BELVOIR CASTLE - 1000957| Historic England BELVOIR CASTLE List Entry Summary This garden or other land is registered under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 within the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by English Heritage for its special historic interest. Name: BELVOIR CASTLE The garden or other land may lie within the boundary of more than one authority. County: Leicestershire National Park: Not applicable to this List entry. Grade: II Date of most recent amendment: Not applicable to this List entry. Legacy System Information The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system. Legacy System: Parks and Gardens UID: 1955 Asset Groupings This list entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information. List entry Description Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details. Reasons for Designation Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details. History Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Details Various gardens, mostly early C19 but incorporating later C17 elements, and an extensive landscape park, associated with a spectacular, early C19, hilltop castle. OF HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT In the Middle Ages Belvoir Castle was held by the Ros family, passing by marriage in the later C15 to that of Manners. Sir Thomas Manners (d 1543) was created first Earl of Rutland in 1526, and ever since Belvoir has descended with the earldom (from 1703 dukedom). It remains (1998) in private hands. DESCRIPTION LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING Belvoir Castle stands 8km west of Grantham, close to the meeting points of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, on an isolated hill on the south-east edge of the Vale of Belvoir over which it enjoys panoramic views. The area here registered is c 660ha. ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES There are numerous approaches to the Castle.

Most of them meet south-west of the Castle before a common drive approaches past the Rose Garden and the Battery to enter the west side of the courtyard. The main private drive enters the grounds 300m north of the Castle, via a gate shared with the drive to the estate yard. It then curves around the north-west side of the Castle hill. Other approaches, through the park, are longer. From the east there is a 3.5km long drive from The Lodge, an ornate two-storey stone building of 1885, 1km east of Woolsthorpe. This curves along a plateau above Woolsthorpe, where the drive (here Foster's Avenue) is tree lined, with panoramic views towards the Castle and across the Vale of Belvoir beyond. The drive then drops, crossing the bridge between the two lakes, before running through Middlesdale towards the main approach to the Castle. A second drive, from the south-east, enters the park past an ornate mid C19 lodge 600m north-east of Knipton village.

This runs on a straight line roughly north, west of the Upper Lake and Belvoir Hunt Kennels, to join the Woolsthorpe drive 500m north-east of the bridge. A third approach is from the north-west, by a long straight avenue from Redmile. PRINCIPAL BUILDING A hilltop castle was established here, overlooking the Vale of Belvoir, in the late C11. Major rebuildings took place in the earlier C16, by John Webb (d 1672) 1654-68 after Civil War slighting, and in the early C19. The last works began after the fifth Duke came of age in 1801 when Matthew Wyatt (d 1813) was brought in to rebuild Belvoir. In 1816, by when the south-west and south-east fronts were complete, a great fire destroyed the north-west and north-east fronts. Their reconstruction was directed by the Rev Sir John Thoroton (d 1820), rector of Bottesford and friend of, and domestic chaplain to, the Duke.

He was assisted by Elizabeth, Duchess of Rutland, who had been brought up at Castle Howard (Yorkshire, qv) and was likewise an enthusiastic amateur architect. Before her death in 1825 the Duchess was was also responsible for laying out new gardens and enhancing the Castle's setting. The Castle (listed grade I) is little changed since the early C19, a massive, quadrangular, hilltop feudal palace with a skyline of turrets and battlements. Its main feature is Thoroton's huge projecting tower on the centre of the north-east front, which echoes Wyatt's tower on the south-west side. At the bottom of the slope, 200m north-east of the Castle, is a U-plan two-storey ironstone stables block (listed grade II*) of 1704-5 by John Barker (d 1727), now used as offices and for accommodation. Within its courtyard is an exercise ring (listed grade II*) of c 1819, probably the earliest free-standing structure of its kind in England and occupying an important position in the history of hunting.

About 20m north-east of Barker's stables are others (listed grade II) of the early C18, while 15m south of the former is a six-bay house (listed grade II) of the early C18. Of similar date is Brewery Row (listed grade II), a row of four houses 25m south-east of Barker's stables. GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS North-east of the Castle, descending the hillside to the stables complex, is a flight of three broad terraces. On the middle one is a swimming pool and hard tennis court. On the north-west side of the terraces is an icehouse (listed grade II) of c 1830. A broad walled terrace runs around the north and west sides of the Castle. From this there is access to the Battery, a 20m long bastion-like crenellated projection which projects south-west of the Castle to command the main approach from the south-west. Believed to represent the motte of the Norman castle, the Battery was remodelled as a promenade ground and is shown thus on Badeslade's views of 1731.

The present Battery, which is considerably smaller, represents an early C19 remodelling. The Battery overlooks a lawn leading to the Rose Garden with flagged paths and geometric beds, which occupies the sloping ground south-west of the Castle. It was laid out early in the C20 by Violet (d 1937), wife of the eighth Duke. Yew hedges run around the north-west and north-east sides of the garden, along the top (north-east) of which, alongside a stone terrace wall, runs a curving terrace path with mature specimen trees. This path appears to be the broad walk along which Cibber's statues were placed shown on Badeslade's views of 1731. A statue of Winter (listed grade II*) of c 1680 by Caius Gabriel Cibber (d 1700) stands at the head of an axial path which leads from the terrace path on a south-westerly line. At the bottom of the axial path down the Rose Garden, 110m south-west of the Castle, is a stone bastion, which in the early C20 supported a rustic summerhouse.

Beneath the bastion is a gothic-arched seat, which overlooks the Statue Garden. This, approached via an elaborately stone-balustraded path with urns and rockwork (all probably earlier C19) at its north-west corner, comprises six further life-size statues (Juno, Taste, Smell, Spring, Summer, Autumn: all listed grade II*) of c 1680 by Cibber, arranged in two curving rows down a steeply-sloping grass slope. Across the bottom of the slope is a terrace, at one end of which is a stone bench seat. It seems likely that the Statue Garden was among the early C19 gardening works at Belvoir. In 1905 there was massed bedding in the Statue Garden. From south-west of the Statue Garden a terrace path passes through ornamental woodland to the Duchess', or Spring, Garden, created c 1810 by the Duchess of Rutland. This comprises walks around a natural south-facing amphitheatre-like embayment c 180m in diameter, well planted with mature specimen trees, shrubs and other plants.

On the main grass terrace path around the north side of the garden is the Duchess' Seat, a splendid hexagonal root house (listed grade II) of c 1810, with thatched roof, moss-filled walls, and rustic furniture. North-west of the Duchess' garden, and c 450m south-west of the Castle, is the family Mausoleum (listed grade II), a limestone building of 1826-8 in the Romanesque style by Benjamin Dean Wyatt (d 1855) and Philip Wyatt (d 1835). Like the Castle, the gardens were remodelled after the Civil War, and the results are shown in illustrations by Badeslade of 1731. Descending from Castle to stables is a flight of terraces, which survive in simplified form today. East of these, in the vicinity of the later walled kitchen garden, was an extensive geometric wilderness or labyrinth, suggested by Harris (1995, 60) to be the product of garden works recorded at Belvoir for the third Duke after 1721.

South of this, running around the eastern and southern slopes of the Castle mound, were concentric plantations, perhaps terraced. Cibber's statues, for which there is a contract of 1680 for the seven, at 35 each, can be seen spaced regularly along a broad walk around the bottom of the Battery. This scheme had been much simplified by 1744, and by the early C19 had been virtually obliterated. PARK Belvoir's park extends for c 2km east, west and south of the Castle. Around the hill on which the Castle stands, through the low ground of Middlesdale to its south, and around the sides of Blackberry Hill which rise south of that, is woodland, largely of an ornamental character. The plateau on top of Blackberry Hill is open ground, and earlier in the C20 was used as a private golf course. Frog Hollow pool lies in the valley between Blackberry Hill and the rising ground of Granby Wood to its south. In 1905 there was a bog garden here.

South-west of this, along the edge of the park, extensive elder woods were planted in the 1990s, the flowers of which were gathered for a locally manufactured beverage. North-west of Castle and Blackberry Hills the park slopes down into the Vale of Belvoir. This land, West Wong, is arable land with some clumps of trees. North-west of the estate yard, 300m north-east of the Castle, are two fishponds. One is 200m long, the other (named Westminster) 100m. Some 200m to the west, on the edge of the registered area, is the site of a medieval Benedictine priory. Until the Civil War there is also believed to have been a village here, sited between the priory and the estate yard 300m to the south-east. Set against the bottom of the wooded slope of the Castle and 250m to its south is Dairy Cottage (listed grade II), built c 1810, probably by James Wyatt, as an ornamental dairy. This has an octagonal, two-storey, central block with pavilions to either side.

It looks down a grass paddock, on the east side of which, c 75m from the dairy, is a wooden, six-bay, thatched cowhouse (now used for timber seasoning), probably contemporary with the dairy. The pasture looks towards Lower Lake, the more northerly of two sheets of water on the River Devon, each 500m long and separated by an early C19 five-arched stone bridge (listed grade II). On the west bank of Upper Lake, 100m south-west of the bridge, are the Kennels (listed grade II) of the Belvoir Hunt, founded in 1740 and always among the country's most prestigious. Four-sided with turrets to the corners, the complex was designed in 1802 to accommodate four packs of hounds. South-west of the kennels is Knipton Pasture, a 1km long tract of level ground, now arable. East of Upper Lake is the Devan, steeply-rising permanent pasture, well studded with mature specimen trees.

East of Lower Lake the ground, crossed by the drive from east of Woolsthorpe, climbs slightly less steeply, although again there are large numbers of mature trees. As the drive reaches the top of the slope, 200m south-east of Woolsthorpe church, it passes an irregular area of wooded ground, Holywell Wood, within which are springs and a Holy Well. East of Holywell Wood the park is permanent pasture. The medieval Belvoir park, created in 1306 and probably disparked in the 1460s, lay in Redmile, north-west of the later park. When the present park was created is unknown, although during the period of post-Civil War reconstruction seems probable. There was certainly a deer park here by 1731. In 1780 Lancelot Brown (1716-83) was consulted on landscaping Belvoir and improving the Castle, but although detailed drawings were prepared (at a cost of £496) his ideas were not implemented. As seen today the park is very much a product of the early C19 landscaping and gardening at Belvoir.

KITCHEN GARDEN At the bottom of the wooded slopes of the hill below the Castle are ornate, early C19, brick-walled kitchen gardens (listed grade II) of playing card plan. They are aligned north/south, and measure 220m long by 120m wide. The northernmost quarter is divided off by a wall, broken in the centre to allow an axial view down the garden from the mid C19 gothic Garden House (listed grade II) situated 50m north of the walled garden. This looks through to a highly ornate iron-gated entrance, with ornate limestone detailing to the arched surround in the centre of the south side. Similar gates lie on the east and west sides of the northern compartment. Other entrances are pedimented, and these alternate with octagonal columns topped with decoratively carved limestone ogee capitals. Some gardening still went on in the northern compartment in 1998; the main garden area was grazed, and lines of young trees ran down the centre. Along the north wall is a full range of brick sheds with lancet doors and windows.

Various glasshouses and other structures, some of C19 date, stand outside the north-east corner of the garden. The precise date of the garden walls remains to be established. Almost certainly it is they which are alluded to in an 1831 description of Belvoir (Gardener's Magazine 1831), and it would therefore seem likely that they were among the early C19 improvements by the Duchess and her professional advisers.

REFERENCES T Badeslade and J Rocque, Vitruvius Britannicus 4, (1739), pls 47-50 Gardener's Magazine 7, (1831), pp 421-2 Country Life, 4 (27 August 1898), pp 240-3; (3 September 1898), pp 272-5; 120 (6 December 1956), pp 1284-90; (13 December 1956), pp 1402-5 The Gardeners' Magazine, (11 March 1905), pp 165-8 Trans Leicestershire Arch Hist Soc 46, (1970-1), p 19 D Stroud, Capability Brown (1975), p 217 J Harris, The Artist and the Country House (1979), pp 167, 179 J Harris, The Artist and the Country House (1995), p 60 M Symes, Garden Sculpture (1996), pp

 31-2 Maps OS 6" to 1 mile: Leicestershire sheet 7 NE, 1st edition 1891, surveyed 1883-6 Leicestershire sheet 7 NE, 2nd edition 1904, surveyed 1902 Leicestershire sheet 7 NE, 1952 edition Leicestershire sheet 7 SE, 1st edition published 1888 Leicestershire sheet 7 SE, 2nd edition published 1904 Leicestershire sheet 7 SE, 1950 edition Leicestershire sheet 8 NW, 1st edition 1890, surveyed 1884-6 Leicestershire sheet 8 NW, 2nd edition 1905, surveyed 1902-3 Leicestershire sheet 8 NW, 1950 edition OS 25" to 1 mile: Leicestershire sheet 7.4, 2nd edition published 1907 Leicestershire sheet 7.8, 2 nd edition published 1904 Description written

: July 1998 Register Inspector: PAS Edited: June 1999 Selected Sources Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details National Grid Reference: SK8318732394 © Crown Copyright and database right 2017.

All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900. © British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2017. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006. Use of this data is subject to Terms and Conditions . The above map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. For a copy of the full scale map, please see the attached PDF - 1000957 .pdf The PDF will be generated from our live systems and may take a few minutes to download depending on how busy our servers are. We apologise for this delay. This copy shows the entry on 18-Jan-2017 at 12:18:15. End of official listing Belvoir Castle (UK) - Stately Home in England Belvoir Castle (UK) BOOKS Belvoir Castle is a stately home in the English county of Leicestershire, overlooking the Vale of Belvoir. Belvoir castle has been the home of the Manners family for five hundred years, and seat of the dukes of Rutland for over three centuries.

A corner of the castle is still used as the family home of the Manners family and remains the seat of the Dukes of Rutland. The present Castle is the fourth building to have stood on the site since Norman times.. It is a Grade I listed building. The castle is open to the public and contains many works of art. The castle is open to the public. Highlights include lavish staterooms, the most famous being the Elizabeth Saloon (named after the wife of the 5th Duke), the Regents Gallery and the Roman inspired State Dining Room.The castle sits in a vast estate of almost 15,000 acres (120 km²). The landscaped grounds, nearer the castle, are also open and the Root Houses, built by the fifth Duke's wife, can also be seen. The present Duchess is restoring Belvoir Gardens, which includes the Secret Valley Garden and the Rustic Summerhouse of 1800. Belvoir means beautiful view in French, though it is pronounced “Beaver”, like the other Belvoir Castle, a Crusader Castle in modern Syria.

The name "Belvoir" is a Norman import by the French-speaking conquerors, though the native Anglo-Saxon population was unable to pronounce such a foreign word, preferring to call it " Beaver Castle". Belvoir Castle is still pronounced "Beaver" -- despite its spelling. The castle is near several villages, including Redmile, Woolsthorpe, Knipton, Harston, Harlaxton, Croxton Kerrial and Bottesford, and the town of Grantham. Address: Telephone from the UK: 01476 871002 Telephone from the US: 010 44 1476 871002 Telephone from France: 00 44 1476 871002 Telephone from other countries: +44 (0)1476 871002 Fax: 01476 87044 Google map showing the location of Belvoir Castle (UK) Google map showing Belvoir Castle (UK) A Norman castle originally stood on the high ground in this spot.

During the English Civil War, it was one of the more notable strongholds of the king's supporters. It eventually passed into the hands of the Dukes of Rutland and following a fire, was rebuilt by the wife of the 5th Duke, and gained its present Gothic castle look. The architect James Wyatt was chiefly responsible for this restructuring, and the result is a building which bears a superficial resemblance to a medieval castle, its central tower reminiscent of Windsor Castle. Belvoir was a royal manor until it was granted to Robert, 1st baron de Ros in 1257. When that family died out in 1508 the manor and castle passed to George Manners, who inherited the castle and barony through his mother. His son was created Earl of Rutland in 1525, and John Manners, 9th Earl of Rutland was created Duke of Rutland in 1703.. The Queen's Royal Lancers Regimental Museum of the 17th and 21st Lancers was established here in 1964 but was required to leave in October 2007.

The estate is open to the public and offers a range of outdoor activities - shooting, fishing, quad biking and four-by-four driving. Throughout the year they host sheep, duck and dog exhibitions. The Duke and Duchess of Rutland also manage Manners Arms, a country hotel and restaurant on the Belvoir estate Since spring 2006, the castle has been the venue for an annual folk music weekend. Organised by volunteers. Performers from all over the region forgo their usual fees and expenses, for the chance to play in Belvoir's ballroom, guardroom, old servants' hall and the Regent's gallery. Belvoir Castle is the host of Belvoir Fireworks. a pyrotechnic and firework competition. Belvoir Castle – Belvoir Castle A warm welcome to Belvoir. Belvoir Castle is owned by the current 11th Duke of Rutland We feel so very fortunate to be acting as custodians for what is a short time in Belvoir’s many centuries of history – to this splendid historic home and estate. We delight in being able to share Belvoir’s many treasures, its history and stories with you.

It is our aim to preserve and cherish Belvoir and all within the home and estate to enable future generations to enjoy for many more centuries to come… Belvoir Castle is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland. The family have lived at Belvoir in an unbroken line for almost a thousand years. Crowning a hill in Leicestershire, its turrets and towers rise over the Vale of Belvoir like an illustration in a romantic fairytale. The land was a gift from William the Conqueror to one of his Norman barons – Robert de Todeni who fought for him as his Standard Bearer at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The first castle which was begun in 1067, was constructed primarily to defend its Norman owners from attack, and so took full advantage of its defensive position high up on the ridge. By 1464 the Wars of the Roses had taken their toll on the building and it was more or less in ruins. Some 60 years later it rose again, but as a nobler structure with a central courtyard, parts of which can still be recognised today.

But in 1649 that too was destroyed, by Parliamentarians after Royalists had seized it during the Civil War. Its third incarnation, began in 1654 was designed as a large family home with no connotations of defence or war. The castle you see today finally emerged in the early 1800s and was built for the 5th Duke and Duchess of Rutland between 1801 and 1832 by architect James Wyatt. The castle was given the French name Belvoir – meaning beautiful view – now pronounced ‘beaver’ remains as one of the most magnificent and beautiful Regency houses in England. Belvoir Castle is adorned both indoors and out with the products of creative artists who have been admired – or hired – by each generation of the Manners family, who have arranged these paintings, sculptures and furnishings to reflect their innermost aesthetic preferences.

The Fifth Duke, John Henry (1787-1856), and his Duchess, Elizabeth (Duchess 1799-1825) created many of the interiors you will enjoy today, but they did so with heirlooms passed down mainly from his father and great grandfather, and with their own acquisitions and commissions too. The present Duke’s Great Grandmother, Violet (Duchess 1906-1925) was a portrait artist herself, and you will see portraits of and by her around the Castle. She also added and arranged furniture and objets d’art in both the Castle and its Gardens in her own inimitable style. John, 3rd Duke of Rutland (1721-79), was the first member of the family to avidly collect Old Masters, including works by Gaspar Poussin, Durer, Rubens, , although he never did the conventional Grand Tour that stimulated many other collectors of his time.

Within ten years his burgeoning collection demanded a Gallery, and he extended the Castle in 1750 with a ‘Picture Room’ that was more attractive inside than out and so was the first wing to be demolished when his grandson John Henry began his re-modelling of Belvoir. But the idea of a Gallery dedicated to the display of the collection has taken root: come upstairs to see Henry VIII after Holbein, Teniers’ Proverbs, and three works by Gainsborough. Charles, 4th Duke (1779-1787), may not have held the title long, dying tragically young as a result perhaps of his convivial style as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in Dublin Castle, but his impact on the collection was disproportionate. He splashed out to buy Poussin’s Seven Sacraments when hard-up in 1785, and resisted all advice to sell them at an instant 100% profit.

At the same time, Charles was commissioning top contemporary portraitist Sir Joshua Reynolds to paint his own family and friends, pre-eminent animal artist George Stubbs to immortalize his beloved dogs, and the famous sculptor Nollekens to model busts that now adorn the Regent’s Gallery. To John Henry and his children these were not remote ancestors and great statesmen; they were people they had known and loved. Belvoir has many rooms with layers upon layers of history interwoven into the very fabric of the building. Here is a taste of some of the rooms at Belvoir… The Guard Room This room was designed to leave a lasting impression on any visitor to Belvoir, once alighted from your carriage in the covered Portico, then walking down the Pre-guard room flanked by 18th Century Brown Bess Flintlock Muskets you enter a room with a wow factor.

The guard room was designed in true gothic revival architecture – accomplished by architect James Wyatt, commissioned by the 5th Duke and his wife Duchess Elizabeth The Kings Rooms Consisting of a suite of 3 rooms they were designed for the exclusive use of The Prince Regent – later King George IV who was a close friend of the 5th Duke of Rutland, later in 1843 the rooms were occupied by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on a visit to Belvoir. Elizabeth Saloon One of the most evocative rooms in the castle. This was the first room in England at it’s time to be decorated in the style of Louis XIV. The panellings came direct from Madame de Maintenon’s palace in Paris and were used by the 5th Duke to furnish the room in a decadent and opulent fashion following the sudden death of his beautiful wife Elizabeth. It is often remarked that the room is a representation of his grief at his loss where he put his heart and soul into making the room somewhere she would have loved.

Volunteer in the Castle If you are interested in art and history and would like to be considered as a volunteer please contact us on 01476 871001 Downton and Dukedom: The real-life Lady Marys saving our country houses - The F-Word Downton and Dukedom: The real-life Lady Marys saving our country houses Television drama, Downton Abbey and recent documentary, The Last Dukes both offer insights into the patriarchal traditions of the often unaccountable ruling class. Beccy Roberts challenges these traditions and discusses the importance of women in sustaining the UK’s country houses Beccy Roberts , 6 November 2015 Downton Abbey recently saw the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) powerless to stop his outspoken eldest daughter Lady Mary, now joint agent of the family estate, and his wife Cora, an American heiress whose dowry saved Downton from ruin years earlier, opening up his home to the public to raise funds.

Compare this to the documentary The Last Dukes, which was shown the following evening on BBC2, and it seems women don’t only run the show at the fictional Downton; the real Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire was saved by its own Lady Cora, when the 9th Duke of Marlborough married the American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt in 1895, whereas Blair Castle in Scotland was saved by Lady Cowdray gifting a substantial amount of her money to her granddaughter Angela, whose son Iain became the 10th Duke of Atholl in 1957. Iain left no heirs, resulting in the Dukedom being split between his half-sister Sarah Troughton, who got the castle and the land, and a distant cousin, Bruce Murray, who got the title. Sarah now runs the estate year round with great success. Meanwhile, Bruce, who lives in South Africa, visits once a year to take part in the chivalric ritual of overseeing his own private army.

Both Sarah and Bruce are happy with the arrangement, with Bruce unable to imagine running such a complex establishment and Sarah unable to imagine being a Duchess: “I prefer to get on with the business side of things.” Could it be that women are better than men at the ‘business side of things’? Are the Dukes only able to don their coronets because their wives have got their thinking caps on? Within the class hierarchy of the UK, a Duke is the highest position a subject can achieve, with only royalty above him. The privilege of a Dukedom can only be bestowed by the monarch, with the last non-royal Duke created way back in the reign of Queen Victoria. I would argue patriarchy itself needs to be destroyed so that some of our customs can live on in a way that fits with today’s culture The reluctance of recent monarchs to create Dukes, along with the fact that Dukedoms can only be passed down the male line, is putting this symbol of the chivalric code in danger of becoming extinct. It is the patriarchal nature of this custom that is destroying it and I would argue patriarchy itself needs to be destroyed so that some of our customs can live on in a way that fits with today’s culture.

The Last Dukes shows how the Dukedom of Leeds has not survived to see the 21st Century, as Lady Camilla Osbourne was the only child of the 11th Duke of Leeds, and consequently there were no male heirs to carry on the title. Camilla tells director, Michael Waldman, rather matter-of-factly, “ If I’d been born a boy I would have been my father’s heir and 12th Duke of Leeds,” taking off the coronet she adds, “But I wasn’t.” Just as Dukedoms have dwindled in number over the years, stately homes have suffered a similar fate. During the 1950s and 1960s, in particular, many country houses were destroyed. Giles Worsley looked at the factors affecting the demise of the country house , noting that although death duties and the two world wars were intrinsic in making the cost of sustaining such houses almost impossible, the loss of power and political influence associated with the stately house also contributed to their downfall.

These emblems of aristocratic pride have become wonders of a past time, no longer as influential in society as they were, just as Dukedoms have become less instrumental in the political sphere, the aristocracy proving rather more humorous than effective in the modern world . Similar to how Bruce, the current Duke of Atholl, enjoys his title without the onerous trappings of managing the ancestral seat, Worsley notes how the 11th Duke of Leeds preferred life on the French Riviera, free from responsibility and therefore in 1930 sold Hornby Castle in Yorkshire, which was later demolished. However, Sarah Troughton appears to relish the responsibility that comes with overseeing the Atholl estate and Lady Camilla Osbourne recognises that the family home, the demolished Hornby Castle, even with all its responsibility, would have given her father a much happier life, providing him with a purpose. Could it be that women are more attached to the home that comes with the Dukedom and the men to the title itself? After all, a woman’s place is apparently in the home. Surely, then, we should at least give women the right to make sure that home can survive?

Women have not only provided money to save country estates and the male-centred tradition they support, but have also generated money to pay for the upkeep of these country piles. The Last Dukes is definitely not oblivious to the importance of women in sustaining the custom of Dukedom, with one section titled ‘The Determined Duchess’. In this segment, we hear from The Duchess of Rutland, who runs the ancestral seat, Belvoir Castle, as a business. Given a tin of keys for the Castle by her mother-in-law, along with an ominous good luck wish, the Duchess set about commercialising the castle to provide a sufficient income to maintain it. Now estranged from her husband, the Duchess lives in one tower of the castle while the Duke inhabits the other. We do see a different side to the Duchess when she talks of how she felt pressurised by the patriarchal dukedom system to produce a male heir There’s no Rapunzel at Belvoir though; the Duchess, with her perfectly coiffed hair and wedged espadrilles needs no man to rescue her. As Chief Executive, she has a savvy business brain and markets her home primarily to the Asian Wedding scene – a rich pool in the Midlands where Belvoir sits.

We hear how she negotiated with the government over inheritance tax so she could reduce the number of days Belvoir opens to the public and focus on weddings and elaborate shooting parties. We see the Duchess visiting two of her employees on the estate and hear how, in order to make the estate more financially sustainable, she restructured the workforce, making many employees redundant. Although the farmer praises the Duchess’ actions, seeing them as necessary for the improvement in the efficiency of the estate, the nervous laughter by both parties proves slightly uncomfortable to watch. Unlike Lady Mary in Downton Abbey – who found herself warming to Barrow, the under-butler facing the chop, as he piggy-backed her son George along the gallery – the Duchess of Rutland seems less sympathetic. Indeed, I found myself wondering how many of her servants ended their last day as Barrow ended his at Downton – crying into the fire. We do see a different side to the Duchess when she talks of how she felt pressurised by the patriarchal dukedom system to produce a male heir, but this clearly turned out to be a temporary concern for her because, after three daughters, she had two boys (well one always needs an heir and a spare).

Not all the Dukes in the programme live in such grand establishments as Belvoir, however. The Duke of St. Albans’ ancestral seat, Bestwood Lodge, is now a Best Western hotel (the idea of charging the public to see inside a stately home perhaps taken to the extreme). The current Duke, now living in a terraced house in London, still displays characteristics of a country squire; he’s disgruntled by the fact his ancient title of Hereditary Grand Falconer no longer gets him his haunch of venison from Richmond Park every year, after the Labour government under Blair did away with the privilege to save money. There might not be a country home to sustain here but the Duchess of St. Albans, once again, stands out as the stronger character of the two. She barely lets the Duke get a word in edgeways and as she presents his ceremonial robes to the camera there is an impression that, although he gets to wear these vestments of power on state occasions, he never gets to ‘wear the trousers’ at home.

We need to challenge the rituals restricting women’s influence in the management and ownership of ancestral seats Although you’ve probably heard of the current Duke of Marlborough due to his list of criminal convictions – which are even longer than the list of titles his fellow Duke of Atholl has trouble remembering – I doubt you’ve heard much of his sister Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill. She is acutely aware of the instability of the country house and recognises that the ability to capitalise on the public’s fascination with such majestic buildings is necessary to sustain the life she and her sibling currently enjoy. This understanding of, and interest in, her ancestral seat comes as no surprise. After all, she descends from the first Duchess of Marlborough, Sarah Churchill, who famously had a disagreement with the architect John Vanbrugh about the design of the building of Blenheim during the early years of the 18th Century. Churchill had no qualms standing up to her husband’s architect, revealing “I made Mr.

Vanbrugh my enemy by the constant disputes I had with him to prevent his extravagance.” As Lady Henrietta confidently glides through the private apartments of Blenheim in the documentary, I almost expect her to break into song: Now there was a time when they used to say, That behind every great man there had to be a great woman. But in these times of change, you know that it’s no longer true …. Because, it seems, sisters are doing it for themselves, and wives, come to think of it. Blenheim Palace welcomes around 700,000 visitors a year and Downton Abbey reaches an audience of over seven million – nine million at its peak – perhaps indicating the fascination many people have with seeing how the rich live or used to live. I suggest we need to look at the country house in a way that challenges the patriarchal rituals restricting women’s influence in the management and ownership of ancestral seats. If women were able to inherit the title of Duchess, rather than only being able to achieve this status through marriage – as a consequence of connection to a man – there would be a greater opportunity for women to play a more decisive role in the fate of country houses.

Would the Duchess of Rutland be managing Belvoir Castle if her husband didn’t still live in one of the towers? Is his presence at the Castle needed to condone his wife’s management of the building? Although one gets the impression the ‘Determined Duchess’ would not let go of the castle easily if the situation with her husband changed, just as Lady Anne Clifford fought for her rightful inheritance in the 17th Century ; a fter years of struggle in a patriarchal society, Anne’s perseverance paid off and she became the owner of the family estates in Yorkshire. She then remodelled many of the castles, such as Skipton, Brough and Brougham, conserving them for future generations. Perhaps we should acknowledge that women could be the key in sustaining these beautiful mementoes to the past and remember that, unlike the Duchess of Rutland at Belvoir Castle, we don’t have a whole load of keys to choose from. The last episode of Downton Abbey will be screened on Sunday (8 November) on ITV1, with catch-up available on ITV Player . The Last Dukes is on BBC iPlayer until 26 November. [Image descriptions and credits: 1.

Head and shoulders shot of Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey. Her right hand is under her chin and she has a fond expression that suggests she may be listening to a story from a dear friend or family member. From the ITV website and shared under fair dealing. Credit: ITV/Downton Abbey. 2. Lady Camilla Osborne, daughter of the late 10th Duke of Leeds, wearing the Duke’s coronet, in her bedroom in London. Image Credit: BBC/Spun Gold TV. Photographer: Grab. Image Copyright: Spun Gold TV.] Beccy Roberts is a doctor of architectural history working in the heritage industry. She has recently started her own blog, Working with Anxiety , about mental health issues and begun proofreading and copy-editing for Wordscene . She has also started contributing to Neeach , a social network dedicated to food. All this has given her a taste for writing that she hopes to keep feeding Belvoir Castle | More Than Good Manners More Than Good Manners Belvoir Castle Accommodation in England > Belvoir Castle Belvoir Castle is the home of the 11th Duke of Rutland and his wife the Duchess of Rutland and their five children.

It has belonged to the family since 1509, and in 1523 rebuilding of the castle commenced and was not completed until 1555. In 1801 Matthew Wyatt was commissiond by the 5th Duke to undertake huge building works, but sadly a fire in 1816 destroyed the Grand Staircase and Regent’s Gallery as well as 30 paintings by Titian, Reynolds and Van Dyck. The new Belvoir owes much to the then Duchess of Rutland who was a keen amateur architect. Giles Joly de Lotbiniere is a direct descendant of the 5th Duke of Rutland, the history of the great families of England continues down the generations. Guests of More Than Good Manners can choose from 11 exquisite rooms in which to stay. Perhaps the Wellington Room, where the Duke of Wellington stayed in the 1850’s, or the King’s rooms, as they were used by members of the Royal Family, notably George 1V (as Prince Regent) and his niece Queen Victoria.

Your host and hostess, their Graces The Duke and Duchess of Rutland, will invite you to dine with them in one of their beautiful dining rooms, served by the Duke’s Butler. A private tour of the castle can be arranged, and for those interested in shooting, Belvoir Estate offers a fine partridge and pheasant shoot, the careful planning offers guests an excellent days sport and the warmest hospitality. The Castle is now available for houseparties and guests can take over the private wing of the Castle and some of the state rooms for their exclusive use. More Than Good Manners look forward to introducing you to the splendour of Belvoir Castle. Telephone: Ten dukes-a-dining: Gathered together over lunch for a unique picture, the grandees with £2bn and 340,000 acres between them | Daily Mail Online Ten dukes-a-dining: Gathered together over lunch for a unique picture, the grandees with £2bn and 340,000 acres between them comments At first glance, it might resemble the board meeting of a firm of auctioneers or a convention of prep school headmasters.

On closer inspection, it is actually a remarkable portrait of the grandest club in Britain, a super-elite who account for some 340,000 acres, more than £2billion and 4,505 years of aristocratic moving and shaking. Some owe their fortunes to bravery in battle, others to royal philandering or political chicanery. But they are all distantly related to each other and they are all addressed in exactly the same way: Your Grace. Outside the Royal Family, dukedoms have only ever been granted to a handful of men of power and influence. The assembled: (from left to right) 1. James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose; 2. David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland; 3. John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset; 4. Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland; 5. Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford; 6. Edward Fizalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk; 7. Torquhil Campbell, 18th Duke of Argyll; 8.

Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster; 9. Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans; 10. Arthur Wellesey, 8th Duke of Wellington. See list below for details Dukes are just one rung down from royalty in the social pecking order and enjoy a special status way above the rank and file of the aristocracy. As peerages go, it's the jackpot. Today, there are just 24 non-royal dukes in existence, down from a total of 40 in their Georgian heyday. And it's fair to say that no modern monarch or government is likely to create any more. So, to celebrate its 300th birthday, Tatler magazine decided to invite this dwindling band of mega-toffs to a ducal lunch. The result was the largest gathering of dukes since the Coronation of 1953. Some were too frail to attend. Some live abroad. But ten of them gathered for oysters and Dover sole in London's clubland. And the result is this intriguing study of 21st century nobility.

'After 300 years, we wanted to recapture the spirit of the original Tatler, and what better than a room full of dukes,' says Tatler editor Catherine Ostler. Once, the holders of these titles would have been the A-list celebrities of their time. Today, most people would be pushed to name a single one of them. With hereditary peers cast out into the political wilderness, dukes might seem little more than a comic anachronism in modern Britain. While they retain their rank and social clout, their only power is financial. In the case of, say, the Duke of Bedford, this amounts to £500million in art, London property and a large slab of Home Counties commuter belt. As for the Duke of Leinster, whose grandfather ran a teashop, it is next to nothing. A very special edition: The picture appears in the November issue of Tatler magazine Yet many dukes still play an active part in public life. The Duke of Norfolk, as hereditary Earl Marshal, is still responsible for organising the State Opening of Parliament and any coronations which should occur. The Duke of Northumberland runs several public bodies across the North East while his wife is the local Lord Lieutenant.

The very first dukedom was a royal affair. In 1337, Edward III created his son, the Black Prince, the Duke of Cornwall. The title derives from the Latin dux - leader - and, throughout history, fewer than 500 British men have held the rank of 'Duke'. The last non-royal dukedom was created in 1900 for the former Earl of Fife, who was upgraded to Duke following his wedding to Queen Victoria's granddaughter. There might have been a new one in 1955 when the Queen offered one to Churchill, but he declined, preferring to die a commoner. The only non-duke at the Tatler gathering was historian Andrew Roberts, invited to chronicle the event. 'They're all related and they all stick up for each other,' he recalls. But he fears that dukes could become an endangered species. 'Not long ago, two important dukedoms - Newcastle and Portland - became extinct,' says the historian. 'So, my parting plea to the dukes was simple, even if it startled some of them.

I simply said: 'Keep procreating!' The Who's Who of Dukedom: 1 James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose Age: 72. Title created: 1707. Other titles include Viscount Dundaff and Lord Aberuthven, Mugdock and Fintrie. Seat: Auchmar, a modest estate near Loch Lomond. Wealth: A high-ranking, but lower league landowner with 8,800 acres valued at around £1 million in 2001. History: The dukedom was awarded for supporting the Act of Union in 1707. The sixth Duke helped to invent the aircraft carrier during World War I. The present Duke spent part of his childhood in a mud hut in Rhodesia (where his father was building a farm). Instead of the usual Eton education, he attended Loretto School in Edinburgh - just like the Chancellor, Alistair Darling. 2 David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland Age: 50. Title created: 1703. Other titles include Marquess of Granby and Baron Roos of Belvoir. Seat: Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire.

Wealth: Ranked 474th in the latest Rich List, he is valued at £115 million. Estates across Leicestershire (12,000 acres), Derbyshire (10,000 acres), Cambridgeshire (4,000 acres) and Lincolnshire (2,000 acres). History: While the main seat, Belvoir, is a magnificent 365-room pile with an underground railway and £100 million of art, the family also owns Haddon Hall in Derbyshire, widely recognised as one of Britain's finest medieval and Tudor manor houses. A previous Marquess of Granby (later the third duke) was a popular soldier and helped many of his men with their retirement, hence the number of pubs called the Marquess of Granby. 3 John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset Age: 56. Title created: 1547. His other title is Lord Seymour. Seat: Maiden Bradley, Somerset. Wealth: Around 5,000 acres of Somerset, including several villages. History: He is a descendant of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's third wife.

The first Duke of Somerset, Edward Seymour, was Jane's brother. The family owns the fourposter oak bed in which Edward VI is said to have been conceived. Having rented out his main house at £50,000 a year, the Duke runs the estate from a smaller house in Devon. 4 Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland Age: 52. Title created: 1766. Other titles include Earl Percy, Earl of Beverley, Baron Warkworth. Seat: Alnwick Castle, Northumberland. Wealth: With 132,000 acres, Syon Park in West London and a substantial art collection, he is valued at £300 million and ranked No. 178 on the latest Rich List. History: Part of the original Norman Conquest gang, the Percy family have been dominant in their part of the country for centuries. Alnwick Castle is the authentic knight-in-shining-armour fortress and has featured in Blackadder and the Harry Potter films. The present Duke recently sold a Raphael painting to the nation for £22 million, a deal which attracted controversy because of the use of Lottery funds.

The newly-refurbished Alnwick Garden is a major tourist attraction. 5 Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford Age: 47. Title created: 1694. Other titles include Marquess of Tavistock and Baron Howland Seat: Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire Wealth: Valued at £489million. Owns 23,000 acres and prime central London real estate. History: The first Duke fought on both sides in the Civil War and was ennobled after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The family has made Woburn Abbey a major tourist attraction and the present Duke is busy refurbishing much of the London estate (significantly smaller than it once was after much of it became part of London University). The family were stars of the BBC's Country House series. 6 Edward Fizalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk Age: 53. Title created: 1483. Other titles include Earl of Surrey and Baron Maltravers. Seat: Arundel Castle, West Sussex.

Wealth: Half his 30,000 acres are in leafy West Sussex, while the family also owns a ten-acre parcel of London valued at £100 million in 2001. History: As England's senior duke, Norfolk carries the hereditary title of Earl Marshal. As such, he plays an important role in running state occasions. The family's royal links stretch back centuries and the present Duke's wife, Georgina, stands in for the Queen at rehearsals of the State Opening of Parliament. The Duke's eldest son and heir, Henry, the Earl of Arundel, 21, is a promising Formula Three driver. 7 Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll Age: 41. Title created: 1701. Other titles include Marquess of Kintyre and Lorne, Viscount Lochow and Glenilla and Lord Morvern. Seat: Inveraray Castle, Argyllshire. Wealth: Family owns 60,000 acres of Scotland, valued at £12.5m in 2001.

History: The dukedom comes with plenty of baggage, including the hereditary posts of Master of HM's Household in Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The family suffered serious scandal in the Sixties, when the divorce proceedings of the 11th duke unearthed a famous photograph of his soon-to-be former wife with a mysterious naked man. The present duke, when not working in the whisky trade, is captain of the Scottish elephant polo team. 8 Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster Age: 61. Title created: 1766. Other titles include Marquess of Kildare and Earl of Offaly Seat: Formerly Carton House, Co. Kildare. Now a farmhouse in Oxfordshire. Wealth: No landholdings of any note, the Duke works as a landscape gardener. History: The FitzGeralds assisted Edward I in his battles against the Scots. The family fortunes declined in the 20th century after the 7th Duke sold his interests in the family estates and was then declared bankrupt.

His fourth wife, with whom he opened a teashop in Rye in 1965, was the caretaker of the block of flats in which he lived. Educated at Millfield, the present Duke is president of the Oxfordshire Dyslexia Association. 9 Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans Age: 70. Title created: 1684. Other titles include Earl of Burford, and Baron Heddington. Seat: A terrace house in Knightsbridge, London. Wealth: Never a great landowning family, the Beauclerks were said to own 4,000 acres, worth £12m, in 2001. History: The first Duke was the illegitimate son of Charles II and Nell Gwyn. Though the present Duke is a Tonbridge-educated chartered accountant, an eccentric strain still runs through family. His heir, the Earl of Burford, has long campaigned to prove his ancestor, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, was the true author of the works of Shakespeare.

In 1999, the young Earl was forcibly expelled from the House of Lords for jumping on the Woolsack and accusing the Government of treason in its expulsion of hereditary peers. 10 Arthur Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington Age: 94. Title created: 1814. Other titles include Prince of Waterloo, Duke of Vittoria and Earl of Mornington. Seat: Stratfield Saye House, Hampshire and Apsley House, London. Wealth: 7,000-acre Hampshire estate, 20,000 acres of Belgium and Spain. Thought to be worth £50m in 2001. History: Like the original Iron Duke, the present Duke had a long Army career, winning the Military Cross and reaching the rank of Brigadier. In later life, he has devoted himself to his estates and charities, coming top in Country Life's 'Good Duke Guide' in 1991. His heir, the Marquess of Douro, is a former Tory MEP while his daughter, Lady Jane Wellesley, was once talked of as a bride for the Prince of Wales.

More recent beaux include Melvyn Bragg and Loyd Grossman. Belvoir Castle Belvoir Castle HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT In the Middle Ages Belvoir Castle was held by the Ros family, passing by marriage in the later 15th century to that of Manners. Sir Thomas Manners (died 1543) was created first Earl of Rutland in 1526, and ever since Belvoir has descended with the earldom (from 1703 dukedom). It remains (1998) in private hands.

People associated with this site Architect: John Barker (born 1688 died 1727) Designer: Lancelot Brown (born 1716 died 06/02/1783) Sculptor: Caius Gabriel Cibber (born 1630 died 1700) Architect: Reverend John Thoroton (Known to have been active 1800 to 1840) Architect: Philip William Wyatt (died 1835) Architect: James Wyatt (born 1747 died 1813) Features summerhouse glasshouse Various glasshouses and other structures, some of 19th-century date, stand outside the north-east corner of the garden. lake Lower Lake, the more northerly of two sheets of water on the River Devon. specimen tree terrace North-east of the Castle, descending the hillside to the stables complex, is a flight of three broad terraces. rose garden Feature created: 1900 to 1933 Rose Garden with flagged paths and geometric beds.

bastion The Battery, a 20 metre long bastion-like crenellated projection armed with 18th-century canon, which projects south-west of the Castle to command the main approach from the south-west. lawn The Battery overlooks a lawn. statue Creator: Caius Gabriel Cibber (born 1630 died 1700) A statue of Winter stands at the head of an axial path. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II* icehouse On the north-west side of the terraces is an icehouse. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II pool Feature created: 1704 to 1705 Creator: John Barker (born 1688 died 1727) A U-plan two-storey ironstone stables block. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II* animal enclosure Feature created: 1819 An exercise ring, probably the earliest free-standing structure of its kind in England and occupying an important position in the history of hunting.

Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II* gate lodge The Lodge, an ornate two-storey stone building. urn Feature created: 1600 to 1699 Seventeenth century stone urns along the path were brought from the family home at Chieveley, near Newmarket. bastion 110 metres south-west of the Castle, is a stone bastion. garden seat Gothic-arched seat, which overlooks the Statue Garden. approach There are numerous approaches to the Castle. pool Frog Hollow pool lies in the valley between Blackberry Hill and the rising ground of Granby Wood to its south. stable block Feature created: 1700 to 1733 About 20m north-east of Barker's stables are others of the early-18th century. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II kennels Feature created: 1802 On the west bank of Upper Lake are the Kennels of the Belvoir Hunt, founded in 1740 and always among the country's most prestigious.

Four-sided with turrets to the corners, the complex was designed in 1802 to accommodate four packs of hounds. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II entrance A highly ornate iron-gated entrance in the kitchen garden, with ornate limestone detailing to the arched surround. kitchen garden Feature created: 1800 to 1833 Ornate, early-19th century, brick-walled kitchen gardens of playing card plan. They are aligned north/south, and measure 220m long by 120m wide. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II garden house Feature created: 1834 to 1867 The mid-19th-century gothic Garden House situated 50m north of the walled garden. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II path An elaborately stone-balustraded path with urns and rockwork.

statue Creator: Caius Gabriel Cibber (born 1630 died 1700) There are six further life-size statues (Juno, Taste, Smell, Spring, Summer, Autumn), arranged in two curving rows down a steeply-sloping grass slope. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II* garden seat planting Feature created: 1810 The Duchess', or Spring, Garden, created around 1810 by the Duchess of Rutland. This comprises walks around a natural south-facing amphitheatre-like embayment some 180 metres in diameter, well planted with mature specimen trees, shrubs and other plants. column A low inscribed column topped with a vase. mausoleum Creator: Philip William Wyatt (died 1835) The family Mausoleum, a limestone building of 1826-8 in the Romanesque style by Benjamin Dean Wyatt and Philip Wyatt. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II terrace Descending from Castle to stables is a flight of terraces, which survive in simplified form today.

labyrinth Feature created: After 1721 In the vicinity of the later walled kitchen garden, was an extensive geometric wilderness or labyrinth, suggested by Harris (1995, 60) to be the product of garden works recorded at Belvoir for the third Duke after 1721. root house The Duchess' Seat, a splendid hexagonal roothouse, with thatched roof, moss-filled walls, and rustic furniture. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II statue Feature created: 1600 to 1699 Seventeenth century Chinese statue of a horse brought to Belvoir in 1831. building Brewery Row, a row of four houses 25 metres south-east of Barker's stables. Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II dairy Feature created: 1810 Creator: James Wyatt (born 1747 died 1813) Dairy Cottage was probably created by James Wyatt as an ornamental dairy. This has an octagonal, two-storey, central block with pavilions to either side.

Designation status: The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building Designation Grade II garden building A wooden, six-bay, thatched cowhouse (now used for timber seasoning), probably contemporary with the dairy. ornamental bridge Feature created: 1800 to 1833 An early-19th-century five-arched stone bridge. lake Duchess of Rutland: I'm glad my daughter will not inherit dukedom Duchess of Rutland: I'm glad my daughter will not inherit dukedom The Duchess of Rutland Credit: Clara Molden Sarah Knapton , Science Editor 2 June 2016 • 9:05pm The Duchess of Rutland has said that it is right that inheritance passes through the male line and is ‘delighted’ that her daughter will not inherit the dukedom because it involves so much hard work. Emma Manners, said she did not want her eldest child Violet, 22, to bear the responsibility of heading the estate even though she considers herself to be CEO of Belvoir Castle and its surrounding parkland. Speaking at The Hay Festival, the Duchess said that if was right that her fourth child Charles, 16, the Marques of Granby should inherit.

“The aristocracy is a bit like being a farmer’s daughter from the Welsh hills, everything goes to the boys, quite rightly, but in our case to the oldest son,” she said. “Like any parent a Duke will pass his fortune through the generations but his title as we know has to be inherited by the son. The English peerage and Violet has said ‘thank goodness for that mum. I know how hard it is.’ “Charles will inherit and the titles and land go with that. But it’s a responsibility and it’s a responsibility that I am delighted my daughter doesn’t have to have.” Last year lady Violet and her younger sisters Lady Alice and Lady Eliza Manners were accused of upsetting neighbours with their wild "all-night" parties, with complaints it was like "living next door to a nightclub". The Duchess said it was natural to think that the family was ‘posh and spoilt’ but admitted that she would rather shop at Asda than Waitrose, and said it was only this year that Belvoir had begun to turn a profit, a modest £50,000.

The Duchess of Rutland speaking at The Hay Festival Credit: Jay Williams She has been transforming the gardens and park around the estate back to the original vision of master garden designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown who first drew up plans for the 4th Duke of Rutland in 1780. Brown died three years later and the garden was never completed, but the rolled-up blueprints were recently discovered in the Belvoir archives and the Duchess has set about completing the work 236 years behind schedule. It is the latest plan to secure the future of Belvoir which was crumbling when the current Duke and Duchess originally moved in 15 years ago, with a rotting two-and-a-half acre roof. Recalling the first few weeks of inhabiting the castle, she said: “It was early morning and the children came screaming into our room saying ‘mummy, mummy, the castle’s flooding. It was. The water was streaming through out library into the newly decorated drawing room two floors below.

“So I took to the roof with Barber brolly and wellies and scaled myself across down steps to the right hand tower and I remember well sliding down into a gully and one of my most satisfying moments in my job at Belvoir was pulling out three dead pigeons. “The flood went away instantaneously. If every job was as easy as that I could probably build another castle.” The Duchess said she had had to ‘learn to be a Duchess’ and visited the ‘Debo’ Duchess of Devonshire at Chatsworth House for advice. “I remember sitting down with Debo and the late Duke and he turned to Debo and said: ‘Have you told her yet old girl that you make the money and we spend it.’,” she told the audience. “The castle had been sleeping for some 70 years since the second world war and the woods and the farm and the estate and I was desperate that I should shake up the dust sheets and shake it off again.” The Duchess of Rutland at Belvoir Castle But she said she had run into problems during the renovation including accidentally uprooting more than 50 trees which had been planted to commemorate fallen soldiers in the Second World War.

A furious digger driver also rammed his shovel into the wall of the castle following a disagreement. In recent years the Duchess has found romance with her estate manager Phil Burtt whom she said was essential to the project, and whom she described as ‘Capability Burtt.’ The Duke and Duchess have been estranged since in 2012, but both still live on the estate with separate partners. Burtt was originally taken on as their shoot manager in 2008 but was appointed estate manger three year later. “Phil Burtt, my dear right hand man and friend has a landscapers eye,” she said. “He set to work and after hundreds of hours of his eye and a man with a bulldozer we have restored the programme of the woodlands and lake. My very own Capability Burtt. “We’ve been able to continue the work of generations of gardeners and the previous duchesses at Belvoir.” 18 Jan 2017, 9:47pm Live Premium 18 Jan 2017, 6:51pm

Question: Belvoir Castle is the home of which dukedom?
Answer: RUTLAND