Hugh Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, 32, recently proposed to his girlfriend Olivia Henson at his massive home, Eaton Hall. Since the 15th century, Eaton Hall has served as the Grosvenor family’s country residence.
The property which is located in Cheshire, will be home to Hugh and Olivia’s future family as the Duke and Duchess of Westminster.
The estate consists of 11,500 acres and looks like a glorious place to live. Formal gardens, parkland, farms, and woodlands surround the house.
Construction began in 1870 and was completed roughly 12 years later. The house’s structure had deteriorated by 1960, and like many other mansions of the time, it was torn down.
However, the chapel and many of the outbuildings were kept. The design of the newly constructed home was deemed to be insensitive to the surrounding nature, so in the late 1980s, it was re-cased and given the look of a French château.
Although the grounds are available three days a year to the public to raise money for charity and some of the estate’s buildings can be rented for charitable purposes, the house and estate are typically closed to the general public.
There are several rooms in the Stable Court area that are used for exhibitions. A collection of artefacts related to the Grosvenor family are kept in the Exhibition Room, while documents detailing the family’s history and renderings of the hall at various points are kept in the History Room.
The family’s horses are represented through artefacts in the Stables. The Long Room, which underwent renovation in 1992 and currently resembles a sizable country home drawing room, has a capacity of 150 people.
There is now a dining room in the former saddle room. The Wolf Room, which features a moveable stage and audio-visual equipment, was created from the carriage room and its neighbouring structures.
It has eight Joseph Wolf black-chalk illustrations of birds and 200 seats. The chapel is often set aside for the family, but every December, carol concerts are held there to raise money for charity.
Hugh is frequently referred to as owning “half of London” as the leader of a real estate business that has amassed more than 1,500 buildings throughout the world, including all of Park Lane and half of Mayfair.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List from last year, he became a billionaire at the age of 25, and his family is the 12th richest in the entire country.
Hugh’s father served as Prince William’s mentor at Her Late Majesty’s request and was the late Queen’s 14th cousin once removed.
The 32-year-old, who has been dubbed the UK’s most eligible bachelor, in fact, became the godfather of the Prince of Wales’s eldest child Prince George in 2013.
Hugh succeeded his father, Major General Gerald Grosvenor, who tragically died at age 64 from a heart attack to the title of 7th Duke of Westminster in 2016.
Earl Grosvenor was Hugh’s previous name. Hugh is the third child of Gerald and Natalia Grosvenor, but due to ancient laws, he received most of the family fortune over his older sisters.
The family home, the 11,500-acre Eaton Estate, and the 23,500-acre Abbeystead shooting estate are all part of his property. He also owns Reay Forest in Sutherland, Scotland, which is home to thousands of wild deer and a variety of stunning mountains.
