STATELY HOMES

Hokitika Guardian, 26 July 1930, Page 8

STATELY HOMES

GOING TO RUIN IN ENGLAND RESULT OF'HIGH TAXES. LONDON, June 12. 1 High taxation and heavy death duties are making.it impossible for people to maintain the great mansions which have been so distinguished a feature ol English country life. Until recently many estates of 500 acres or more, sold by impoverished landowners, were bought by institutions of various kinds, but this demand is now satisfied. Mansions are coming into the .market, but there are no buyers. Responsible auctioneers prophesy that hundreds of these great mansions will fall into ruins and the parks run to waste land. From the end of the war until some months ago, perhaps 400 or 500 important estates have been offered for sale Nearly all found buyers, providing thechief buildings were in good repair. Great .schools like Stowe were founded, some orphanages took the opportunity of moving out of town at a reasonabl cost; monasteries and nunneries were nstahjished in certain country seats, and in others country clubs. , But this, tye of business has almost r,eased, and it is computed that already more than 200 .of, these great. 50, and IQO-roomed mansions, miles from stations and towns, are standing empty without buyers or. hope of buyers. Already many of them are half in ruins if a buyer does come and . sends down his surveyor, often he will advise that they are only fit for demolition. . Among them are splendid Norman, castles, .timbered Tudor houses, magnificent classical-style seats ,and Georgian manors. They mostly need from L 5 to 20 indoors servants and £IOO a week to. maintain them. In Dorset a house with fifteen bedrooms and thirty-five acres of land fetched only £6OOO. Near Maidstone a Queen Anne mansion of 200 acres with tenty-live bedrooms had a market price of £36,000. After being resold it fetched £9OOO. A beautiful castle In Yorkshire has,failed to reach a moderate reserve, and. is being sold for breaking up. In Norfolk a landowner offered to let,his hig house \yith fifteen rooms for, £2 a- week if the tenant would pay overhead charges. Even at prices like that a buyer is seldom found, and it is expected that big estates will come inf# the market on account of (death duties at the rate of fifty a year.