bomber bringing it down. Clearing Exbury House by only a few feet, the bomber bounced on it’s belly across the lawn, coming to its final resting place nose down in a bog. The remains of the plane were taken away, and it was a complete mystery as to why the plane had flown alone, and why there were seven bodies found in the wreckage, when the bomber had a crew of four. Subsequent research has shown that the additional three men on board were, in fact, their ground crew and that the plane was en-route to Bremen, but got lost in the fog, probably with a faulty compass. This event was fictionalised by author Neville Shute, who was billeted at Mastodon in his novel ‘Requiem For A Wren’. Set in this part of Exbury, his heroine shoots down the German bomber and suffers guilt after being told that the plane was filled with refugees trying to surrender. The Exbury Estate is most famous as the site of Exbury Gardens. Acquired by the de Rothschild family in 1919, Lionel de Rothschild set about creating the spectacular gardens. He was a keen collector of plants, particularly rhododendrons and azaleas, and also a successful hybridizer of many of these species, many of which can be seen in the gardens today. This tradition has been continued by his descendants, his sons Edmund and Leopold and grandsons Nicholas and Lionel. The garden itself is split into different sections, with a Winter Garden, Camellia Walk, Bog Garden and American Garden, where rhododendrons and azaleas, such as ‘Pink Walloper’ flower against a backdrop of
laburnum and wisteria. The American Garden was created after the Great Storm of 1987, when there was much devastation and the American Rhododendron Society were most generous in gifting many of their finest hybrids to help with the post storm reconstruction. Such is the popularity of the gardens, Nicholas de Rothschild filmed a documentary called ‘The Glory of the Garden’, named after Rudyard Kipling’s poem and narrated by James Mason. This film was co-produced by Minnie Cassatt Hickman, great grandniece to the impressionist artist Mary Cassatt and was entered into the New York Film and Television Festival where it won a gold medal for Best Documentary. Such was its appeal that the film was shown on PBS throughout the 1980s. Exbury also boasts a 12 ¼ inch gauge railway which was built by Leopold de Rothschild. Planning for the railway started in 1994, however it was not granted planning permission until 2000 as the New Forest District Council had a policy of not supporting any new tourist attractions. However consent was granted on the proviso that users of the railway were also visitors to the gardens. And so work began under the direction of Edinburgh-based architect Sir James DunbarNesmith. Sir James also designed Exbury Central Station, basing its architecture on Aviemore Station in Scotland. Work on the railway was completed by a topping-out ceremony by Leopold de Rothschild in August 2001. The Queen of England is an ardent fan of the railway, having made two visits to drive the engines, naming the newest locomotive
“Mariloo”, after Mr de Rothschild’s mother. Bringing the Exbury story to a close, the current owners have lavishly renovated the first floor of the House, creating a fabulous entertaining space centred around the Rotunda. It is thought that the Rotunda was originally part of a Summer Garden, created by Cubitts Builders for Alfred de Rothschild to match the Winter Garden that was already part of Halton House in Buckinghamshire. When Exbury House was being renovated, Lionel de Rothschild enlisted Cubitts to do the work. It was then they discovered the moulds for the Summer Garden in Cubitts’ yard. Lionel de Rothschild decided to incorporate this into Exbury House where it remains today as the centrepiece, flooding light into the very core of the house. The first floor was left unoccupied after the Navy moved out until the current owners, Nicholas and Caroline de Rothschild took over and restored the apartment to an exceptional finish. Starting from an empty shell with no wiring, plumbing or flooring, they have brought the apartment back to life using the abundant natural light brought in by the Rotunda on one side, and the large South facing windows on the other. n An all too rare opportunity has arisen to rent The Rotunda and enjoy an exceptional apartment with far reaching sea views and to become part of the history of Exbury House. For further information on living on the Exbury Estate and the New Forest, please contact Ian WoodhouseSmith on 01590 677233 or iwoodhouse@ johndwood.co.uk
26