Mentmore in the 1990s

Mentmore Towers is a large English country house in the village of Mentmore in Buckinghamshire. It takes its name both from the village in which it stands, and the fact that the house has numerous towers and pinnacles. Historically it was always known as just Mentmore, and by locals and estate staff as The Mansion, as is the case at nearby Tring Park. However, the name Mentmore Towers seems to have stuck and is the accepted one today. One of the house's former owners, Lord Rosebery, once said: "Mentmore Towers sounded like a second-rate boarding house". Mentmore Towers is a Grade 1 listed building. Image File history File links Mentmore_towers_from_below. ... Image File history File links Mentmore_towers_from_below. ... Holkham Hall, one of the grandest English country houses not only displayed the owners fashionable and cultivated tastes, but was the epicentre of a vast landed estate, providing employment to hundreds The English country house is generally accepted as a large house or mansion, once in the ownership of an... Mentmore Village Green. ... Map of Bucks (1904) Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is a county in South East England. ... pinnacle Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk, Ostend, Belgium A pinnacle (from Latin pinnaculum, a little feather, pinna) is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. ... Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery (May 7, 1847 - May 21, 1929) was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. ... Buckingham Palace, a Grade I listed building. ...

The Rothschild era

Mentmore photographed circa 1914

The house was built between 1852 and 1854 for Baron Mayer de Rothschild who needed a house close to London and in close proximity to other Rothschild homes at Tring in Hertfordshire, Ascott, Aston Clinton and later Waddesdon Manor and Halton House. He had slowly since 1846 been buying land in the area. However, it was not until 1850 that he bought the manor and advowson of Mentmore for £12,400 from the trustees of the Harcourt family. Mentmore, Buckinghamshire. ... Mentmore, Buckinghamshire. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Baron Mayer de Rothschild (named Mayer Amschel Rothschild for his grandfather with that name) (1818 - 1874) was the third son of Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777 - 1836). ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation) and Defining London (below). ... Map sources for Tring at grid reference SP924117 Tring is a small market town in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England with a population 13,000. ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom, officially part of the East of England Government region. ... Ascott is a hamlet and country house in the parish of Wing in Buckinghamshire, England. ... dcdc ... Waddesdon Manor is a mansion at Waddesdon in Buckinghamshire, built between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839-1898) of the Rothschild banking dynasty, who was Member of Parliament for nearby Aylesbury. ... Halton House viewed from the north Halton House is a country house situated in the Chiltern Hills above the village of Halton in Buckinghamshire, England. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Advowson is the right in English law of presenting a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice. ...

The plans for the new mansion which was begun in 1852, imitated Wollaton Hall in Nottingham; they were drawn by the well known architect Joseph Paxton, famous for The Crystal Palace (see Plans and interiors of Mentmore). Wollaton Hall in the late 18th century. ... Nottingham is a city (the county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... Sir Joseph Paxton (1803–1865) was an English gardener and architect of The Crystal Palace. ... The façade of the original Crystal Palace Side view of the Crystal Palace A huge iron and glass building, The Crystal Palace was a building in 19th Century Britain. ... Joseph Paxton and his son-in-law George Stokes designed Mentmore Towers, correctly known as just Mentmore in the mid-1850s. ...

The old manor house, with its later Georgian facade, which had been built by the Wigg family in the 16th century, became known as the 'Garden House', and became the home of the Rothschild's head gardener; later it became the Estate Office. Today (2004) it is once again the village Manor House. It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in...

The Rosebery era

The dining room. The boiseries were from the Hôtel de Villars, Paris, and are the first example of this type of decoration to be used in an English house. The fragments of the boiseries not used at Mentmore were later installed at Waddesdon Manor

The Baron and his wife did not live long after the Towers' completion. After the Baroness's death it was inherited by her daughter Hannah, later Countess of Rosebery. Image File history File links Mentmore_towers_dining_room. ... Image File history File links Mentmore_towers_dining_room. ... Mentmore Towers The boiseries were from from the Hôtel de Villars, Paris, and are inset with paintings and Genoese velvet Boiserie (often used in the plural boiseries) is the term to used to define ornate and intricately carved panelling. ... , The Eiffel Tower, the tallest structure in Paris, is an international symbol of the city. ... Waddesdon Manor is a mansion at Waddesdon in Buckinghamshire, built between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839-1898) of the Rothschild banking dynasty, who was Member of Parliament for nearby Aylesbury. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Following her demise in 1890 aged 39 from Bright's Disease, it became the home of her widower Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, later (in 1894) Prime Minister for two years. The 5th earl gave the estate in the late 1920s to his son Harry, Lord Dalmeny, who in 1929 on the death of his father became the 6th Earl. 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... Brights disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. ... Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery (May 7, 1847 - May 21, 1929) was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ...

Both earls bred numerous winners of classic horse races at the two stud farms on the estate, including five Epsom Derby winners. These were Ladas, Sir Visto, and Cicero from the Crafton Stud on the estate; plus Ocean Swell and Blue Peter from the Mentmore Stud itself. Horse-racing is an equestrian sporting activity which has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times were an early example, as was the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. ... Epsom Derby, Théodore Géricault, 1821. ... Marcus Tullius Cicero (IPA: ;) (January 3, 106 BC – December 7, 43 BC) was an orator and statesman of Ancient Rome, and is generally considered the greatest Latin orator and prose stylist. ... Blue Peter is a popular, long-running BBC television programme for children. ...

Following the death of Harry Rosebery in 1973, the executors of his estate, after three years of fruitless discussion with the Government, sold the contents by public auction for many millions of pounds sterling. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... Sterling may refer to: Sterling (car), a British automobile manufacturer. ...

The Staircase, and the plate-glass door leading to the Grand Hall

The Labour government of James Callaghan would not accept the contents in lieu of inheritance taxes and turn the house into one of England's finest museums of European furniture, object d'art and Victorian era architecture. The government could have purchased the house and contents for £2,000,000 but declined; months later the contents were sold for over £6,000,000. Among the paintings sold were works by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Boucher, Drouais, Moroni and other well known artists, and cabinet makers, including Reisener and Chippendale also represented were the finest German and Russian silver and goldsmiths, and makers of Limoges enamel. This Rothschild/Mentmore collection was said to be one of the finest ever to be assembled in private hands, other than those of the Russian and British royal families. Image File history File links Mentmore_towers_staircase. ... Image File history File links Mentmore_towers_staircase. ... The Right Honourable Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (March 27, 1912 – March 26, 2005), was Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979. ... Inheritance tax, also known in some countries outside the United States as a death duty and referred to as an estate tax within the U.S, is a form of tax imposed upon the transfer of the property of the estate of a deceased person that is left to a... The National Gallery in London, a famous museum. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of Great Britain is considered the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, αρχιτεκτων, a master builder, from αρχι- chief, leader and τεκτων, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... Self-portrait, painted 1759 Blue boy, painted 1770 This article is about the artist Thomas Gainsborough. ... Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (July 16, 1723–February 23, 1792) was the most important and influential of eighteenth-century English painters, specialising in portraits and promoting the Grand Style in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. ... Rinaldo and Armida gained Bouchers admission to the Académie royale François Boucher (1703 in Bordeaux - May 30, 1770) was a French painter, a proponent of Rococo taste, known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories representing the arts or pastoral occupations, and several... Giovanni Battista Moroni (1520-1578) was an Italian mannerist painter, son of an architect, Andrea Moroni, born in Albino near Bergamo. ... Thomas Chippendale, the elder (June 5, 1718 - November 1779) was a furniture designer and maker from Otley, West Yorkshire. ... Location within France Limoges (Limòtges in Occitan) is a city and commune in France, the préfecture of the Haute-Vienne département, and the administrative capital of the Limousin région. ...

Transcendental Meditation Centre

The empty house, unaltered since the day it was built, was sold in 1977 for £220,000 to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement in the United Kingdom. It was also through the Maharishi that Mentmore became the British national headquarters of the Natural Law Party in the 1980s and 1990s. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Srivastava January 12, 1917) is the founder of the TM Movement. ... The transcendental meditation technique, often referred to simply as TM, is a recently popular form of meditation. ... The Natural Law Party is a trans-national political party with national branches in over 80 countries. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ...

Future as a hotel

The Gold Room, formerly the white drawing room with an especially designed modern carpet mirroring the ceiling plasterwork

In 1997 Mentmore Towers was sold to a company, now named Mentmore Towers Ltd who, while restoring it, plan to turn it into a luxury hotel with over 100 suites. However, in September 2004 a local resident won a last minute injunction in the High Court to halt work on the hotel while a judicial review investigated if the planning permission granted had followed the correct procedures. In March 2005, the high court ruled that Aylesbury Vale District Council's decision to grant planning permission to the developers, Mentmore Towers Ltd, was "unimpeachable" and legally sound. Image File history File links Mentmore_towers_gold_room. ... Image File history File links Mentmore_towers_gold_room. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII in Roman) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December See also: September 2004 in sports Events Deaths in September • 27 Tsai Wan-lin • 24 Françoise Sagan • 20 Brian Clough • 18 Russ Meyer • 15 Johnny Ramone • 12 Fred Ebb • 11 Peter VII of Alexandria • 8... An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that either prohibits or compels (restrains or enjoins) a party from continuing a particular activity. ... Her Majestys High Court of Justice (usually known more simply as the High Court) is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of England and Wales: see Courts of England and Wales. ... Judicial review is the power of a court to review a law or an official act of a government employee or agent for constitutionality or for the violation of basic principles of justice. ... Land use is the pattern of construction and activity land is used for. ... ← - 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in March • 31 – Terri Schiavo • 30 – Mitch Hedberg • 29 – Johnnie Cochran • 27 – Wilfred Bigelow • 26 – Paul Hester • 26 – James Callaghan • 21 – Jeff Weise • 21 – Bobby Short • 19 – John De Lorean • 18 – Gary Bertini • 17 – George F... St Marys Church, Aylesbury Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in south central England. ...

Film location

In the last few years the house has appeared in many films, most memorably Eyes Wide Shut with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Other films which used the location include Terry Gilliam's Brazil and The Mummy. Most recently, in Batman Begins, Mentmore Towers was used as Wayne Manor. Also served as recording location of the music video to Enya's "Only if" Eyes Wide Shut (1999) is an erotic mystery film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novella Traumnovelle by Arthur Schnitzler. ... This is an article about the actor; for the inventor, see Tom Kruse. ... Nicole Kidman at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001 Nicole Mary Kidman, AC (born June 20, 1967) is an Academy Award-winning American-born Australian actress. ... Terry Gilliam at Cannes 2001. ... The Mummy is a 1999 movie written and directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, with Arnold Vosloo as the reanimated mummy of the title. ... Batman Begins (2005) is an American film based on the comic book character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. ... In DC Comics, Wayne Manor is the personal residence of Bruce Wayne, who is also Batman. ... Enya, birth name Eithne Ní Bhraonáin (sometimes presented in the media as the Anglicized Enya Brennan; b. ...

See also

• Rothschild properties in Buckinghamshire