PUBLIC PLACES Rothschild Foundation
The Rothschild Foundation continues the philanthropic tradition of the Rothschild family and their longstanding support of arts and heritage. Central to the Foundation’s vision is an ongoing commitment to Waddesdon Manor, the last remaining 19th century Rothschild house open to the public with its collection intact.
Established in 2010, the Foundation evolved from the consolidation of three previous Rothschild charitable trusts. One of these, The Alice Trust, was dedicated to the preservation, protection and improvement of Waddesdon Manor for the benefi t of the public.
Taking inspiration from the Rothschild family’s symbol displaying fi ve arrows, the work of the Rothschild Foundation falls within fi ve main areas: caring for and promoting Waddesdon Manor; curating and managing an outstanding collection of art, buildings and landscapes; convening discussion and debate; awarding grants to charities working in the fi elds of art and heritage, education, the environment and social welfare; and undertaking major initiatives within these areas.
Based at nearby Windmill Hill, the Foundation continues the grand tradition of Rothschild architectural patronage in the Vale of Aylesbury. With spectacular views, an old dairy farm has been transformed by cutting- edge architecture, to create a location for the archives of the Waddesdon Rothschilds and space for offi ces and artistic performances.
the sward and ensuring good contact with the soil.”
“As you would expect, we have a lot of gravel around the formal areas and this is constantly being pushed to the edges by the passage of visitors. The Landscape rake makes short work of redistributing it across the pathways and other hard landscaped areas.”
“Other initiatives have included recently installed electronic badger fencing and this has proved very eff ective at preventing the bulbs being eaten and the estates department are currently building a signifi cant composting facility. We are also trialling bio fertilisers using native microbes in leaf litter and bacteria in cow dung.” The team are also responsible for the grounds at the Flint House, which was featured in the Channel 4 television series
Windmill Hill. Photo: Chris Lacey © National Trust
Grand Designs, hosted by Kevin McCloud. Winner of the RIBA House of the Year Award in 2015, the Flint House was commissioned by Lord Rothschild.
In the form of an elongated, stepped wedge, it sits in the heart of the Waddesdon Estate, on a chalk seam that runs from Norfolk to Dover. It was exploring this geology which inspired the architect, Charlotte Skene Catling, to create a building clad in fl int which was knapped by hand by Sussex fl int-workers from The Flintman Company. The fl ints are graduated in colour, steely grey at ground level rising to smooth white chalk blocks at the top. Opposite the main building is a similarly stepped, smaller annex, often referred to as baby fl int.. The building is now run by the Rothschild Foundation alongside all the other publicly accessible buildings at Waddesdon, including the Manor itself and Windmill Hill, (another contemporary building which houses the Waddesdon Archives). The coronavirus has severely limited visitor numbers at National Trust properties and it is such a shame that the house, gardens and grounds at Waddesdon have not been as resplendent as in previous years. But rest assured they will bounce back. The dedicated team of gardeners, foresters and volunteers will ensure that.
The Parterre comes to life with a bold mix of Victorian splendour and a magnif icent fl ourish of colour with the beds featuring over 50,000 bulbs
Windmill Hill. Photo: Chris Lacey © National Trust 104 PC April/May 2021
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