The rise of Arundells

Twenty years after the death of Sir Edward Heath, his old home in Wiltshire - a Queen Anne House - has been 'saved', and seems to finally be getting recognition as a cultural destination which was the former PM's wish. JANET HUGHES reports

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METICULOUSLY maintained mansions set in acres of landscaped gardens tell the tale of the West Country's aristocratic legacy in glorious grandeur. Humble abodes bearing blue plaques reveal little known chapters in the lives of cultural icons such as Bob Hope who is remembered at his childhood home in Weston-Super-Mare.

Somewhere in the middle is Arundells. Not overly grandiose but a very long way from being humble, this Grade-ll listed, Queen Anne House sitting on the confluence of the rivers Avon and Nadder, with views to Salisbury Cathedral, gives a unique insight into a crucial period of modern British political history.

Twenty years after his death in July 2005, the home of the late Sir Edward Heath finally appears to be coming into its own after being recognised both as an Arts Council England accredited museum and a quality assured attraction by VisitEngland.

News that inspectors found the house “unexpectedly captivating” and “refreshingly personal and authentic” will be music to the ears of those who have spent two decades battling to honour the former Prime Minister's last wish for the only home he ever owned to become a cultural destination after his death at the age of 89.

It's been an uphill struggle. Within a few years of it first opening in 2008, the house and its contents were on the brink of being sold when group of former politicos, led by businessman Peter Batey, formulated a rescue package to save what they believed to be an unique opportunity for the public to enter the private world of a man who worked with four post-war leaders, before finally becoming Prime Minister in 1970.

"He didn't want to set it up as a shrine to himself," said Peter who was the politician's personal private secretary for four years during the 1980s and remained a friend until his death.