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Eythrope

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Eythrope

Eythrope (previously Ethorp) is a hamlet and country house in the parish of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located to the south east of the main village of Waddesdon. It was bought in the 1870s by a branch of the Rothschild family, and belongs to them to this day.

Eythrope is Grade II listed on the National Heritage List for England, and its gardens are also grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The hamlet name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means "island farm", referring to an island in the River Thame that flows by the hamlet. The medieval village of Eythrope is deserted and all that remains are some earthen banks and ditches on the eastern side of Eythrope Park. There was a manor house at this hamlet as early as 1309, when it was the home of the Arches family. One former owner, Sir Roger Dynham, built a chantry chapel on what is now the site of the pavilion. This was demolished by Sir William Stanhope in the 1730s.

The mansion was extended in 1610 by Dorothy Pelham, (One source says Sir William Dormer) this was her house from her first marriage. Her second husband William Pelham styled himself as "from Eythorpe", but this was more true of Dorothy who had her own financial independence.

William Stanhope (1702–1772) embellished Eythrope House around 1750. Stanhope employed Isaac Ware to build new stables (now lost) and follies in the garden and park. Two of these buildings survive: the grotto by the lake, and the bridge over the River Thame. The house was demolished in 1810-11 by Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield.

In 1875, the manor at Eythrope was bought by Alice de Rothschild. She was the sister and companion of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild who owned the neighboring estate Waddesdon Manor. The new house at Eythrope was not built on the site of the old manor. While building was in progress Alice fell ill with rheumatic fever and was advised to avoid damp conditions at night. As Eythrope was next to the river Thame, the plans were altered. The house was built without bedrooms as a place to house her collections and entertain guests during the day.

Alice chose one of the Rothschild family's favourite architects George Devey who had worked at nearby Ascott House, Aston Clinton House and in the villages belonging to the Mentmore Estate. Eythrope was something of a deviation from his usual approach. It is constructed in red brick with stone dressings. With its twisting chimneys, turrets and gables, it is a mixture of Devey's usual Jacobean style and the French Renaissance architecture of Waddesdon Manor. This is especially noticeable on the concave roof to the round tower, and the gable on the garden facade which are particularly reminiscent of Waddesdon. Because of its small size the house was christened "The Pavilion" or the "Water Pavilion".

As in other Rothschild homes, French panelling and furniture dressed the rooms. Alice also collected Renaissance sculpture, paintings and maiolica ware.

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