The Laines
The Laines is an 18th-century country house in Plumpton, East Sussex, near Lewes in England. It was the childhood home of Queen Camilla.
The centre part was built in the 18th century, with 19th-century additions to the north and south, and was originally a rectory.[1] It was listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England in 1979.[1] The house sits in over five acres (2.0 ha) of grounds, with an orchard and a walled kitchen garden.[2] There is a swimming pool, tennis court, paddock, and a separate four-bedroom cottage.[3]
The Laines was the childhood home of Camilla Shand, the future consort of Charles III.[2] Camilla has stated that her childhood there was "perfect in every way".[4] The house had been purchased by her parents, British Army officer and businessman Major Bruce Shand and his wife, Rosalind Shand (née Cubitt), who also had a house in South Kensington, London.[2] The Shands moved there after the Second World War so that they could be near Sonia Cubitt, Camilla's grandmother.[3] The Laines is believed to be where Bruce Shand asked the young Prince Charles about his intentions with regard to Camilla.[3]
The gardens were redesigned by Lanning Roper for the Shands in the late 1960s, Roper worked on the gardens and offered advice to the Shands until 1982.[5][6] Roper's work at The Laines was featured in the September 1982 issue of Country Life.[7]
The Shands lived at The Laines until Rosalind died in 1994, when the estate was sold to the English actor James Wilby.[3] In 2014, The Laines was listed for sale at £3.25 million, the second time in 63 years that it was available to purchase.[3] It was put up for sale by Wilby.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Historic England. "The Laines (Grade II) (1238285)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Tour the Childhood Home of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwal". Christie's International Real Estate. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Thompson, Flora (16 March 2015). "Asking price for Duchess of Cornwall's former home slashed by £100,000". The Argus. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ Brandreth, Gyles (2006). Charles & Camilla : portrait of a love affair. London: Arrow Books. p. 104. ISBN 9781446474211. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ Floud, Roderick (2019). An Aconomic History of the English Garden. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-241-23557-7. OCLC 1128799050.
- ^ Brown, Jane (1987). Lanning Roper and his Gardens. Rizzoli. p. 216. ISBN 0-8478-0787-8. OCLC 14214639.
- ^ Sicca, Cinzia Maria (1983). "Current bibliography of Garden History". The Journal of Garden History. 3 (4). Informa UK Limited: 347–381. doi:10.1080/01445170.1983.10412454. ISSN 0144-5170.
- ^ Hewitson, Jessie (13 March 2015). "A house with royal approval". The Times. No. 71455. p. 107. Retrieved 14 October 2022.