A Grand Pile

Imagine that you’re next in line to inherit the family seat. It’s something you’ve dreamt about for years and now that day has finally arrived. Now, imagine your horror when you find out that twenty of the grand estate’s thirty rooms need to be torn out and refurbished, the staff hasn’t been paid in three months, and the great pile costs ₤10,000 a month to run. Ah, such is the plight of families around Europe each and every year.


The Aristo News has covered the different issues facing those who inherit these massive homes and are faced with the cold, stark reality of upkeep, maintenance, budgeting, and doing whatever they can to keep from selling the family silver to keep the lights on. During the last few weeks, we’ve heard of many tales of people who have gone to great lengths to keep their elaborate homes open without revealing their true financial woes.

As we’ve reported before, the Earl of Devon has done everything but sell Powderham Castle to keep up with the costs of running his ancestral seat. Oh sure, English aristocrats have allowed costume dramas on their grounds for decades, while The Times of London recently reported that some owners of these palatial country palaces are allowing sex parties to take place in their environs while wedding guests sip champagne in the south wing.

We’re all for doing whatever it takes to keep up appearances, but we’ve been tipped off to some aristo’s who have had tough decisions to make long before the current recession took place:

-A scion to a lesser known English family once informed us that he & his siblings had to turn most of their land into a golf course to keep the family estate in their hands. While we hear the business is going quite well, they were literally forced into this decision.

-A world famous aristo family sold their London home to another wealthy world famous family to maintain some control over their vast holdings. The aristo family couldn’t keep up with the pad after World War II, which forced them to sell. However, they are still permitted to use the abode.

It seems to us that this problem may never go away, unless the heirs decide to sell their ancestral homes and live in alternate accommodations. But we know all too well that this can trigger penalties within the UK, which is what the heirs always try to avoid.

Maybe there isn’t a solution.

Maybe the heirs should give their ancestral homes to The National Trust and call it a day. Or, we can hope that they will want to keep a piece of their family history in family hands, which – in that case – will keep this blog alive for years to come. Now that’s what we call an even exchange.