Chapter 33: Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire

I have come today to see the Rothschild art riches of Waddesdon Manor and the beautiful gardens and parkland.

Waddesdon was built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in 1874, atop a barren hillside in Buckinghamshire, as a week-end retreat for entertaining his friends and to house his outstanding collection of art. Ferdinand once wrote: "There was not a bush to be seen, nor was there a bird to be heard." Within six years, an army of gardeners and builders had levelled the hill, planted full-grown trees and built a magnificent French Renaissance chateau modelled after those of de Mouchy, de Maintenon, and de Chambord.The result was so outstanding that Queen Victoria invited herself for tea in 1890 just to see it. (She was apparently so impressed by the electricity that she spent 15 minutes switching on and off one of the chandeliers!) A regular guest was Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who visited frequently for the parties, hunting and shooting, and racing. Other guests included Winston Churchill, William Gladstone, and Arthur Balfour. (In fact, one of the displays about the Rothschilds' involvement with Israel includes the Balfour Declaration, written to Walter, Lord Rothschild.) Elizabeth II and Philip have also visited.

As important as the art inside the manor, is a collection of 17th & 18th Century statuary on the grounds, beginning at the North Fountain with part of an ensemble created for the ducal palace at Colorno, near Parma in 1700.

The North Fountain portrays a triton and nereids cavorting with fantastical sea creatures.

For the Rothschilds, money was never a problem, and Ferdinand de Rothschild spared no expense in the building of this manor. The French architect was Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur.

After the manor, and 165 acres of the original 5,000 acres, were bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957, Waddesdon became one of the most visited houses in the UK. Still maintained by the Rothschilds, it was closed from 1990 to 1994 for extensive improvements. Innovative in its engineering when built---steel framed for example, with running water and electricity---it was re-wired and given a state-of-the-art environmental heating and air system. Partly this is to protect the invaluable collections of art. In fact, so protective are they that one can be asked to wear special shoes to protect carpets, lights are kept at very low levels to prevent fading of fabrics, and cameras and bags must be checked in to prevent anyone taking photos.

Waddesdon is not a museum, nor is it locked in the past. Amongst the art inside and out are contemporary pieces still being collected by the current Baron Jacob de Rothschild and the family. (I am curious: I remember a visit to our own Apple Blossom Festival in the Annapolis Valley years ago of a Baron de Rothschild and seeing him at Kentville's baseball park. Which baron and why?)

A tidbit from recent times that ties in with my guiding of my students through William Golding's Lord of the Flies: In 1939 one hundred under-five children from London lived here for the duration of the War; Jacob de Rothschild was also a leader of the Kindertransport, in which 10,000 Jewish children were removed from harm in Germany.

Waddesdon Manor is unusual for many reasons. For example, it is only two-rooms deep. And the wood and marble panels of several of the rooms were salvaged from historic Paris homes demolished in the 1860s.

By all accounts, including my own limited awareness of French art, this collection of art must be, as described, "one of the most exceptional" collections in the world of French decorative arts, French Royal furniture, Sèvres porcelain, old Savonnerie carpets, and tapestries. The carpets are exquisite: the most beautiful one was made for Louis XIV in 1665 for the Long Gallery at the Louvre. It is vibrant and still looks new; this is due, we are told, to several things: the fact that Waddesdon was only used for week-ends during part of the year; and the strict cleaning regimens of Alice de Rothschild, the spinster sister of Ferdinand, who served as the hostess for Baron Ferdinand after his wife died only months after their marriage, and inherited the property when he died. Her stringent maintenance plan, called "Miss Alice's Rules," included the requirement that servants remain absolutely silent when cleaning, so as to avoid distractions. Once, when Edward VII visited, he requested that the blinds be raised so he could better see the paintings; she refused as the sunshine was too bright and might damage the collection!

The paintings in the collection are world-class; the Rothschilds were probably the world's greatest collectors of the time. The most impressive, for me, are Gainsborough's Pink Boy, Reynold's David Garrick Between Comedy & Tragedy, huge canvases by Franceso Guardi of Venice, and others by Boucher. One of the finest pieces of furniture is a writing desk owned by Marie-Antoinette from 1782. The collection of 18th-century silver known as the George III service, is stunning and considered the finest in the world. Another fascinating item is a musical automaton, shaped as an elephant with moving trunk, tail and ears. Made in 1774, it is encrusted with gold and jewels. It so impressed the Shah of Persia in 1889 that he didn't care to see anything else in the Rothschild art collection.

One room worth noting is the Blue Dining Room. It is so refreshing to see a French renaissance room with portraits by Jean-Marc Nattier from the reign of Louis XV and panelled with restored panels from a Paris townhouse from 1750 combined with a startling 2003 chandelier designed by Ingo Maurer, entitled Porca Miseria. Translated as "Oh, my Goodness," in Italian, it is made of broken modern porcelain, all in pure white. How I wish they had not consfiscated my camera!

The variety of turrets and the details of the building are intriguing in themselves. (I don't pretend to know the names of the features I admire, but they are worth looking at.)

Waddesdon is located on a hilltop in Buckinghamshire, and the plantings of trees (Austrian pines, limes, chestnuts, etc.) are strategically placed to open up to long views of the countryside.

At one place, I look across the greenery to see a cricket game being played at the edge of the village.

I follow the Baron's Walk, a recently re-discovered feature opened in 2001 and wander through the forest before stepping out to see the dairy below, once part of Waddesdon but now in private hands. It is a site for weddings and other similar events.

The rose garden, part of the original design by French landscape architect Elie Lainè, was re-planted in 2000. It is past its seasonal prime today but must be spectacular in full bloom.

Along the North Avenue, even the light standards are intricate in design, as the following figures from the standards attest. The avenue itself is absent the great trees that will again re-line the roadway as the current re-planting is underway.

The stables were built in 1884 and once housed the Waddesdon horses, and later the fleet of cars. The 17th-century facades were designed by Destailleur. The stables now house a restaurant, a shop, etc.

The giant bird is an example of three-dimensional bedding, consisting of a steel frame filled with soil and covered with thousands of bedding plants. Innovative at early Waddesdon, the style is copied in many other places. The gardens are described as a mix of French formality and English romantic parkland. At one time, there were 100 gardeners working full-time. Even today, there is a staff of professional horticulturalists handling the maintenance and planning of the gardens. A poor gardener myself, I am impressed by the achievements. Signs indicate that all of the gardening now follows modern environmentally sound principles; peat is no longer used because it raises environmental concerns.

Another of the 3-D bedding birds.

In 1889, Ferdinand de Rothschild had this cast-iron rococo aviary built for his collection of exotic birds. It fell into disuse after World War II but was restored in 1977. It is maintained by professional aviasts.

On the south side of Waddesdon Manor is the Parterre, with 110,000 plants, changed twice during the spring and autumn. The Parterre was restored in 1993, and includes the curiously named Frog Steps--no frogs of any kind visible anywhere--and the South Fountain.

The South Fountain is part of the 1700 ensemble from Italy, and features Pluto seizing Proserpina, dargging her to the Underworld.

Waddesdon is ever-changing and even in the statuary in the woods and gardens there is an eclectic mix of classical and modern. Below is PERCEVAL, a full-sized, life-like rendering of a Suffolk Punch with his cart of giant marrows. Created by Sarah Lucas in 2006, it is made of coloured, patinated bronze and cast concrete. Although signs request otherwise, it is quite often crawling with children. (I manage to snap a quick photo before another herd of children climb on its back!)

At the start of the Baron's Walk (above) is a statue described as Apollo Belvedere. Few of the dozens of other sculptures are labelled. Ferdinand de Rothschild was a bit eccentric. He devoted much of his life to creating Waddesdon, and although I cannot see all of his private apartment today (because there are not enough volunteer wardens to "guard" each room) we can look in and listen to the audio tell us that in his own rooms he hung only portraits of attractive women--no males--and only children if accompanied by "a good looking mother." Ferdinand lived as a widower most of his life; he died quite young at age 59 in 1898.

Above is the Angus Fairhurst sculpture, A Couple of Differences between Thinking and Feeling, installed in 2002.

Above, right, is a contemporary travertine sculpture, this one located deep in the woods on the Baron's Walk. It was installed in 2001 by Stephen Cox and is called Terra degli Etruschi, or "Earth of the Etruscans."
A final view of the North Fountain sculpture. (I like the falling water and its effect.)

As I am alone today, I ask another visitor to snap my photo; he and his partner direct me how and where to stand and tell me what he feels should be included in the photo. He does not have to ask me to smile; I am already happy. I somehow miss the Waddesdon Wine Cellar, created for the 1994 Centenary Restoration. Of course, the Rothschild name is famously linked to wines, and this cellar is modelled on the private cellars at Chateau Lafite Rothschild. This cellar contains 15,000 bottles of the finest wine from the past 150 years.
I thoroughly enjoy my day at Waddesdon; the lengthy house tour is enlightening; the gardens gorgeous; the woodlands peaceful. I enjoy tea in the Manor Restaurant: tomato and basil soup, French bread, and grilled baby potatoes in garlic. Many tourists discover Waddesdon, but it does not seem crowded. It is not so commercialized and gimmicky as Warwick Castle and it is in much better shape and richer than Blenheim Palace. I skip the huge children's playground, apart from which there is little for children to do. But I see families having picnics on the grounds, and children playing with balls with grandparents, and even one father teaching his son how to play cricket, but this is a place to spend a quiet day, and well worth the time, whether one spends the day in the gardens and parks, or also takes in the tour of the Manor (at extra expense).