ASHRIDGE SAVED

From 1920s appeal to today’s 5,000 acres of secured historic landscapes, Liz Hamilton continues her history of the National Trust at Ashridge

- Liz Hamilton

Bridgewater Monument, a granite column built in honour of the ‘Canal Duke’ in 1832

The proposed sale of the Ashridge estate near Berkhamsted in 1925 caused substantial fears locally that in new ownership this extensive area of countryside could be lost forever. There were expectations that it would be stripped of its valuable timber, sold off for housing development and closed to public access. The sale was announced on October 5 and four days later a letter appeared in The Times drawing attention to the potential threat to the estate. Almost immediately there was an offer from a syndicate, but at the same time an anonymous donor pledged £20,000 (equivalent to over £1m today) to help the National Trust buy parts of the estate.

Many of the contents of Ashridge House had already been sold by auction in May 1923. Later, panels of 16th century German glass in the Ashridge chapel windows were removed and also sold at auction. The anonymous buyer immediately gave them to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they are still on display. The chapel organ dating from about 1818 remained in place and is now a valued item of great historic interest. The glass and the organ were installed by Sir Jeffry Wyatville, the architect responsible for completing the rebuilding of Ashridge House in the early 19th century.

The sale of the estate was precipitated when its owner, the 3rd Earl Brownlow, died a widower and childless in 1921. His will directed that Ashridge should be sold.