The New York herald., 1922-05-14
ENGLISH ESTATES
FAST BREAKING UP
Holme Lacy, Formerly Five
Square Miles, Now Reduced
to 343 Acres.
MANY SEATS FOR SALE
Selling Movement Extends Not
Only in Country, but
Reaches Cities.

LONDON, May 11.--"England is chang
Ing hands"--and Scotland too. as well
as Wales, for that matter. The total
area of the landed properties comprised
in a full page announcement in The
Times by a single firm exceeds 10000
acres. The Significance of the breakup
OF estates of the character of those In
question may be discussed from various
points of view.
One famous mansion mentioned
Holme Lacy. has been divested by a
series of sales in the last two or three
years of most of the land that formerly
made II rank as one of the largest terri
torial domains. There remain but 343
acres. A house of great historical in
terest. surrounded by grounds in which
the topiaR work is marvellous, with the
deer park and five miles of salmon, fish
ing In the Wye, is now. to be purchased
at price which is small indeed COM
pared to what was asked when Holme
Lacy first came into the market, an
estate of over five square miles.
The late Lord Manton's Suffolk esate
Sudbourne Hall. 1850 acres Hawk
stone. Salop, 1,2S5 acres; Ingmire Hail.
Yorkshire, 5000 acres; Colworth, Sir
Albert 4. Bowen's Bedfordshire estate
of 2.300 acres. and Scottish demons
constitute large part of the acreage
mentioned at the beginning of this
article.
nc Extends Also to Cities.
The tendency to break up estates is
not iimited to landed property in the
country. 1t extends to urban property
everywhere, whole towns having been
involved In the process. In London a
convenient point, as regards time and
the Importance of the interests, from
which to consider the operation is un-
doubtedly the Covent Garden contract
entered into by the Duke of Bedford.
Just before the war.
That was an out and out sale of a
property which, by reason of its CEN
trail situation and the nature OF the
public or quasi-public interests bound
up in the market, attracted much at
tcntion at the time. and has ensured
for all the subsequent dealings in the
property special publicity. The latest
of the many transactions in the estate
Is the intention, announced in the Times
OF April 1, to submit some scores OF
freeholds by auction next month.
Recent articles have covered the inn
pending private and other offers Of CEN
trail London sites, including the Found
ling Hospital and other freeholds in
Bloomsbury and Its neighborhood. often
very valuable handsome with sub
stantial and adaptable buildings, and
close to or at the junction Of Totem
ham Court road.
City properties on offer include sites
and premises belonging to the Port OF
London Authority. and the London
County Council has at the moment many
finely situated properties. besides the
offices of its Education Department
the Victoria Embankment freehold.
Transactions in the last three months
have included a slice of the Duchy OF
Cornwall estate in Remington, exten-
sive areas near Liverpool street station,
and the realization of the Holborn es-
tate of the Doughty-Tichborne family,
az well as isolated sales of land and
buildings formerly belonging TO the
Westminster estate.
other Changes In Prospect.
North Of Oxford Circus. the move
ment in property matters is seen In the
formation OF a company 10 coh.roi
norton of the Howard de Walden es-
tate. the effort to redevelop large area
around the Primrose Hill portion OF Re
gents Park and the premonitory symr-
toms of a change in the character OF
Portland place and other hitherto solely
residential parts. not least in Cavendisn
square. Offices and shops are invading
a
ing a district heretofore noted ior its
Adam houses and exceedingly select
residential aspect.
Nayfair has suffered its first serious
shock. a whole square ana connueht
streets having changed handc In one
private bargain. and the sacrihce OF
historic town houses has, as its precedent
In these days of change, the Duke Oh
Devonshire's disposal of the famous
r,.n1 10
are overlooked by the mansion OF the
late Baroness Burdett-Coutts which Is
ITSELF In the market.
Ecclesiastical and official premises
have shared in the general tendency 10
DISRUPTION or conversion, notable among
the Examples being the leasing OF the
CHARTER House OF St. Paul's Cathedral.
There fortunately, we'll known bank
becahae the ocdhpiers. and the structure
is In.worthy hands and viii be scrupu-
Iousiy respected. Indeed. not on any
other. terms would the dean and chapter
have consented, even under the stress OF
fnancial pressure, 70 part with the occu-
raticn of the premises.
Old places like Ciifford's Inn still
await the pleasure OF the highest bidder.
while new buildings of distinction. which
seerned at the time they were put up
most unlikely ever to be placed in the
-N~N-
is the Astor osece on the Ernbankment'
adjoining the l.. c. G. education Office
alretsdy referred TO.
Many Suburban seats ON Market.
or. suburban seats. as distinguished
from the smaller houses with Few
acres there are many in the market
y one. Holly Lodge. Highgate. to be sold
soms time this year. Half dozen
grand old Nones. OF great historical and
architectural Interest. are to be had on
the western fringe OF London. within
a few minutes of Uxbridge. Hertfor-
shire supplies list that includes, and
one of the first about toA come under
rho hammer. Cassiobury Park. rich in
Grinling ibbons's carvings and other
,nn1stchablc works.
No ogreat distance from IL is Ashbridgs
PARK. the late Lord Brownlow's Berk-
hannsted seat. an early home of Edward
WI. and Queen Elizabeth. an example
of the genius OF James Wyatt and Sir
Jeffrey Wyattvtle.
Moor Park. another place which has
beerf sold In recent years, Is bound uT
with the history of great Elizabethan'
and other notable figures. and its early
t...& <xr,, has formed the theme of more