Sponsored by
Tory leader and his family will stay at stately home among art treasures fit for a palace
IT IS an 18th century stately home that boasts treasures once housed in what is now Buckingham Palace – not the sort of opulence, one might think, that Tory leader David Cameron would want to be associated with as he seeks to modernise his party.
It certainly contrasts with the modern simplicity on his Christmas card this year – a family portrait in the lounge of their London home.
Yet Sutton Park, 10 miles north of York, is where Mr Cameron will spend Christmas with his family this year.
The property, complete with award-winning gardens, is owned by Sir Reginald Sheffield, father of Mr Cameron's wife Samantha.
The Tory leader with his wife and children Ivan, Nancy and Arthur are expected to spend three days in Yorkshire over the festive period.
Sutton Park is one of two extensive properties owned by Sir Reginald and his wife Lady Sheffield. The 300-acre Normanby Hall estate, near Scunthorpe, has been in the family since 1590 and is where Samantha grew up.
In contrast, Sutton Park, on the edge of the village of Sutton-on-the-Forest, has been in the Sheffield family since just 1963. It was built in the 18th century by Philip Harland.
When the Sheffields acquired it they moved in much of their collection from Normanby Hall. Large parts of the collection were originally from Buckingham House, the family's London home built by John Sheffield, First Duke of Buckingham – now the Queen's official residence, Buckingham Palace.
The Sutton Park estate is said to be worth between 3m and 5m and for much of the year, parts of the house and gardens are open to the public, although it still prides itself on being "a charming and lived-in house".
The property's website states: "The House contains beautiful 18th century furniture, paintings mostly from Buckingham House, now Buckingham Palace, and an important collection of porcelain."
It is also available for hire for corporate events, wedding receptions and filming, and has been used in the filming of hit TV show Heartbeat.
The Camerons have already given a very personal insight into the festive season at their London home, using a black-and-white family portrait as their official Christmas card.
Photographer Tom Stoddart, who has been following Mr Cameron for a project, took the picture and the Tory leader liked it so much he asked if he could use it for the card.
Mr Cameron's willingness to give the public an insight into family life contrasts with Gordon Brown's determination to keep his children out of the glare of publicity.
He has been a regular visitor to Yorkshire since becoming party leader. On Thursday he stayed at York’s Guy Fawkes Inn, which claims to to be the infamous plotter’s first home.
A cottage at the back of the property is said to be Fawkes’s birthplace.
There was some good news fro the Tory leader today with a poll showing the Conservatives have regained their momentum and extended their lead over Labour.
The YouGov survey for The Daily Telegraph suggests that Mr Brown’s recent resurgence has run out of steam.
Having previously been narrowing the gap between themselves and the Tories, Labour now trails by seven points, up from four in the same poll last month.
It puts the Conservatives on 42 per cent (up two), Labour on 35 (down one) and the Liberal Democrats 14 (unchanged).House History
Philip Harland inherited the property on the current site, standing on the edge of the village of Sutton, north of York, in 1750 before demolishing the original building and replacing it with the current house.
It is thought to have been designed by Thomas Atkinson of York, and was influenced by fashionable architect James Paine who had a large country house practice in the north of England.
The property has remained largely unaltered until the 20th century, passing through several female inheritances until it was sold in 1926, 1944 and then for the final time in 1963.
The Sheffields introduced furniture, chimneypieces and paintings from Normanby Park, the family's old country seat.
The gardens – including statues, manicured borders and water features – won the Silver Gilt Award in Yorkshire in Bloom 2008 and are open to the public from April to September each year.
They are billed as featuring herbaceous rose borders full of rare and interesting plants laid out with great care over the past 35 years, with a Georgian Icehouse and woodland walks.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Leeds lose Ward to Palace: Is there anyone they can afford now?
- Sheffield Wednesday leaving it late to hijack Leeds United over Ward
- As Snodgrass dithers over Leeds, Warnock throws a lifeline
- Ball is in Leeds United’s court over contract - Snodgrass
- Police turning blind eye to Asian voter fraud, says MP
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
