Waddesdon Manor
| Waddesdon Manor | |
|---|---|
The north-facing entrance facade | |
Interactive map of the Waddesdon Manor area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Renaissance |
| Classification | Museum |
| Location | Waddesdon, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0JH, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°50′32″N 0°56′16″W / 51.84222°N 0.93778°W OS grid SP 73310 16445 |
| Groundbreaking | 1874 (est.) |
| Construction started | 18 August 1877 |
| Completed | 1883 |
| Renovated | 1990–1997 |
| Client | Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild |
| Landlord | National Trust |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Hippolyte Destailleur |
| Website | |
| waddesdon | |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Waddesdon Manor |
| Designated | 21 December 1967 |
| Reference no. | 1117804 |
Waddesdon Manor is a country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. Owned by the Rothschild Foundation and managed by the National Trust, it is one of the National Trust's most visited properties, with over 463,000 visitors in 2019.
The Grade I listed house was built in a mostly Neo-Renaissance style, copying individual features of several French châteaux, between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839–1898) as a weekend residence for entertaining and to house his collection of arts and antiquities. As the manor and estate have passed through three generations of the Rothschild family, the contents of the house have expanded to become one of the most rare and valuable collections in the world. In 1957, James de Rothschild bequeathed the house and its contents to the National Trust, opening the house and gardens for the benefit of the general public. Unusually for a National Trust property, the family of James Rothschild, the donor, manage the house. The Rothschild Foundation, chaired by Dame Hannah Rothschild, continues to invest in the property.