Stately living fit for a king

Jun 2 2006

By Marsya Lennox, Property Correspondent

A hundred years ago, the Bass family of Burton were busy preparing for visitors. They expected quite a crowd and wanted to make them comfortable. So they commissioned architects, master builders and a host of craftsmen to get over to the family pile at Rangemore and build a brand new wing onto their 19th century mansion. Something approaching 12,000 sq ft was deemed adequate, set at right angles to the original house to share similar, wonderful views over an extended sun terrace, parkland and lakes. The new guest wing was, in effect, a grand country house in its own right - finished exquisitely - and fit for a king. The honoured visitor was King Edward V11, complete with entourage. And Lord Burton's historic effort set an impossibly high standard of hospitality. There was an oak panelled private study for the King, complete with strong room, spiral stone stairs led up unobtrusively nearby, linking to the staff quarters above. There was the latest in lift luxury with ornate and gilded metalwork; soaring ceilings with ornate plasterwork; wonderful fireplaces in carved marble; even a bathroom in mahogany with capacious tub and china basin. Two years ago, the King Edward Vll wing stood empty, redundant - and in need of a new role following its stint as part of the Bass brewery headquarters. The days of opulence - and visiting monarchy - seemed long past. Neighbouring parts of the hall and its extensive outbuildings and associated estate buildings were being converted as a series of homes, ranging from modest to impressive. None of the potential conversions, however, can have been quite as daunting as this wing, all 11,755 sq ft of it. But new owners arrived, in the shape of the husband and wife team, Roy and Gail Coles, Midland developers with an eye for the unusual. Two years on, with their own 21st team of craftsmen, they have transformed the King Edward Vll wing into a spectacular home. In an inspiring mix of restoration and modernisation, they have achieved the impossible, recreating a sumptuous period house with contemporary luxury built in. Setting this huge home apart from others is more than the palatial space on offer. It is the opportunity to acquire the full package - exactly as seen, from the preserved period fabric to the sophisticated finishes - even the specially sourced furniture and fittings. The price tag on the completed conversion with all its carpets, window dressings and chandeliers - a whole firmament of them - is £2 million. All other perfectly-matched items from dining tables to portraits, grand piano to home cinema, are also available. But building in more value are the country house extras never usually available with a stately home "conversion". Included with the King Edward V11 wing are nine and a half acres with two lakes, parkland, four car garaging, formal gardens and terrace plus a long carriage drive approach. One can look across to another wing of appropriately worthy neighbours. But the property is oriented in such a way as to preserve the country house illusion with long, uninterrupted views over an astonishing landscape of giant trees, banks of rhododendrons, sweeping manicured grassland and the tranquil lakeside. Roy and Gail Coles took two full years to see their vision realised on this, their most ambitious project to date. English Heritage would have smiled on a conversion as two large separate houses. But the Coles did not, determined to create just one, incomparable home, remaining true to its original concept. They delighted in the original features and rejoiced at their miraculous survival. The King's lift is preserved and his bathroom remains intact, right down to the original tiling and the ingenious, tip-up basin, with its smooth ceramic interior, free of annoying plugs. Though perfectly functional, it remains more as a conversation piece, overtaken in the luxury stakes by the showpiece plumbing now in place. In one bathroom is a slipper bath, central to the tall window and the parkland outlook. In the principal suite is an infinity bath, two tubs in one with central section continually cascading into the outer, all on a constant temperature control for ultimate relaxation. There are period-inspired wash-stands, big wet-area showers and the cleverest mix of traditional and contemporary. A long first floor space between principal upper and lower levels provides the ideal area for a gym with a steam room beyond, all fitted with colour change lighting. On the same level is a library, also a staff flat with generous living room and open plan kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The smallest bedroom is 18ft by 11ft plus with a corner fireplace. The larger ones are furnished in show mansion style with beautiful period-style upholstered and four poster beds. The ground floor is a lesson in the converter's art, from its renovated principal rooms to the luxury additions and insertions. Craftsmen erected scaffolding to lie under the ornate ceilings, simply to paint and pick out all the intricate plaster mouldings. "They were like Michaelangelo in the Sistine Chapel," said Gail Coles. A skilled French polisher was drafted in to deal with the panelling in the King's study alongside the ornate, carved oak chimneypiece. "He said it was the finest fireplace he had seen," said Andrew Barnes of Knight Frank. The drawing room received similar treatment. This space provides more than 47ft by 24ft with three full height windows to the terrace. The Coles have paid tribute to their team. "We had brilliant tradesmen. They all came back here for an open day and they brought their wives and mothers. They are really proud," said Gail. The kitchen vies for a title as the country's grandest, yet appears totally user-friendly - and even more surprising, it blends easily with the period surroundings. What would have originally been another fine reception room now bags the central bay window with French doors to the sun terrace, providing bright dining or break-fasting space for the largest house party, all within reach of the Aga. This is a kitchen with a chandelier, high stately ceilings, vast, granite-topped work island with inset basins and an enormous period-style fitted dresser, copied exactly from a surviving original elsewhere in Rangemore Hall. Nearby is the utility or butler's pantry, fittings including a 160 bottle champagne fridge. Across the hall, the Coles put some unassuming, and wasted, space to good use. What was an enclosed yard, essentially the house's lightwell, allowing natural daylight to be borrowed by its inner spaces, is now a leisure room planned to international standards. This has a large multi-purpose room, suitable for partying, breakfasts - even a fitness suite. Alongside is a big spa pool and a swimming pool with exercise stream. The theme is nearly Roman temple - but more subtle with arched mirrors to the pool and faux stone wall treatments. It is the sort of sophisticated extra that may convince a buyer to secure the King Edward Vll wing as his own. This ultimate "lock-up-and-leave" country home also has a second floor cinema room, fully equipped with seven feet screen, high definition projector and specialist sound system. The property would make an impressive UK base for an habitual traveller or international businessman - who likes to entertain, royally, in the English countryside. And this part of Staffordshire with its undulating wooded landscapes is worth exploring for its unspoilt, often hidden villages, never that far from the excellent road links. Birmingham is 28 miles, Lichfield 12 miles, Derby 14 miles and East Midlands Airport 22 miles. With its own driveway, garaging and parkland acres, the King Edward V11 is being sold without strings - freehold. Among Roy and Gail Coles' recent projects was also an old corn mill in south west Cork in Ireland. New schemes include a rural conversion near Lichfield. "This is the biggest thing we have done - and we just loved doing it. It has been so exciting - I'll be sad to see it go," added Mrs Coles. Appointments to view should be made with Knight Frank in Birmingham, telephone 0121 200 2220.