Apethorpe Hall is a huge Jacobean mansion, built around three courtyards. Viewed from the village side, the house is a great length of pale stone, straggling across one’s line of view like some beached stone ship. Close to, and inside the first courtyard, the quality of the architecture is evident. Inside, there are some interiors considered of national importance, and some interesting plasterwork and woodwork, including a rare Jacobean staircase.
English Heritage bought this place several years ago, after it had been neglected by an absentee owner, and spent several million pounds to make the roofs watertight and stop the building from falling down. The interiors remain in need of total refurbishment.
It was hoped that Apethorpe could be sold on to a private owner with bottomless pockets, but so far there have been no takers, and there has been whining from the tabloid press about the waste of public money. It is unfortunate that the last long-term owner of the house moved to an adjoining property, left it with no access except for a narrow village road, and planted a line of fast-growing trees to block out the view of the countryside.
On the far side of the house are gardens which have been well kept up, and a view across the gardens towards the house gives the illusion of a fine house still in its prime.
If you want to see Apethorpe for yourself, keep a sharp lookout for notice of the guided tours that take place on limited dates during the summer months. There is a fee for these.
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Author Kim J Cowie's travel blog