Beltwood House
Encyclopedia
Beltwood House is a Grade II listed building within the Dulwich Wood
Conservation Area
in south London
, England. The large three-storey mansion has fifty rooms and stands in about 3.05 acres of wooded grounds, with gatekeeper's lodge, mews courtyard cottages, stables and a stable apartment, a tennis court
and a croquet
lawn. The site has been subject to a blanket tree preservation order
since 1985.
. Two buildings are located northeast of the main house: the Lodge House, residential with 71 m2 floor space over two floors; and the Stable Block which has 95 m2 of ground floor garage space and 57 m2 of first floor residential space. The front of the main house looks southwards over formal gardens. The Gate House, a separate two-storey residential property (92 m2), is located in the southwest of the grounds, close to the entrance off Sydenham Hill
.
An old railway tunnel runs under the estate. On 24 March 1864 the first owner of Beltwood granted "the right of the London Chatham and Dover Railway Company to maintain and use the existing tunnel thereunder." The tunnel was on the railway line from Peckham Rye
to Crystal Palace
which had been authorised in 1862 and opened in 1865, catering for the expected large numbers of visitors to Crystal Palace. The line closed in 1954 and was dismantled.
Edward Saxton and his wife Harriet in 1851, possibly by Dulwich College
estate architects Banks and Barry. Saxton moved from Islington
before the 1851 census, and their daughter was born at Beltwood on 18 March 1852. They had several children while living in Beltwood. A book written by Maria J. Saxton Salès published in 1886 bears the address "Beltwood, Sydenham Hill".
Around 1895 the house was very extensively remodelled in a neoclassical style
by Messrs Kemp and How of Bloomsbury." Prior to this it was described as "not only extremely ugly, both inside and outside, but in addition it was most inconvenient. In the first place the rooms were badly situated, very high and ill-proportioned, and the main entrance and kitchen were placed on the south elevation, making it impossible to obtain any privacy in the gardens."
Saxton lived in the house for sixty years until his death on 27 August 1911 at the age of 97, and members of his family continued to live there until 1914.
The house was put up for sale by auction on 10 June 1913, described as a "desirable freehold residential property" with an 823 ft frontage, "eleven bed and dressing rooms, three reception rooms, capital domestic offices, stabling, gardener's cottage, pleasure grounds, area 3¾ acres; in excellent repair: for immediate occupation" and in May 1914 John Edward Pickering of Wood Hall, Dulwich
was registered as proprietor.
Pickering died in the house in an accident on 2 January 1919 at the age of 67, and his wife Helen Ann continued to live at Beltwood until her death on 6 April 1924. Items of Mrs Pickering's "Old English silver plate, chiefly of the Georgian period
" were sold at auction at Christie's
on 4 December 1924, and the house, described as "noteworthy for the perfection and extent of its gardens", was to have been auctioned for the executor
s by Harrods
on 24 March 1925, but it was privately sold before the date. An auction of the house contents, including Chippendale
furniture, Louis XV
and XVI
tables, a serpentine Sheraton
sideboard, a library of books, pictures, porcelain, clocks, bronzes and Persian carpets was held on 31 March and 1 April 1925 at the house, raising £4,100 (equivalent to about £200,000 in 2010), of which 105 guineas
was paid for the Chippendale chairs and 102 guineas for a set of six mahogany Hepplewhite
dining chairs with oval backs, carved with the Prince of Wales's Feathers.
The house remained in private ownership until after World War II
. John Pickering and his wife were followed by Vincent Holder who lived there until the late 1920s. The house was then bought by Athelstane Wilson Cornforth, who lived there until the 1940s. In 1939, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Co Ltd of 8, India Street, Minories
, London EC3 is documented to have moved temporarily to Beltwood House.
In 1961 the hospital closed, and the house was refurbished and used as a Hall of Residence for about fifty Dental Therapy students for about 15 years. The house then became a YWCA
hostel until the 1980s. It was also used as a nurses' home for King's College Hospital
and for first-year Dental Therapy students at New Cross Hospital during the 1980s and early 90s.
It was restored by English Heritage
after its use as student accommodation ended, and was listed as English Heritage Building ID 471378 on 27 May 1993.
It was then occupied by a Christian commune, and in the late 1990s the Christian rock
band Delirious?
set up recording equipment in the house. It was one of the locations where they recorded the album King of fools in 1998.
Planning permission
was granted in February 1999 for the construction of eight three-bedroomed houses, the conversion of the main house into three large apartments and extension of the Lodge House. The plans included parking for 27 vehicles. This consent expired, and application to renew it in 2004 was refused on the grounds that there was no provision for affordable housing
.
During the autumn of 2006 Southwark Council
received 48 complaints from members of the public about nuisance from animals escaping from Beltwood House. Fencing around the property was insecure and packs of dogs were terrorising members of the public. Dogs strayed onto railway lines causing delays, dogs and a horse were found loose on roads (on one occasion causing a road traffic accident), and there was fouling and damage to residents’ gardens. Neighbours reported continuous barking and howling day and night, and during the period a number of people were attacked and injured by dogs from Beltwood. Two Alsatian dogs
injured one woman so badly that she needed extensive plastic surgery
. A jogger was surrounded and attacked by dogs and needed emergency surgery. Moreover, during 2006 over 30 stray dogs from Beltwood were taken to Battersea Dogs Home
by police or council dog wardens, costing the charity over £54000. Many people contacted the RSPCA
to report animal neglect. A neighbour reported, "It was an ongoing saga which resulted in people getting horrific injuries, several children being chased and one man having a nervous breakdown and leaving the area."
Miss Thier was unwilling to accept responsibility or to remedy the situation, and in May 2007 an Anti-Social Behaviour Order
(ASBO) was issued by Southwark Anti-Social Behaviour Unit prohibiting her from keeping animals on the Beltwood Estate and from causing noise nuisance. Miss Thier returned to America, evading prosecution and the £50,000 costs payable to the council. Mortgage
arrears led to Lambeth
County Court
bailiff
s repossessing the property on 16 July 2007. RSPCA inspectors removed 64 dogs, 7 horses and 2 peacocks
from the grounds, the dogs to Battersea Dogs Home and the horses to the International League for the Protection of Horses
. The event was filmed by both BBC
and ITV
, and was the subject of a BBC documentary broadcast in August 2007.
On 1st August 2007 Beltwood was put on the market with estate agents Mann, selling for £3.5 million. Viewings took two hours, as each room was kept locked with its own key. Upstairs rooms had been used as bedsit
s, and an outbuilding had been used for events. Viewings ceased when the owner returned to the UK and instigated legal proceedings, and the sale was put on hold. She was arrested and ordered to appear before Tower Bridge Magistrates for the breaches of the ASBO in 2008. District Judge Black gave her a 100-day suspended sentence
, and ordered her to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay £1000 in costs within 28 days.
had gained vacant possession
by evicting squatters
, and put the property up for sale through BNP Paribas Real Estate
, inviting offers by 24 February 2011.
JKSW Architects stated in mid-2011 that they had a brief to secure planning approval for a development of five contemporary houses within the grounds, to restore Beltwood house "to its former glory", to enlarge the small Gate House, and to restore the grounds. They are working with Alan Baxter & Associates (heritage consultants) and Lloyd Bore (landscape and gardens).
In November 2011 the property was again put on the market through Hamptons International estate agents. The particulars include full floor plans and photographs.
Dulwich Wood
Dulwich Wood together with the adjacent Sydenham Hill Wood is the largest extant part of the ancient Great North Wood. The two woods were separated after the relocation of The Crystal Palace in 1854 and the creation of the high level line in 1865...
Conservation Area
Conservation Area (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, the term Conservation Area nearly always applies to an area considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of its special architectural or historic interest, "the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance," as required by the Planning ...
in south London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. The large three-storey mansion has fifty rooms and stands in about 3.05 acres of wooded grounds, with gatekeeper's lodge, mews courtyard cottages, stables and a stable apartment, a tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
and a croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
lawn. The site has been subject to a blanket tree preservation order
Tree preservation order
A Tree Preservation Order or TPO is a part of town and country planning in the United Kingdom. A TPO is made by a Local Planning Authority to protect specific trees or a particular area, group or woodland from deliberate damage and destruction...
since 1985.
Description
The main house faces south-south-east and includes over 1000 m2 floor space over four floors, including the basementBasement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
. Two buildings are located northeast of the main house: the Lodge House, residential with 71 m2 floor space over two floors; and the Stable Block which has 95 m2 of ground floor garage space and 57 m2 of first floor residential space. The front of the main house looks southwards over formal gardens. The Gate House, a separate two-storey residential property (92 m2), is located in the southwest of the grounds, close to the entrance off Sydenham Hill
Sydenham Hill
For other uses of 'Sydenham', see Sydenham .Sydenham Hill is a hill or ridge and a locality in South-East London and the name of a road which runs along the northern eastern part of the ridge and forms the boundary between the London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham. The...
.
An old railway tunnel runs under the estate. On 24 March 1864 the first owner of Beltwood granted "the right of the London Chatham and Dover Railway Company to maintain and use the existing tunnel thereunder." The tunnel was on the railway line from Peckham Rye
Peckham Rye
For the rail station of the same name see Peckham Rye Railway StationPeckham Rye is an open space and road in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England....
to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace
- United Kingdom :* The Crystal Palace, an 1851 building in south London destroyed by fire in 1936** The Great Exhibition, the event the building was built for, sometimes also known as Crystal Palace...
which had been authorised in 1862 and opened in 1865, catering for the expected large numbers of visitors to Crystal Palace. The line closed in 1954 and was dismantled.
Private house
The house was built for London SolicitorSolicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
Edward Saxton and his wife Harriet in 1851, possibly by Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
estate architects Banks and Barry. Saxton moved from Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
before the 1851 census, and their daughter was born at Beltwood on 18 March 1852. They had several children while living in Beltwood. A book written by Maria J. Saxton Salès published in 1886 bears the address "Beltwood, Sydenham Hill".
Around 1895 the house was very extensively remodelled in a neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
by Messrs Kemp and How of Bloomsbury." Prior to this it was described as "not only extremely ugly, both inside and outside, but in addition it was most inconvenient. In the first place the rooms were badly situated, very high and ill-proportioned, and the main entrance and kitchen were placed on the south elevation, making it impossible to obtain any privacy in the gardens."
Saxton lived in the house for sixty years until his death on 27 August 1911 at the age of 97, and members of his family continued to live there until 1914.
The house was put up for sale by auction on 10 June 1913, described as a "desirable freehold residential property" with an 823 ft frontage, "eleven bed and dressing rooms, three reception rooms, capital domestic offices, stabling, gardener's cottage, pleasure grounds, area 3¾ acres; in excellent repair: for immediate occupation" and in May 1914 John Edward Pickering of Wood Hall, Dulwich
Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
was registered as proprietor.
Pickering died in the house in an accident on 2 January 1919 at the age of 67, and his wife Helen Ann continued to live at Beltwood until her death on 6 April 1924. Items of Mrs Pickering's "Old English silver plate, chiefly of the Georgian period
Georgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
" were sold at auction at Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
on 4 December 1924, and the house, described as "noteworthy for the perfection and extent of its gardens", was to have been auctioned for the executor
Executor
An executor, in the broadest sense, is one who carries something out .-Overview:...
s by Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
on 24 March 1925, but it was privately sold before the date. An auction of the house contents, including Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director...
furniture, Louis XV
Louis Quinze
The Louis XV style or Louis Quinze was a French Rococo style in the decorative arts, and, to a lesser degree, architecture.Datable to the personal reign of Louis XV , the style was characterised by supreme craftsmanship and the integration of the arts of cabinetmaking, painting, and...
and XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
tables, a serpentine Sheraton
Sheraton Style
Sheraton is a late 18th century neoclassical English furniture style, in vogue ca 1785 - 1820, that was coined by 19th century collectors and dealers to credit furniture designer Thomas Sheraton, born in Stockton-on-Tees, England in 1751 and whose books, "The Cabinet Dictionary" of engraved...
sideboard, a library of books, pictures, porcelain, clocks, bronzes and Persian carpets was held on 31 March and 1 April 1925 at the house, raising £4,100 (equivalent to about £200,000 in 2010), of which 105 guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
was paid for the Chippendale chairs and 102 guineas for a set of six mahogany Hepplewhite
George Hepplewhite
George Hepplewhite was a cabinetmaker. He is regarded as having been one of the "big three" English furniture makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale...
dining chairs with oval backs, carved with the Prince of Wales's Feathers.
The house remained in private ownership until after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. John Pickering and his wife were followed by Vincent Holder who lived there until the late 1920s. The house was then bought by Athelstane Wilson Cornforth, who lived there until the 1940s. In 1939, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Co Ltd of 8, India Street, Minories
Minories
The Minories is the name of both an area and street in the City of London close to the Tower of London. The street called Minories runs north-south between Aldgate and Tower Hill underground stations...
, London EC3 is documented to have moved temporarily to Beltwood House.
Communal use
From 1949 to 1961 Beltwood was a children’s hospital, first named as Sydenham Invalid Babies Nursery in 1949. By 1954 it was referred to as the Babies Hospital and had 35 beds. It was run by an adoption agency called The Mission of Hope and had two babies’ wards downstairs and a toddlers’ nursery upstairs.In 1961 the hospital closed, and the house was refurbished and used as a Hall of Residence for about fifty Dental Therapy students for about 15 years. The house then became a YWCA
World YWCA
The World YWCA is the umbrella organization of the global network of the YWCA, a movement of women working for social and economic change around the world. It advocates for young women’s leadership, peace, justice, human rights and sustainable development, both on a grassroots and global scale...
hostel until the 1980s. It was also used as a nurses' home for King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is an acute care facility in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH"...
and for first-year Dental Therapy students at New Cross Hospital during the 1980s and early 90s.
It was restored 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...
after its use as student accommodation ended, and was listed as English Heritage Building ID 471378 on 27 May 1993.
It was then occupied by a Christian commune, and in the late 1990s the Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band Delirious?
Delirious?
Delirious? were an English Christian rock and worship band. For the majority of their career, the lineup featured Martin Smith on vocals and guitar, Stu G on guitar and backing vocals, Jon Thatcher on bass guitar, Tim Jupp on keys and piano, and Stew Smith on drums and percussion...
set up recording equipment in the house. It was one of the locations where they recorded the album King of fools in 1998.
Planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
was granted in February 1999 for the construction of eight three-bedroomed houses, the conversion of the main house into three large apartments and extension of the Lodge House. The plans included parking for 27 vehicles. This consent expired, and application to renew it in 2004 was refused on the grounds that there was no provision for affordable housing
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
.
Recent notoriety
The house was purchased in 2001 by an American woman, Miss Tracy Thier, for £1.1 million. A refurbishment programme led to the house being registered as a hotel, with the intention of running events such as weddings, conferences and parties, with some advertisements describing the venue as a "night club". A party named La Funk Royale was held in December 2004, and events on 17 July and 28 August 2005 brought complaints to the Council from members of the public about noise. There were also licensing issues, and the functions ceased.During the autumn of 2006 Southwark Council
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
received 48 complaints from members of the public about nuisance from animals escaping from Beltwood House. Fencing around the property was insecure and packs of dogs were terrorising members of the public. Dogs strayed onto railway lines causing delays, dogs and a horse were found loose on roads (on one occasion causing a road traffic accident), and there was fouling and damage to residents’ gardens. Neighbours reported continuous barking and howling day and night, and during the period a number of people were attacked and injured by dogs from Beltwood. Two Alsatian dogs
German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog , also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd, is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog...
injured one woman so badly that she needed extensive plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
. A jogger was surrounded and attacked by dogs and needed emergency surgery. Moreover, during 2006 over 30 stray dogs from Beltwood were taken to Battersea Dogs Home
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is the UK's oldest and most famous home for dogs and cats and is situated in the Battersea area of London, England. It is financed by voluntary donations with an income of over £12.2 million in 2009.-History:...
by police or council dog wardens, costing the charity over £54000. Many people contacted the RSPCA
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a charity in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. In 2009 the RSPCA investigated 141,280 cruelty complaints and collected and rescued 135,293 animals...
to report animal neglect. A neighbour reported, "It was an ongoing saga which resulted in people getting horrific injuries, several children being chased and one man having a nervous breakdown and leaving the area."
Miss Thier was unwilling to accept responsibility or to remedy the situation, and in May 2007 an Anti-Social Behaviour Order
Anti-Social Behaviour Order
An Anti-Social Behaviour Order or ASBO is a civil order made against a person who has been shown, on the balance of evidence, to have engaged in anti-social behaviour. The orders, introduced in the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998, were designed to correct minor incidents that...
(ASBO) was issued by Southwark Anti-Social Behaviour Unit prohibiting her from keeping animals on the Beltwood Estate and from causing noise nuisance. Miss Thier returned to America, evading prosecution and the £50,000 costs payable to the council. Mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
arrears led to Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
County Court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...
bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
s repossessing the property on 16 July 2007. RSPCA inspectors removed 64 dogs, 7 horses and 2 peacocks
Peafowl
Peafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female...
from the grounds, the dogs to Battersea Dogs Home and the horses to the International League for the Protection of Horses
World Horse Welfare
World Horse Welfare is a registered charity in the United Kingdom and Scotland that was previously named The International League for the Protection of Horses . Anne, Princess Royal is its patron.-History:...
. The event was filmed by both 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...
and ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, and was the subject of a BBC documentary broadcast in August 2007.
On 1st August 2007 Beltwood was put on the market with estate agents Mann, selling for £3.5 million. Viewings took two hours, as each room was kept locked with its own key. Upstairs rooms had been used as bedsit
Bedsit
A bedsit, also known as a bed-sitting room, is a form of rented accommodation common in Great Britain and Ireland consisting of a single room and shared bathroom; they are part of a legal category of dwellings referred to as Houses in multiple occupation....
s, and an outbuilding had been used for events. Viewings ceased when the owner returned to the UK and instigated legal proceedings, and the sale was put on hold. She was arrested and ordered to appear before Tower Bridge Magistrates for the breaches of the ASBO in 2008. District Judge Black gave her a 100-day suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
, and ordered her to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay £1000 in costs within 28 days.
The future
By 2010, Clydesdale BankClydesdale Bank
Clydesdale Bank is a commercial bank in Scotland, a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Group. In Scotland, Clydesdale Bank is the third largest clearing bank, although it also retains a branch network in London and the north of England...
had gained vacant possession
Vacant Possession
Vacant Possession is also the title to a second novel by British author Hilary Mantel, first published in 1986 by Chatto and Windus. It continues the story from her first novel Every Day is Mother's Day and is set some ten years later with the same cast of characters.-The Novel:Muriel Axon has been...
by evicting squatters
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
, and put the property up for sale through BNP Paribas Real Estate
BNP Paribas Real Estate
BNP Paribas Real Estate is a specialised division of the financial services group BNP Paribas. The company is present in 31 countries across the globe through owned delegations and alliances....
, inviting offers by 24 February 2011.
JKSW Architects stated in mid-2011 that they had a brief to secure planning approval for a development of five contemporary houses within the grounds, to restore Beltwood house "to its former glory", to enlarge the small Gate House, and to restore the grounds. They are working with Alan Baxter & Associates (heritage consultants) and Lloyd Bore (landscape and gardens).
In November 2011 the property was again put on the market through Hamptons International estate agents. The particulars include full floor plans and photographs.
External links
- Aerial view of Beltwood house and grounds