A centuries-old ducal estate in Suffolk brought up to date by the latest generation
'It was time to step up,' says Henry FitzRoy, the 12th Duke of Grafton. After he had spent two years in the live music business in Nashville and a further two working on a Rolling Stones world tour, the moment had come. His father's health was failing and his grandfather, the 11th Duke, was nearly 90. Harry (as he is known) returned to Suffolk and prepared to take over Euston Hall and the 10,500-acre estate, where his family has lived for more than 350 years. When he succeeded to the title in 2011, he was Britain's youngest duke.
The 1st Duke, also called Henry FitzRoy, was the son of King Charles II and his beautiful 19-year-old mistress Barbara Villiers, later Duchess of Cleveland. (The surname FitzRoy denotes the illegitimate child of a king.) In 1685, the 1st Duke and his wife inherited Euston Hall, which was built between 1670 and 1676 in the French style, with a distinctive four-square design around a Tudor core. The house had two main floors and a third that would probably have been separate servant's quarters. Palladian additions made by their son in the 1740s remained until a fire in 1902 destroyed the south and the west wings, both of which were rebuilt but were eventually demolished in 1952.
When they moved in, Harry and his wife Olivia found the house in desperate need of restoration. It was not just the legions of dead flies in the unused top floor bedrooms, or the dog pee stains on the bottoms of curtains: the legacy of the demolished wings made the building feel incomplete.
Architect Digby Harris, who is now retired, was charged with reorienting the Grade II*-listed building to introduce a proper entrance and a more logical flow throughout the house. Five more bathrooms were added and a family kitchen was created from a huddle of smaller rooms on the ground floor. The challenge was finding a balance between grandeur - there are wonderful pieces of furniture and paintings by Anthony Van Dyck, Sir Joshua Reynolds and George Stubbs - and comfort for modern family life.
'While we waited for planning permission, we started on the garden,' says Olivia. They commissioned Justin Spink to create a new design, and then worked on dredging five miles of river and the overgrown waterways. They later built what is known as the River Shack, which houses a sauna, and guests can cool off afterwards by jumping into the - now limpid - river. Harry also set about converting the estate and farm in line with environmental principles, including heating the house on a sustainable basis.
Their boundless energy and commitment have driven a long project. 'We had to get it right: this was our one chance,' says Harry. A tip-off led them to Woody Clark, the below-the-radar interior designer who has worked on some of Britain's grandest houses. 'This is Harry and Olivia's home, their project, their hard work,' says Woody. 'I don't impose - I just show what is possible.' He was constantly on-site, advising, encouraging and solving problems. Even ducal projects are not immune from building complications.
'We were fortunate to have an incredible education from Digby and Woody on the palette and detail of the 17th and 18th centuries - from flamestitch fabrics to the right type of screw (no crossheads) and the width of a floorboard,' explains Olivia. 'Ian Block of AT Cronin, who did a huge amount of the upholstery, also played an integral role,' she adds. 'We moved into a flat in the courtyard for the two and a half years of core building work, and another year was spent decorating and picture hanging,' recalls Harry. 'During that time, we had two of our three children.'
In the new entrance hall, a child's scooter leans against the door leading to the inner hall, which has a magnificent portrait of Charles I by Van Dyck, the counterpart of a version in the Louvre. After dark, the glossy sea green wallpaper in the small dining room nearby glows in the candlelight reflected by Goan mother of pearl sconces. The needlepoint curtains were cleaned and reused, and were given new hems, with deep borders added to replace the damaged sections. For the curtains in the formal dining room next door, bespoke fabric specialist Humphries Weaving produced a durable silk-and-wool combination to ensure longevity. Here, too, royal ancestors line the walls.
‘We wanted more female portraits in the drawing room’, says Harry, of their decision to relocate artwork with help from Jonathon Miles of Cambridge's Trumpington Gallery. The blue of the walls was mixed to complement the gilt picture frames and red coronation robes of Anne Liddell. the 3rd Duchess (though she contracted measles and did not attend George III's 1761 coronation). David Seyfried sofas are covered in 'Spencer Velvet' by George Spencer Designs, which Olivia describes as 'very practical'.
The ballroom and library were lost in the 1902 fire, but Harry and Olivia decided to unite the remaining books in a new library with bookcases in the Kentian style, designed by Digby Harris with Silvanus of York. Appropriately, this room overlooks William Kent's final work - a folly known as the Temple. Each year since 2014, around 8,000 visitors have attended Euston's Red Rooster music festival, with many pitching their tents next to Kent's Temple. (As part of Euston's efforts to diversify, the Temple is also available to rent for short breaks.) This celebration of Americana, Blues and Roots music holds great significance for Harry. He is an accomplished guitarist and the organisational skills he developed during his time with The Rolling Stones have driven the event's growth and ensured its success.
The decoration rule adopted for the upper floors of the house was simple: smaller, darker rooms like bathrooms would be wallpapered, and larger rooms like the Arlington bedroom - traditionally used by royal visitors - would be painted. The top floor, once neglected, now has a row of pretty bedrooms. Harry and Olivia's bathroom on the floor below is particularly striking. It was designed around a pair of gargantuan Victorian oil lamps found in the stables; these sit in niches created around a very deep bathtub. Harry's ideal, however, is the Arlington bathroom, with its record player, vinyl selection, whisky decanter and small library of musicians autobiographies. One could imagine the late Queen Mother, a frequent visitor, dipping into Johnny Cash's oeuvre, on the page or the disc.
Euston Hall: eustonhall.co.uk | Red Rooster: redrooster.org.uk | The Temple: eustonhall.co.uk/stay | Woody Clark: woody@woodyclark.com | Justin Spink: justinspink.com
Christopher Horwood1/7In the formal dining room, curtains in fabric by Humphries Weaving pick up on walls in Papers and Paints' 'Mid Egyptian Red' and gilt-framed portraits of the 1st Duke and Duchess.
Christopher Horwood2/7Cabinetry made by Thos H Bretton in the same style as the old kitchen is painted in Papers and Paints' 'Warm Stone', and 'Hicks' Blue' and 'Bone China Blue', both by Little Greene. These warm shades tone with the Lacanche range cooker, which has a splashback in Delft tiles. A series of bold abstract prints on top of the wall cabinets came from Trowbridge Gallery.
Christopher Horwood3/7The diamond-shaped panes of the cabinet, made by Thos H Bretton to a design by Woody Clark, echo the Versailles pattern parquet from Havwoods. A painting of the famous oak tree in Grafton Regis where Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville are said to have fallen in love, hangs over the Jamb chimneypiece. Above the piano, flanked by Pooky lamps, is a print of The Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts.
Christopher Horwood4/7Braquenié's 'Septeuil' wallpaper from Pierre Frey in the pink red colourway and a bedcover sourced from South Asian textile specialist Country & Eastern in Norwich introduce rich pattern and colour in the courtyard bedroom.
Christopher Horwood5/7The duchess' dressing room features the eye-catching 'Kanchou' wallcovering from Brunschwig & Fils' La Menagerie collection, setting the tone for an elegant yet uplifting scheme.
Christopher Horwood6/7In the balcony room bathroom, 'Marquis de Seignelay' wallpaper by Braquenié from Pierre Frey characterises the charming space.
Christopher Horwood7/7This gallery is mentioned in the diary of Samuel Pepys, who accompanied Charles II on visits here. A new wallcovering from Bruce Fine Papers is the backdrop for paintings by Lely, Van Dyck, Reynolds and Daniël Mijtens. The hanging lantern is from Jamb.
