THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408190104
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
ANYONE WHO HAS EVER toured a European castle or visited what is called in Britain a ``stately home'' must wonder, as I have: What would it be like to actually live in a place like this?
Here's how you can find out.
For about $420 per person, you can spend an autumn house party weekend at Castle Ashby, the ancestral home of Spencer Compton, seventh Marquess of Northampton. In the heiracy of British peerage, a marquess ranks above an earl and below a duke. You can't get higher than duke without royal blood in your veins. There are only about 35 marquesses in the U.K.
Castle Ashby is a private 10,000-acre estate, not open to tours or transient overnight visitors. It's not a part of the stately home industry like the Duke of Marlborough's Blemheim Palace or the Duke of Bedford's Woburn Abbey or the Marquess of Bath's Longleat House or Warwick Castle, owned by Madame Tussaud's wax museum.
But the marquess does open 26 bedrooms in the 16th century country manor house five times a year to guests for special three-day retreats. It's near the city of Northampton, north of London, about a hour away by car or train.
The autumn opening is Sept. 30-Oct. 2. There's also a Christmas weekend (Dec. 24-27) for about $892 per person and a New Year's weekend (Dec. 31-Jan. 2) for $487 per person. These prices are based on the exchange rate of $1.50 equals 1 pound and are subject to change.
Castle Ashby was begun in 1574, well before the English made their first abortive attempt to settle in the New World at Roanoke Island, and was finished in 1635, when most settlers at Jamestown were still living in wattle and daub hovels. The Comptons have hosted members of every royal family since Queen Elizabeth paid a visit in 1601.
The south wing of the castle is attributed to the renowned Inigo Jones. The house contains fine furniture, mounded ceilings, Brussels tapestries of 1660-1700 and a collection of Dutch, Italian and English paintings. The grounds are by the doyen of English landscape architects, Lancelot ``Capability'' Jones.
The autumn weekend price doesn't include the cost of getting from here to there and back, of course. But it does include two nights' accommodations, breakfast and lunch Saturday and Sunday, daily afternoon tea, dinner each evening, reception drinks and vintage wines with meals and all entertainment and activities.
The autumn program highlights include a presentation on buying and restoring antiques, a demonstration of the preparation of classic seasonal English dishes, clay pigeon shooting, a sheep-driving and gun-dog display and a black-tie dinner in the Great Hall. Guests are welcome to explore the castle's many treasure-filled rooms and stroll through the gardens.
You should know that this is not an ``invitation'' to spend the weekend with the marquess, but at his house. He will not necessarily be there to host the various activities, but I'm told he has been known to ``pop in'' from time to time.
Besides having a home in London, he also spends time at the family's ``other'' country estate, Compton Wynyates, one of the finest Tudor houses in England. It's even older than Castle Ashby; Henry VIII used to hang out there a lot with his pal William Compton.
If you should meet the marquess, the proper form of address is ``My Lord'' or ``My Lord Marquess'' unless he asks you to call him by his given name.
For information on any of the weekends or reservations, call EURO-USA DESTINATIONS (800) 357-3884. MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases, trade
journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the writer's
mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The
Virginian-Pilot/The Ledger-Star, P.O. Box 449, Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449. by CNB