Sunday 17 January 2010

The Ely Letter


I have unearthed an old letter I received from the Ely Lodge Estate in County Fermanagh 33 years ago. It is dated February 8th, 1977; hence my interest in country houses from an early age.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

The letter is from the Estate Office at Ely Farms on the estate. Charles Plunket was the Agent at the time.

It explains that the 5th Duke of Westminster inherited the family seat at Eaton Hall in 1967; and still retained Ely Lodge as his private home; that the 5th Duke retired to Ely in 1977 and his son, Lord Grosvenor (now the 6th and present Duke) was living at Eaton Hall.

In 1977, the Ely Estate amounted to 1,000 acres in County Fermanagh and 1,500 acres in County Tyrone.

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

The letter says it was a shooting lodge; I was always told it had been stables.

W.

Timothy Belmont said...

I think originally it might have been stables; then turned into a shooting-lodge. I think you're right, W.