Upper Exbury |
| Hob Uid: 1574518 | |
Location :
Hampshire
New Forest
Exbury and Lepe
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| Grid Ref : SZ4267309993 |
| Summary : Upper Exbury is a private country house built from 1964 to 1965 to the designs by Sir James Dunbar-Nasmith for Leopold de Rothschild. The architect's designs were executed by the practise Law and Dunbar-Nasmith. The building was constructed of buff sand-faced brick and black painted timber. The roof is covered by Delabole slate. The house was designed as a country house for weekend entertaining and in particular concerts. L-shaped in plan, it contains a staircase with a lift at its core linking the five levels. These comprise a ground floor below garden level, main living rooms, a two storey bedroom wing and a service wing. The focus of the house is a double-height music room which is connected by several steps around the central fireplace. The house contains some specially designed fixtures and fittings: for example balcony balustrade supports by Ann Henderson and sculpted crystal door-knobs by Helen Weir. |
More information : Listed. For the designation record of this site please see The National Heritage List for England. (1-2)
The site of the house was originally the kitchen garden of Exbury House (see Monument Hob UID 767402) with views to the south over the Solent and the Isle of Wight. Designed as a country house for entertaining, the owner in particular wanted to give chamber music concerts to as many as 50 people. Therefore the music room is large enough to hold two grand pianos, a clavichord and a hi-fi installation. A tapestry was commissioned for the dining room and which was designed by Sax Shaw. De Rothschild also requested that all living and bedrooms must face south. The main contractors were J. F. Gamble and Sons (New Forest). (3)
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