The History of Eastnor Castle - continued
THE DECLINE OF THE FAMILY FORTUNESDespite the massive expenditure on Eastnor, the family fortunes flourished. By the 1870's, the Somers Cocks' estates exceeded 13,000 acres, and the family also owned Somers Town in London, a gift from William III to Lord Chancellor Somers, and Reigate Priory in Surrey. However, the agricultural depression of the 1870's caused a decline in the family wealth, affecting them as it did others who lacked income from urban property or coal.
By 1920, when the last Lord Somers inherited the estate - the earldom became extinct in 1883 - much of the land had been sold and the art collection from the Castle had been divided between him and his cousin.
When Lord Somers was appointed Governor of Victoria in 1926, the family moved to Australia and Eastnor was left unoccupied. On their return in 1931, some rooms were redecorated and limited central heating was installed. In 1939, all the Castle contents were removed, leaving it available for government use during the war, but it was never used. Lord Somers' widow returned to Eastnor and lived in the servants' wing between 1945 and 1949 in much reduced circumstances, the family having been hard hit by tax of £200,000 - £8 million in today's terms - on the death of her husband.
THE REVIVAL OF EASTNORThe revival of Eastnor was started by Hon. Elizabeth Somers Cocks and Benjamin Hervey-Bathurst, the parents of the present owner. They moved into the Castle in 1949, when the slow process of reinhabiting the rooms and attending to various outbreaks of dry rot and other long-neglected repairs began. This was financed by sales from the collection and the reinvestment of almost all income from the estate.
The first government grant was received to repair the battlements of the four main towers, which were badly damaged by hurricane-force winds in 1976.
James Hervey-Bathurst and his family, came to live in Eastnor in 1988, and accelerated the restoration and internal repair of the Castle. Grants of over £250,000 from English Heritage went towards the cost of the external repairs. Since then, diversification into tourism, corporate entertaining, weddings and conferences has enabled the restoration of Eastnor to proceed apace. The Castle will always require a high level of maintenance and there is still much to be done, but the future prospects for Eastnor are possibly more encouraging now than at any time in the last 100 years ...
Or Click HERE to read about the History of the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire.