A glimmer of hope for Mentmore Towers, the 'treasure-house that would evoke all the richness of 16th-century Venice'
The home, once belonging to the Rothschild family, is in desperate need of repair. Something must be done.
In May 1977, the contents of Mentmore Towers, Buckinghamshire, were sold up over nine days for the staggering sum of £6.4 million. It was dubbed the sale of the century and came at the end of a sustained — but ultimately unsuccessful — campaign to save the house in its entirety as a branch of the V&A Museum.
Mentmore Towers was built in 1851–54 for Baron Mayer de Rothschild by Sir Joseph Paxton of Crystal Palace fame. His design was inspired by the great Elizabethan house at Wollaton, Nottinghamshire, and incorporated the latest technology, including a central-heating system, running hot water and plate glass. The quality and richness of the contents were proverbial. In the words of a Country Life leader at the time of the sale, Mentmore ‘was conceived as a treasure-house of objects that would evoke… all the richness of 16th-century Venice, 17th-century Flanders and 18th-century France’.
The property eventually passed to the Baron’s daughter, Hannah, and by her marriage in 1878 to the Earls of Roseberry. It was the death of the 6th Earl in 1974 that prompted the sale.
The sale took place over nine days, and was conducted by Sotheby's.
Unwelcome as it was, the sale dealt with the contents. The house, with its fixtures, including such objects as a fireplace reputedly from Rubens’s house in Antwerp, was sold in 1977 for £220,000 to the Maharishi Foundation, for use as its headquarters. Then, in 1997, it was offered for sale again and, since 1999, it has been the property of Mentmore Towers Ltd.
Permission was given for a scheme to convert it into a hotel and conference centre, but this never came to fruition. Since that time, the fabric has steadily deteriorated and, despite some emergency repairs, this Grade I-listed building has been on the Buildings at Risk Register since 2009. As early as 2013, it was described as being of the highest priority and as being ‘at immediate risk of rapid deterioration or loss of fabric’. Repairs to the roof were agreed in 2016, but the work was again never completed.
Athena was pleased to hear, therefore, that just over a month ago, on August 4, the local planning authority, Buckinghamshire Council, served a repairs notice on the property. It gives the owner two months to show that the necessary repairs are in prospect and, if not, leaves open the possibility that Mentmore Towers could be compulsorily purchased.
The interiors and contents were spectacular. This table of about 1660, which was sold in 1977, was crafted by Pierre Gole.
With so many other more immediate responsibilities, councils are often nervous of repairs notices. Indeed, as a tool they threaten so many complications and costs that it’s questionable how useful they are. Buckinghamshire Council should be particularly congratulated, therefore, on taking a stand in this case.
Mentmore Towers is an astonishing building capable of modern use and there is no good reason why it should be allowed to fall down as it waits for a purpose.
This feature originally appeared in the September 9, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
