Built in 1886 by Walter Ralph Bankes (1853-1904) as a hunting lodge this attractive Victorian country house was designed by a Scottish architect and has been described by an architectural historian as a "Queen of Bands" house as the tower and ornamentation is said to be inspired by Victorian band stands.
The tale is that he used it in his bachelor days for entertaining and that he never returned after his marriage. The house has always been a private house and has been lease by the Anderson family since 1926 when Gen. Stuart Anderson rented it from Ralph Bankes. It formed part of Ralph Bankes very generous bequest to the National Trust - the largest they have ever been given.
First hand accounts tell of King George VI, Montgomery, Eisenhower and Churchill watching the preparations for the D-Day landings from here, First a destroyer made a smoke screen along the Bournemouth coast to maintain secrecy and then all hell broke loose as operation, with planes, landing craft and live ammunition got underway. Our reporter says the blast blew out many of the windows of the house.
Since then the house has had a more peaceful time and has been used in recent years as the setting for some Rosamunde Pilcher romantic dramas much loved by German television audiences.
Loft Studio to let
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