IN 1847 ISAAC D’Israeli (1766-1848) purchased Hughenden Manor in the Chiltern Hills west of London. When he died in 1848, the manor became the property of the Conservative politician Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice (1874-1880 and for a few months in 1868). Apart from Hughenden, Benjamin Disraeli also had a home in London, where he died. Both he and his wife are buried in the church near to his country home at Hughenden Manor. In addition to his many impressive political achievements, Benjamin wrote novels. I have read one of them, “The Rise of Iskander”, which is about the Albanian hero Skanderbeg. It is not a novel that I would recommend reading.

The mansion at Hughenden Manor was constructed near the end of the eighteenth century, and was heavily remodelled according to the tastes of the Disraeli family when they acquired it. The ground floor rooms are good examples of the gothic revival style. Some of the ceilings on this floor have fan-vaulted ceilings. We were lucky to have visited the place on a bright sunny day because even then, the rooms are pretty gloomy. On an overcast day, the place would seem quite melancholic. The dining room, which we saw at just before midday was depressingly dark, and made even worse by the presence of an enormous portrait of Queen Victoria that overlooks the round dining table. Disraeli (Benjamin) must have been a great ‘fan’ of Victoria because his bedroom on the first floor is filled with portraits of Victoria and her family, which the Royal Family gave him. The bedroom and other rooms on the first floor  are far brighter, better illuminated through the windows, than those on the floor beneath, These first floor rooms are, luckily, not adorned with the ‘over-the-top’ gothic revival décor, which mars the ground floor’s appearance.

The mansion at Hughenden Manor is certainly not one of the most beautiful houses maintained by the National Trust, but the hilly grounds surrounding it are wonderful. When (if) we visit Hughenden again, we will miss out entering the house, and concentrate on enjoying the gardens and countryside around it.