Arundells
The home of former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath in Salisbury Cathedral Close
NOTICE FROM THE TRUSTEES REGARDING THE FUTURE AND OPENING OF ARUNDELLS
THE SIR EDWARD HEATH CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
The Trustees of the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation announce that the house and garden at Arundells, in The Close at Salisbury, which was Sir Edward Heath's home for the last twenty years of his life, will be open to visitors in 2010 each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 12.30 to 5.30 p.m. from Saturday 3 April to Wednesday 27 October inclusive, and on Sundays on selected Bank Holiday weekends. Further details of these arrangements with dates and times are available at www.arundells.org, with e-mail contact at info@arundells.org, or by telephone on the booking line on 01722 326 546.
More than 15,000 people have visited Arundells in the last two years, and have enjoyed the experience of seeing Sir Edward Heath's home and its contents as they were when he was living there, and of learning more about the former Prime Minister and the range of his varied interests. But the Foundation's operating costs - mainly those of opening, running and maintaining the house and garden - are substantial, and the revenue received from visitors falls a very long way short of the amount required to cover them. The Foundation has no other sources of income, and so does not have sufficient resources to continue to keep Arundells open indefinitely. The Trustees have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the Foundation could never be viable on the basis of income from visitors alone.
With regret, therefore, the Trustees have decided not to seek an extension of the planning and listed building consents for the opening of the house, which are due to expire at the end of 2010. They intend to apply to the Charity Commission for a Scheme which would allow them to discontinue opening the house and garden to visitors at the end of the 2010 season, thereafter to sell the property so that it may revert to residential use, and to apply the proceeds of sale to other charitable purposes provided for in Sir Edward Heath's Will. This would enable Sir Edward's legacy to be used to provide lasting benefits for musical and other educational charities in which he had a strong interest.
If the Charity Commission agrees to make such a Scheme, this year can be expected to be the last year in which the house and garden at Arundells will be open to the public.
February 2010
Sharing the beauty of Arundells
After our guided tours have ended, many of our visitors tell us how much they have enjoyed the tour, giving them a completely new perspective on the owner, changing and enhancing their view of his personality, and what he achieved in his long and varied career.
He would be thrilled and proud that the details of his life were being discussed in this positive way.
I think this is just as Sir Edward Heath would have wanted it, along with the visitors' opportunity to 'share the beauty of Arundells', the beautiful two acre garden, his fascinating and personal art collection, sailing and music memorabilia, and the homely lived-in aspect of the house itself.
I don't believe that he would have envisaged that our first year would be a complete sell-out with huge interest for the coming seasons, nor begin to understand the trials and complexities of its opening. He would be delighted of course with the outcome and renewed interest in his home and eventful life. This feedback makes it so worthwhile and rewarding for all of us, and it is clear from the comments that the visitors like to be welcomed into the house and be given a personal and informative tour of it. This is also worthwhile to our Trustees, who after encountering initial planning difficulties, persevered to open the house, thereby fulfilling and matching our obligations to part of Sir Edward's wishes in such a positive way, leaving more than just a footnote in history.
My guides and I feel privileged to be able to show off this beautiful house and its contents, being informative about the details, and relating stories, anecdotes, and also to hear laughter and conversation reverberating around the rooms, bringing his home to life. Our friendly, welcoming and intimate tours are appreciated by all our visitors (if the visitors' book and letters are anything to go by!), and return visits are frequent. The interior and feel of the house itself has been retained as he lived in it, and indeed almost as it was when he first moved here in 1985.
The Trustees of the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation have given me the task of fulfilling this part of his Will in opening the house to the public, and I have been very proud to be part of its success. I have learnt so much myself over the years working at Arundells, and met so many interesting people, that it has become a real pleasure to share my experiences with our new visitors.
I was initially employed by Sir Edward to help redesign the garden when he moved here in 1985, and having trained in horticulture, with more than a passing interest in music and art, remained working for him in many different capacities right up to his death in 2005.
I wish all our visitors a fascinating and richly memorable visit to the house and garden, and as Sir Edward generously quoted: 'to share the beauty of Arundells'.
