Witanhurst
Encyclopedia
Witanhurst is the name of an historical Georgian-style
mansion
located on a 5 acre (20,000 m²) site estate
in the village of Highgate
, North London.
for soap magnate Sir Arthur Crosfield
on an 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) site, dating from 1774 which included a house called Parkfield built in the 19th century, the mansion is currently Grade-II* listed, meaning it has been judged to be of national historical or architectural interest. It was built between 1913 and 1920. It has been recognised by English Heritage
as 'a building at risk'.
It has 65 rooms spread across three floors, including 25 bedrooms. One of the largest is the Grand Ballroom
, measuring 70 feet (21.3 m) long with a height of 20 feet (6.1 m). It has oak
flooring and the timber wall panels are in walnut
, with carved cornices embellished with gold leaf.
Other rooms are the Drawing Room, Study, Entrance Hall and staircase, and most of the bedrooms are all in an opulent Classically
detailed style. Other richly decorated rooms include the Dining Room, Chinese Room, Billiard
Room, and the Gallery hallway. Access to the house is via a three-fingered gatehouse.
A significant large part of the mansion still have the original architectural details that withstood time, but most of them are now in a state of deterioration. Despite its condition, the mansion has been used several times as filming location by the BBC
for shooting documentaries and dramas, such as The Lost Prince
and Tipping the Velvet
. Most recently the estate was one of the primary production venues for the Fame Academy
series.
have announced that they will be requiring the owners to take steps to stop the deterioration, although it is not known if they will actually enforce the listed building requirements. On 19 July 2007 local newspapers reported the mansion had been sold to private developers - the St John's Wood-based Marcus Cooper Group - for an estimated £32m ($65.6m). The developers announced that they intended to convert it into a £150m ($307m) home; however, the property remained in a state of advancing decay.
, the wife of Yury Luzhkov, the former Mayor of Moscow
(Russia), and a billionaire in her own right, purchased the property for an estimated £50m (approximately $100MM USD.) Plans for its potential renovation have not been announced.The renovations are now under way with an estimated cost of 40 million.
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
located on a 5 acre (20,000 m²) site estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
in the village of Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, North London.
Architecture
Designed by architect George HubbardGeorge Hubbard
George Cairns 'Scatter' Hubbard was an English rugby union player who represented the England national rugby union team. He also played first-class cricket with Kent....
for soap magnate Sir Arthur Crosfield
Arthur Henry Crosfield
Sir Arthur Henry Crosfield, 1st Baronet , was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Warrington from 1906 to December 1910.From his parent, he inherited the business of Joseph Crosfield and Sons, soap and candle manufacturers...
on an 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) site, dating from 1774 which included a house called Parkfield built in the 19th century, the mansion is currently Grade-II* listed, meaning it has been judged to be of national historical or architectural interest. It was built between 1913 and 1920. It has been recognised by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as 'a building at risk'.
It has 65 rooms spread across three floors, including 25 bedrooms. One of the largest is the Grand Ballroom
Ballroom
A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions contain one or more ballrooms...
, measuring 70 feet (21.3 m) long with a height of 20 feet (6.1 m). It has oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
flooring and the timber wall panels are in walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
, with carved cornices embellished with gold leaf.
Other rooms are the Drawing Room, Study, Entrance Hall and staircase, and most of the bedrooms are all in an opulent Classically
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
detailed style. Other richly decorated rooms include the Dining Room, Chinese Room, Billiard
English billiards
English billiards, called simply billiards in many former British colonies and in Great Britain where it originated, is a hybrid form of carom and pocket billiards played on a billiard table. Billiards is less well known as "the English game", "the all-in game" and "the common game".The game is for...
Room, and the Gallery hallway. Access to the house is via a three-fingered gatehouse.
A significant large part of the mansion still have the original architectural details that withstood time, but most of them are now in a state of deterioration. Despite its condition, the mansion has been used several times as filming location by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
for shooting documentaries and dramas, such as The Lost Prince
The Lost Prince
The Lost Prince is an acclaimed British television drama serial, produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC and originally broadcast in two episodes on BBC One in January 2003...
and Tipping the Velvet
Tipping the Velvet (TV serial)
Tipping the Velvet is a 2002 BBC television drama serial based on the bestselling debut novel by Sarah Waters of the same name. It originally screened in three episodes on BBC Two and was produced for the BBC by the independent production company Sally Head Productions...
. Most recently the estate was one of the primary production venues for the Fame Academy
Fame Academy
Fame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
series.
Decline
The mansion has not been regularly occupied for some years and no attempts have been made to preserve the estate. The local councilLondon Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
have announced that they will be requiring the owners to take steps to stop the deterioration, although it is not known if they will actually enforce the listed building requirements. On 19 July 2007 local newspapers reported the mansion had been sold to private developers - the St John's Wood-based Marcus Cooper Group - for an estimated £32m ($65.6m). The developers announced that they intended to convert it into a £150m ($307m) home; however, the property remained in a state of advancing decay.
Future
On 16 July 2008 it was falsely reported that Yelena BaturinaYelena Baturina
Yelena Nikolayevna Baturina is a Russian oligarch, Russia's richest woman and the only Russian woman worth more than a billion dollars. She is the joint 993rd richest person in the world currently, after tumbling from a much higher wealth...
, the wife of Yury Luzhkov, the former Mayor of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(Russia), and a billionaire in her own right, purchased the property for an estimated £50m (approximately $100MM USD.) Plans for its potential renovation have not been announced.The renovations are now under way with an estimated cost of 40 million.