Eythrope
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Eythrope (previously Ethorp) 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.
The hamlet name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'island farm', referring to an island in the River Thame that flows by the hamlet.
There was a manor 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 Miss Alice de Rothschild for £180,000; before going further it is necessary to explain something about her, in order to understand the house that she built at Eythrope. 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 near Frankfurt while still a minor. Orphaned young, she spent a lonely childhood living with various relations. Considering her personal wealth, and in spite of not being the greatest beauty in the family, it is still surprising she never married. She eventually made her home with her widowed brother Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. When he built his country home 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. One has to remember that with the wealth of the Rothschild family at the time, and quantity of staff to make every movement effortless, this was probably not as eccentric as it seems today.
For her architect she spurned Destailleur who had designed Waddesdon, and 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, schools 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. The house was extremely pretty, built of pale pink bricks, with turrets and gables. It contained drawing and dining rooms (lit by huge bay windows), kitchen and staff rooms but no bedrooms. Because of its small size the house was christened 'The Pavilion' or 'Water Pavilion'. With climbing plants and roses covering the walls, it was one of the most charming of the Rothschild properties in Buckinghamshire
As in other Rothschild homes 'La 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 Egyptian spring, 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 the 'Styl 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 her brother, 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 had been let to a tenant, the widow of Somerset Maugham. Mrs. Maugham had added a large wing to the Pavilion which contained the missing bedrooms and bathrooms.
In the 1950s Mr. and Mrs. James de Rothschild who had inherited Waddesdon Manor from Alice, decided to give the manor 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 (nee Pinto) 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.
Mrs. James de Rothschild (as she was always known) died in the mid 1990s aged nearly 100. She left the estate and Pavilion to a great nephew. The house is the last of the Buckinghamshire Rothschild houses, to remain in Rothschild hands. It remains very much a private home.