The Rothschilds and Waddesdon

Perched on a hill in the middle of Buckinghamshire's rural Woodster manor, always a striking sight for a first-time visitor, this French Renaissance-style castle with its extravagant turrets reveals itself as you wind along the long winding driveway. Around the hill, the mansion can be seen. They offer themselves through the trees until finally all the architectural splendor of the North Front appears in front of this extraordinary house. Most people ask who built this place, when and why the house, the beautiful surroundings and its many treasures are very much the achievement of one man, he was. A member of the notable pan-European family, Baron Rothschild Ferdinand de Rothschild began building wooden stone in 1874 when he was a 35-year-old widower.

He dedicated the last twenty-four years of his life to creating him. Its purpose was twofold: firstly, to provide a backdrop for its magnificent collection of 18th-century fine decorative arts and secondly, as a place to entertain the great and good of Victorian society, it was famous for its lavish hospitality in this state-of-the-art building with gas lighting, central heating and indoor plumbing since then. Watson has been protected and embellished by each of his successors, they have maintained a tradition of innovation and excellence that continues today taking their names from the house of their 16th century ancestors zum rotten shield in the red shield sign in the ghetto Frankfurt Jew, the Rothschilds.

They were a modest family of merchants in the early 18th century in 1764 Mayer Amschel Rothschild established himself as a dealer in ancient and precious coins in 1769 he had become an agent at the court of the wealthy Crown Prince William of Hanau providing him with financial services his business prospered and A late 18th century, I am sure that Myah was one of the richest men in the Jewish community. Over time, his five children became partners in what was now a banking business and established branches in the five financial capitals of Europe at the time. Frankfurt Vienna Paris London and Naples in 1822 the five brothers were made barons by the Emperor of Austria the family coat of arms is quartered with a fist holding five arrows symbolizing the five brothers and their unity the basis of their international success Eventually the Rothschilds became one of the richest and most powerful families in the world, bankers, monarchs and governments, collectors of the best art and builders of more than 40 great houses throughout Europe, each of them is represented in this painting, of whom seven were here in the veil of Aylesbury, a true European Ferdinand was born in Paris.

In 1839 he was raised in Frankfurt in Vienna and finally settled in England in 1859 after the death of his mother. His father was the son of Salomon Mayer, director of the bank's Viennese branch, while his mother came from the English side of the family. In July 1865 Ferdinand fell in love with his English cousin Evelina and, according to Rostral tradition, married her. . Evelina's father brought them to his home in London's attractive Piccadilly, a few doors down from his own town mansion. Soon, Evelina was pregnant and the couple seemed destined to have a long and happy life together. Tragically, however, in December 1866, Evelina died in childbirth, the child was stillborn, inconsolable, Ferdinand never remarried and in her memory in 1869 he established the Evelina Hospital for sick children in London despite his loss Ferdinand decided to stay in England and build he wanted a country house in Buckinghamshire close to his cousins' in the Vale of Aylesbury, he wanted a place where he could entertain family and friends and displaying his impressive collection in 1874, he received his inheritance upon his father's death, as did the wad stern estate and The upper ndon lathe was put up for sale by the Duke of Marlborough, greatly impressed by the view while hunting with the Rothschilds' hunting dogs, Fernando decided to choose the highest point of the estate, Lodge Hill, as the place to build his haunted house by the Loire castles.

Ferdinand Valley decided to build in the French Renaissance style and settled on an experienced French architect, Gabriel, a courteous D-tyre. This was fine, as it took what Ferdinand himself described as the work of Sisyphus to transform the bare hill and treeless in magnificent creation to see today debt initially Iyer presented plans for a palatial mansion almost double the size of the house built, these were reduced and a more modest plan was started on August 18, 1877, it was not just Before building a house, however, there was no running water, so 11 miles of pipes had to be laid from Aylesbury, at Ferdinand's own expense, a new gasworks was built and the top of Lodge Hill had to be leveled to a depth of 30 feet to create the flat plateau on which the house was built.

Stepways were cut around the hill to create a seemingly natural access and imported Percheron horses transported mature trees to dress the park. A tram line was built to deliver the many tons of materials and equipment in July 1880. Work was done in the bachelor wing. complete and Ferdinand held his first party at home, it was not until the summer of 1883, however, he was able to use the rest of the house, in July of that year he celebrated the completion of the work by inviting 20 people to stay, it was for that Saturday . Until the Monday meetings in which the house and Fernando's legendary hospitality became famous.

Ferdinand's numerous guests included his family's political circle and his social circle, including members of the royal family. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, was a frequent visitor and in 1890 Queen Victoria wanted to see Ferdinand's creation. She came for lunch and was so impressed with Chef Fernando, who had cooked for the Tsar of Russia, that she later sent her own chef to learn the recipes for three of the dishes. She was also delighted by the newly installed electric lighting powered by generators housed in the power station, the switches on display in this room are a replacement for the original and date back to 1926.

Visitors to the mansion were also dazzled by the collections assembled primarily by Ferdinand. They represent his family's taste for the finest and most luxurious works of 18th-century French porcelain art. and furniture was combined with English portraits and Dutch Old Masters to create interiors of unrivaled glamor and sophistication. The Lagoo forged shield or the Rothschild style as it became known. These porcelain ship vases were made by the Sever factory outside Paris and are extremely rare, only 10 survive. In the world three of which are here the collections also contain many excellent examples of furniture this desk was made for Maria Antoinette Queen of France for the use of the Petit Trianon, her private residence on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, another desk of royal origin.

Is this one made for Louis XVI for his study in Versailles? In the background is the pink boy by the famous English artist Thomas Gainsborough. It is one of nine of his paintings in the collection and used to hang in Ferdinand's house in London, in addition to the English ones. Portraits from the 18th century that Fernando admired so much. There are many examples of 17th century Dutch and Flemish paintings depicting scenes from everyday life, such as this example by Garret do Ferdinand, who died at Walleston in 1898, on the eve of his 60th birthday, without direct air.

The house plus Alice had joined Fernando in England in 1866, she lived next door to him in Piccadilly and in 1875 she bought the neighboring estate to stay there, she built a small house which she used during the day, preferring to sleep in her own apartment on the first floor. Alston's flat Alice was fiercely protective of her brother's legacy, she was a notable collector in her own right, only making changes where she had them, such as acquiring the weapons and armor that replaced her brother's. collection bequeathed to the British Museum along with the contents of the smoking room a formidable character Alice's strict standards of cleanliness are one of the reasons the collections are so well preserved, known as Miss Alice's Rules, many of They are still seen today.

She installed the blinds to restrict the harmful effects of light. When the Prince of Wales, then Edward VII, made a nostalgic visit to Walleston, she was told to keep her hands off the furniture, but such Alice may be best remembered for her main passion, gardening, during her time with over 60 gardeners. were used to keep flower beds, lawns and glass houses immaculate, she pioneered three-dimensional carpet bedding schemes, a phenomenon that quickly spread from Rothschild gardens to municipal parks when wad stern was seen He often saw Alice walking around the grounds weeding with a tool in hand, however, during the early World War, he ordered that all flower beds, including the elaborate flower bed, must be turned over to grow vegetables.

This terrible image of the flowerbed was taken in 1910. Alice died in 1922 when she returned from her winter residence in the town of Grasse in France. For the richest woman in England, the newspapers were full of speculation about who would inherit her vast fortune. Ferdinand had ordered that Alice must leave Watson to a male Rothschild heir, in the end it was inherited by her great-nephew James de Rothschild of Paris. branch of the family James was born in 1878, the eldest son of Baron and Baroness Edmund, he went to university at Cambridge and in 1913 married an English woman, Dorothea Pinto.

James and Dorothy settled in London and in 1920 he became naturalized as a British citizen unlike his predecessors. James was not particularly interested in collecting, although he commissioned a series of paintings from the Russian artist Léon Bakst. They tell the story of Sleeping Beauty and originally hung in James and Dorothy's home in London. All the characters in the story are portraits of James Dorothy. his family and friends James' greatest passion was racing and he established a stud here in Wad Stone, often caricatured for the amount of money he spent unsuccessfully on his horses. However, he won the Ascot Gold Cup in 1909 with his horse pump.

His other interests included politics. and served as MP for the Isle of Ely from 1928 to 1945. He was deeply involved in Jewish politics and continued the work of his father. In 1924 he became president of the Palestine Jewish Colonization Association. This foundation provided money to settlers to purchase homes built on land. and established self-sufficient farming in Palestine in 1934. James's father died and Walleston was enriched by the inheritance of a third of his collections, as well as superlative examples of 18th-century French decorative art that complemented Ferdinand and Alice's collections. The new arrivals included more than 2,000 examples from the 18th century. 19th century drawings for architecture and ornamentation in the years after World War II James, out of breath and in a more dangerous economic climate, began to think about the long-term future of WOD.

Stern, after much debate, decided on the National Trust and when he died. In 1957 it was revealed that the house, its contents and one hundred and fifty-seven acres of gardens had been bequeathed to the charity. His widow Dorothy had to oversee the intricate arrangements to prepare a private family home for opening to the public. in 1959 initially only the ground floor was opened, while changes were made to the first floor rooms to create exhibition spaces from the former bedrooms in 1970 Dorothy died in 1988 at the age of 93 having supervised the care of Watson under the National Trust for 31 years, his countless achievements include finding a succession of distinguished curators to look after the collections and driving forward the long program of publishing academic catalogues.

She also began work on the centenary restoration by asking an architect to go up to the roof and see what needed to be done next. his death the role of chairman from the past to the present Lord Rothschild his drive and enthusiasm have resulted in many new initiatives at Ballston Manor the five-year centenary restoration saw the installation of 12 miles of electrical cable and five miles of copper pipes throughout the house, while the ground floor layout is kept as close as possible to its 19th century appearance, the opportunity was taken to restore some of the first floor rooms and create new display areas.

Three rooms more than any other represent Lord Rothschild's contribution to the The continuing evolution of the house, during the restoration the red anteroom, the white drawing room and the blue dining room were installed, using panels that were saved. Other renovations by Lord Rothschild include the opening of the cellars, the entrance to which is located on the north front of the house beyond the main door. The cellars are generally open at the same time as the house and visitors arereceived as part of the entrance to the grounds without the need for additional entrances in recent years the collections have continued to grow this spectacular silver dinner service was made in France in the 1780s for King George, the third at a time when The fashionable dinner required symmetrical arrangements of plates arranged to create a lavish display known as a French dinner.

In recent years, Lord Rothschild's daughter Beth, who studied at Q, investigated and played an important role. In the restoration of the Victorian part of the hair each year, the bedding changes here just as it did in the days of Ferdinand and Alice. The gardens are maintained by a dedicated team who follow a sustainable, peat-free environmental policy, composting all waste green grass clippings and pruning. Baron Ferdinand, who was fascinated by birds, built an Avery in wooden stone which was originally part of a much larger menagerie with deer and ibex. He was probably inspired by the one in his childhood home in Germany.

The Avery has been accredited as a licensed zoo and has recently been accepted as a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Avery contributes to conservation in many ways. Breeding endangered species to create viable captive populations is clearly our most important goal. We work with European studbooks that include many of the species. kept here in wood stone these can range from critically endangered to threatened in the wild we strive to make sure there is real conservation value in what we do here Avery supports field projects through our Conservation Fund, which is primarily donated By visitors tossing coins into Avery's grotto fountain Such generosity has allowed us to support several field projects, including census work on the critically endangered blue-crowned thrush in China, each season brings its own delights to wad stern in spring the gardens are a huge color with grape hyacinths, crocuses, primroses and many other spring flowers, the daffodils in Wildflower Valley make a particularly spectacular display in May, the rose garden beyond Avery is blooming and in August, when the flower bed looks its best, the gardens are a truly impressive sight, the summer bed is removed in October to make way for spring planting and all around the huge variety of trees are changing colour.

Many of the tree groups were designed by Ferdinand to give surprising effects during this season. One of the most important garden projects of recent years is at the front of the Manor. The double avenues that heralded the entrance to the house are being restored originally planted by Fernando with transplanted mature English oaks. The avenues had always had problems thanks to the loss of topsoil, many of them had been replaced over time by another species of turkey oak and as a result there were many gaps and differences in the size of the trees, after After extensive consultation we received planning permission to fill the avenues and completely replant them with young English Oaks which, with proper soil preparation and care, should thrive.

This will allow Ferdinand to get a glimpse of one of the most important features. of his garden which will be held for the first time and we hope to continue providing pleasure to future visitors for many years to come. The garden is also magical on cold winter days, when the leafless trees allow you to really appreciate the structure of Ferdinand's plantation. This time the sculptures are covered to protect them from frost adding an element of mystery at the end of January the snowdrops are making their appearance on the Barons walk leading to a Glade of use with in the center a monumental sculpture Terra Delhi 'true ski' by Stephen Cox, a contemporary commission, celebrates and commemorates the members of the Rothschild family who created and cared for the woodstone.

This has been joined by an equally impressive bench in the shape of a huge drum by the same artist positioned to offer panoramic views in mid-November. The east wing of the house is decorated for Christmas each year with a different theme. In the run up to Christmas, the rest of the house is closed and a lot of behind-the-scenes work begins. Normally rigorous cleaning routines become even more thorough as furniture is moved. Rolled rugs, chandeliers in porcelain boxes are covered, dusted, and tall scaffolding is moved through the collection rooms for high-level cleaning. This is an essential part of ensuring we maintain the conservation and preservation standards for which WOD Stern is rightly famous.

Light is the biggest enemy of collections. As you can see from the fading of the silk of this chair compared to the back of the cushion which is exposed to much less light, we are lucky to have our own textile conservation workshop where our wonderful curtains are meticulously cared for. over 70 pairs of original curtains dating from the 1880s with other textiles dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. In addition to the house's conservation regime, our textiles remain one of the glories of the collection today. This comparison of an Original Silk Against a Wall Silk that has been hanging since 1894 shows that the ravages of time can never be completely stopped.

We have recognized that the more they are manipulated, the sooner they will be lost forever. You are helping not to touch the works of art. and home furnishings and understanding why some rooms may appear dark is something we greatly appreciate and helps preserve WOD stone for future generations. We hope you enjoy your visit and we leave you with one of our most charming treasures, the elephant. automaton in the east gallery, look for the companion taco stone guide with more information about the house and gardens. If you visit the house, you will find guides on both floors who will be happy to answer questions or provide more information.

A multimedia audio tour of the home available to use for a small fee from the front entrance as the tour begins.