Anmer Hall
Anmer Hall is a Georgian country house in the village of Anmer in Norfolk, England. It is about 12 miles (19 km) north east of Kings Lynn, about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of The Queen's residence at Sandringham[1] and about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Houghton Hall.
The current house was built in the 18th century and has formed part of the Sandringham estate since 1898. The house was registered as a Grade II* listed building in 1984[2] but was later de-listed.
History
The current late-Georgian house dates from the 18th century, although it may be built around an earlier core. It has two storeys and attic with dormer windows. The long south front comprises thirteen bays, and was refaced with red bricks c. 1815. It has thirteen ground-floor windows set in blank arches and a semicircular porch on two Tuscan columns, with eleven windows on the first floor. The three central bays are topped by a pediment. The north front is of rubble carstone and includes four c. 17th century ogee-headed sashes on the first floor. Renovations in c. 1900 added a brick dressed skin to the north front, together with a projecting entrance porch and a tower towards the eastern end, in the corner formed with a carstone service wing also added c. 1900.
The surrounding estate became a scheduled ancient monument in 2003, and includes earthworks marking the sites of buildings from the medieval village of Anmer.[3] The village church, St Mary, lies close to the house, but a short distance away from the modern village.
Occupants
Anmer Hall was the seat of the Coldham family from at least 1705. The Sandringham estate was bought by Queen Victoria in 1862 as a wedding present for the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, and neighbouring land was added to the estate in the subsequent years. Amner Hall was bought for the estate in 1898.
Anmer Hall became the private residence of John Loader Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby (1877-1969), who was to become Governor-General of the Sudan, Permanent Secretary of the Colonial Office and wartime Ambassador to Dublin. His daughter Penelope (1910-2005) socialized with the Royal Family, and was reportedly a favourite of King George V.
From 1972 to 1990, the house was leased to the Duke and Duchess of Kent as their country house. In February 1990, the Duke and Duchess of Kent left Anmer Hall, moving to Crocker End House in Nettlebed in Oxfordshire. From 1990 to 2000, it was then rented by Hugh van Cutsem (1941-2013).[1] and it was then rented to the family of James Everett, owner of kitchen timber company Norfolk Oak.[4]
In January 2013, it was reported that the Queen had allocated Anmer Hall for use by William, Duke of Cambridge, his wife Kate and family.[5][6][7] The lease to the Everett family was terminated early, before its expiry in 2017, to allow redevelopment.[8] To accommodate the Duke and Duchess using the house as their main residence whilst William worked as a pilot for East Anglian Air Ambulance, a £1.5 million refurbishment programme was put in place. Paid for from private Royal family funds, this included: a complete new roof; new kitchen; the addition of a conservatory designed by architect Charles Morris (who previously designed extensions to Highgrove House);[1] complete internal redecoration; and an extensive tree-planting programme to afford the Duke and Duchess greater privacy.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Martin Robinson, One requires a conservatory! Wills and Kate set to join Middle Britain with glass-roofed extension at new Sandringham home as aides apply for planning permission, The Daily Mail, October 1, 2013
- ↑ "Anmer Hall, Anmer". British Listed Buildings.
- ↑ Medieval settlement around Anmer Hall, English Heritage
- ↑ NorfolkOak.com - About / Contact
- ↑ "Prince William to swap armed forces for royal and charity duties". BBC News. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
- ↑ "Plenty of room for the little ones! Queen has 'earmarked' huge country house on Sandringham estate for William and Kate", Daily Mail
- ↑ Rayer, Gordon. "Queen seeks permission for 'major development' on Sandringham estate," telegraph.co.uk, 10 January 2013, accessed 11 January 2013.
- ↑ So can the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge avoid the scandals of Anmer Hall?, Daily Express, 13 January 2013
- ↑ http://www.theweek.co.uk/59880/anmer-hall-inside-william-and-kates-country-home#ixzz3Y34FweWz
