A ideal rural estate that housed Holocaust survivors during the Second World War is on sale for £13.5 million.
In the heart of Epping Forest, Essex, on the outskirts of London, lies a ten-bedroom home with a swimming pool, ten acres of gardens and forest, a private fishing lake, a tennis court, and even two helicopter landing pads.
There are multiple reception rooms, a ballroom, a gymnasium, ten bedrooms, and seven bathrooms in the main home, which has about 14,000 square feet of living area.
The Victorian Gothic revival mansion is also where the Sudentenlanders, who had fled the Nazis, gathered in 1940 to formulate the Loughton Declaration – a plan to re-build Czechoslovakia as a federal state including Sudetenland as a nation following the Allies’ victory.
Between December 1945 and January 1947, it became a safe house for anti-Nazi VIPs and then a refuge for orphaned Holocaust survivors known as the Loughton Boys.
The boy’s voyage to Britain after the war was part of a relocation of 715 Holocaust survivor children, who were initially relocated to the Lake District before being relocated to Jewish-run hostels throughout the country, with some ending up at the country estate.
The final group of 30 young men between the ages of 16 and 21 to leave Windermere in December 1945 desired to be near London, so they settled at Holmehurst, close to Buckhurst Hill and Loughton.
A dream rural property that housed Holocaust survivors during World War II is for sale for £13.5 million.
One of the ten bedrooms features a spacious area with plenty of room for chairs, a desk, and your bed, as well as large windows that provide natural light and views of the surrounding forest.
The property features a ten-bedroom home with a swimming pool (shown), as well as 10 acres of gardens and woodland, a private fishing lake, tennis courts, and two helicopter landing pads.
The Victorian Gothic revival mansion (pictured, one of its beautiful staircases) is also where, in 1940, Sudentenlanders who had fled the Nazis met to establish the Loughton Declaration – a plan to re-establish Czechoslovakia as a federal state including Sudetenland as a nation after the Allies’ victory.
The 10-acre property features a historic Victorian coachhouse, a private fishing lake, tennis court, barns, and two helicopter landing pads.
In addition to the tennis court and partially-implemented planning permit for a four-bedroom home with a separate driveway, the vast estate features a tennis court.
The palace was constructed in 1865 for the rich shipping tycoon Theophilus Westhorp. In 1937, the house and surrounding grounds were sold for residential construction, but the outbreak of World War II altered these plans.
The mansion was attacked three times during World War II; the first two occasions caused very little damage, but the third bombing in January 1945 caused extensive damage that necessitated extensive repairs before the arrival of the Loughton Boys.
In many cases, the boys were the sole survivor of their families and had suffered slave labor and concentration camps.
Last year, a blue plaque recognizing the home’s contribution was unveiled with several former residents in attendance.
The current owner, who has lived there for 23 years, has spared no cost in enhancing and increasing the property while retaining nearly all of its original characteristics. It features elaborate cornices, marble fireplaces, and enormous sash windows.
The current owner, who has lived there for 23 years, has spared no cost in enhancing and increasing the property while retaining nearly all of its original characteristics. It features numerous decorative cornices, marble fireplaces, and large sash windows.
The dining room is one of the spaces where you may host big dinners for visitors, and it features a number of attractive touches, such as a wooden floor and chandelier.
The stunning Victorian Gothic mansion is nestled within its own extremely quiet and secluded gardens, although Holmehurst is surrounded on all sides by The City of London’s crown gem, Elizabeth’s hunting ground, Epping Forest.
The main home features a kitchen adjacent to two bathrooms and the living room, while the lodge also has a kitchen.
The main residence contains about 14,000 square feet of living space, including multiple reception rooms, a ballroom, a fitness center, ten bedrooms, and seven bathrooms (one of those toilets which include a bath and a large space)
Holmehurst is an extremely unusual opportunity to live in a rural setting while also having easy access to the city; it is very possibly the last metropolitan country house.
The majority of the 715 Holocaust survivor children brought to Britain after the war were adolescents. After a time of rehabilitation in the Lake District, they were relocated to hostels throughout the nation.
The 10-acre property features an antique Victorian coachhouse, a private fishing lake, a tennis court, barns, and two helicopter landing pads. There is also planning approval for a four-bedroom home with a separate driveway that has been partially implemented.
Tim Phillips from Savills, who is selling the property, stated, ‘Holmehurst represents an extremely unique opportunity to live in a rural setting while also having easy access to the city; it is quite probably the last metropolitan country house.
‘Although there has been an increase in flexible working in recent years, buyers still want to be able to travel into the city for business or for pleasure, which is why Holmehurst is such a unique offering.
The lovely Victorian Gothic mansion is nestled within its own very quiet and secluded gardens. However, Holmehurst is surrounded on all sides by The City of London’s crown gem, Elizabeth’s hunting ground, Epping Forest.
The interior of this home has been painstakingly restored to its previous splendor, retaining nearly all of its original features.
I can imagine Holmehurst being quite popular among individuals who are looking for their dream country house but still want to be close to all the amenities and culture for which London is internationally recognized.
How D-Day sparked the series of events that led to the end of World War II.
The Second World War, fought on every inhabited continent, was the costliest war in history, claiming the lives of around 57 million people.
In 1944, the tide began to turn against the Nazis, notably after the June 1944 D-Day landings.
In January 1945, after Germany’s defeat in the Battle of the Bulge, the surviving German troops crawled back to the Rhine to defend the frontier. They were ultimately displaced by a massive Allied assault involving one million men.
This is a schedule of the most important events:
1944
British and American soldiers land at Anzio on January 22.
Rome falls to the Allies on June 4.
Operation Overlord’s iconic D-Day invasion begins on the beaches of Normandy on June 6.
On June 13, the first V-1 bombs strike London.
The bomb plot against Hitler almost fails on July 20.
The Allies attack the south of France on August 15.
The Battle of Normandy concludes on August 20 with the closing of the Falaise Pocket. The advance to the Seine River begins.
August 25 marks the liberation of Paris.
The liberation of Brussels occurs on September 3.
17-26 September: The “Bridge Too Far” airborne effort to cross the Rhine at Arnhem, Operation Market Garden, fails with the death of around 18,000 Allies.
British forces land in Greece on October 5.
The Battle of the Bulge begins with the German onslaught in the Ardennes region on December 16.
1945
Russian soldiers overrun Warsaw on January 17.
On January 27, Russian troops liberate the Auschwitz concentration camp, as the horrors of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust become gradually more apparent.
On January 28, the final shots of the Battle of the Bulge are fired, bringing the Allies victory but at a high cost in troops and equipment.
13 February: The Royal Air Force starts a carpet-bombing raid on Dresden, followed by three additional US Air Force raids.
On March 23 and 24, one million Allies cross the Rhine as part of Operation Plunder.
April 12: US President Franklin Roosevelt dies.
Hitler commits himself in his Berlin Fuhrerbunker on April 30, as Soviet soldiers advance on the Reich Chancellory in the heart of Berlin, by shooting himself in the head and swallowing a cyanide pill.
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, and his wife commit suicide on May 1.
German forces in Italy surrender on May 2.
On the Luneberg Heath on May 4, Montgomery accepts the surrender of German soldiers in Holland, northwestern Germany, and Denmark.
May 8 marks Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) when Admiral Karl Donitz, Hitler’s last designated president, surrenders unconditionally.
In Berlin on May 9, Nazi Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signs an unconditional surrender to the Red Army.
The atomic bomb “Little Boy” is dropped on Hiroshima on August 6 by the US B-29 bomber Enola Gay.
The “Fat Man” atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki on August 9.
Emperor Hirohito announces Japan’s unconditional surrender on August 14, and the documents are signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) or VP Day (Victory in the Pacific) is observed on August 15.