specimen trees and manicured parkland; punts were put on the (deadly damp) river for the amusement of Baron Ferdinand's house-parties who would drive over, in summer, from Waddesdon for afternoon tea, and a guided tour which included the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
at Hartwell
Hartwell
Hartwell is a village in central Buckinghamshire, England. It is to the south of Aylesbury, by the village of Stone.The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means "spring frequented by deer". In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was recorded as Herdeuuelle and Herdewelle.The ruined Hartwell...
, and a grand temple at nearby Sedrup
Sedrup
Sedrup is a hamlet in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located south west of the town of Aylesbury, close to the villages of Stone, Bishopstone and Hartwell which also provide the name of the civil parish within which Sedrup lies....
.
A large stable block, resembling a turreted, half timbered mansion, was designed by W. F. Taylor in what was known as "le style Normand". An example of this unusual style is the (more accessible to the public) Five Arrows Hotel at Waddesdon. Today, it is amazing that such a large stable and service block should be built to house the staff and horses of such a small house.
In late 1898, following the death of Baron Ferdinand, Alice inherited Waddesdon Manor, the conservation of which became her passion. The Pavilion was still maintained but now as even more of an occasional retreat. As her health declined she spent more of her time at her magnificent "Villa Victoria" on the French Riviera. Here she once famously told Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
(a close friend) to stop walking on the flowers. Ever afterwards the Queen referred to her as "She who must be obeyed". Always a strong willed woman, she became something of a tyrant in old age. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
she had the formal gardens at Waddesdon and Eythrope given over to the growing of vegetables for the less fortunate.
In 1922 following the death of Alice de Rothschild, The Pavilion was enlarged by her heirs, Dorothy and James A. de Rothschild (they added a large wing with bedrooms and bathrooms) and then let it to Syrie Maugham
Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo
Syrie Maugham was a leading British interior decorator of the 1920s and 1930s and best-known for popularizing rooms decorated entirely in shades of white.-Birth:...
, an interior decorator who was the former wife of the novelist Somerset Maugham.
In the 1950s the Rothschilds decided to give Waddesdon Manor, which they also had inherited, to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and move to the smaller pavilion themselves. The house was then improved and modernised again, (as much as post war building regulations allowed). James de Rothschild died in 1957, before the house was ready. Following the transfer of Waddesdon, his widow Dorothy
Dorothy de Rothschild
Dorothy de Rothschild was an English philanthropist and activist for Jewish affairs who married into the Rothschild international financial dynasty....
moved to Eythrope — taking with her some of the more comfortable furniture and a few favourite things from Waddesdon. It was to be her country home for nearly forty years.
Present day
Dorothy de Rothschild died in 1988 aged nearly 100. She left the estate and Pavilion to her husband's great nephew Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron RothschildJacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, Bt, OM, GBE, FBA is a British investment banker and a member of the prominent Rothschild family of bankers...
. The house is the last of the Buckinghamshire Rothschild houses to remain in Rothschild hands. It remains very much a private home.