Henry VIII once resided in the Grade I-listed Ashridge House in Hertfordshire, which features an oak tree planted by Elizabeth I. Despite its beauty and history, its existence is mostly unknown to people who are not locals, historians, or guests of exclusive events. The current tenants hope that this will soon change.
Ashridge House is largely concealed in a peaceful region of Hertfordshire.
Before the Covid epidemic, it was a private location that was inaccessible to the general public and today houses a business school.
This is beginning to change as the house’s administrators in Berkhamsted aim to expand its entrances to cover operating expenses.
A cafe and a restaurant have been established, house tours are given, and guests can spend the night.
A spokeswoman for Ashridge House stated, “We’re still finding our way, but it’s an exciting moment.”
The main house encompasses approximately 12,300 square meters (132,396 square feet), while the gardens, which are designated as Grade II, span approximately 76 hectares.
The history of Ashridge begins in 1283, when Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, founded the College of Bonhomme’s, a monastery that first housed seven brothers.
With Henry VIII’s dissolution of monasteries in 1539, however, it became the king’s property.
The location appealed to him so much that he chose to make it his home for 11 years.
A young Princess Elizabeth – afterward Elizabeth – is rumored to have planted an oak tree at Ashridge.
Since then, it has been a private residence, and in 1808, James Wyatt renovated it.
It has also served as a hospital during the war, a finishing school for women, and a training center for the Conservative party.
It has been a center for business education for the past six decades and, since 2016, is the location of an agreement between Ashridge Management College and Hult International Business School.
Morten Davidsen, vice president at Hult, stated that the location, although hosting weddings and corporate gatherings, has been “extremely exclusive and purpose-only” for many years.
Before the pandemic, Ashridge’s management began exploring new avenues for expansion.
Mr. Davidsen stated that annual operating expenditures are typically in the “high six figures” and that energy costs have increased since 2020.
This year, the electricity bill exceeds £1 million, sending annual operating expenses “into the millions.”
“It is quite expensive to maintain and operate a Grade I-listed building, so we began rethinking to make it more viable,” he explained.
Mr. Davidsen stated that one of the silver linings of Covid was that we were well-equipped to deal with all the limits due to the large space available.
“Locals were able to stroll through the gardens, and once limitations were loosened a bit, we were able to throw modest events inside because the home has large rooms with high ceilings.”
In 2020, former Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, who lives nearby, hosted an art event at Ashridge, marking one of the turning points.
Mr. Davidsen stated, “It generated a crowd, and we realized that we could manage the influx of visitors.”
Therefore, we opened a café, which quickly gained popularity within the local community.
“We opened up completely… this set the ball moving”
And, similar to Elizabeth I’s acorn, Ashridge’s expansion has proceeded rapidly.
The home has begun to appear in prominent television productions, including season five of The Crown on Netflix and Pennyworth on Amazon Prime.
Mr. Davidsen stated, “What we’ve observed is that people visit the building for a variety of reasons, and we’re able to accommodate them all in a vast space.”
“It is all about how to manage diverse clients on the property, and during Covid, we demonstrated that we could do so without harming the grounds.
It was unfortunate that it had not been able to present itself to the public previously.
Plans include putting to use the two-fifths of the house that are presently unused, and while tours must be arranged in advance at present, the Ashridge administration has not ruled out the possibility of it being the type of old royal residence where visitors can simply show up.
Mr. Davidsen stated that they were “on a path to encompass all”
It’s a very exciting time, but we’re still figuring out our direction and exploring options. Hopefully, everything will open up in the future.
