Look ahead, right where the path curls in a grand circle around a patch of bright green lawn. Arundells stands proud at the end of the gravel drive, tucked between leafy trees with the sun lighting up its pale stones. The house has a perfect storybook face: two tall chimneys on a roof of warm red tiles, long sash windows laid out in perfect rows, and a smart front door crowned by an old stone portico. You can’t miss it-it looks like the sort of house where you might expect a cat to nap in the window while a retired Prime Minister sketches sailing boats at a desk inside.
Welcome to Arundells-there’s centuries of history sleeping behind those orderly windows. Can you hear the crunch of the gravel underfoot as visitors have done for hundreds of years? This house first rose up as a medieval canonry, the home for a religious man who may have had the odd secret or two-one tenant in the 1500s was even thrown in prison for practicing magic! I wonder if he tried to enchant his laundry.
Over time, Arundells played host to all sorts: noble families, canons, and, much later, students scrambling between lessons. At one point in the 1800s, it became a school for girls, but a burst of cholera sent everyone packing. During the Second World War, the house’s halls echoed not with music or laughter, but the steady shuffling of volunteers moving piles of books and wool for the Red Cross.
After falling on hard times, Arundells was rescued-then, in 1985, it finally found its most famous resident: Edward Heath, former Prime Minister. He was quite the sailor; he bought this house for its view of the Solent, so if you fancy yourself a captain, you’re in good company. Heath filled these rooms with stories, trophies, and political treasures, while designer Derek Frost brought Arundells right up to date (well, for the 1980s). If you step inside today, you’ll spot Heath’s work desk-once owned by another Prime Minister, David Lloyd George. Just imagine the tick of the old clock as big decisions are made.
After Heath passed away, Arundells opened to the public. Now curious visitors shuffle past Chinese-painted wallpaper, admiring knickknacks and political memorabilia. Even politicians who sparred with Heath in Parliament came as friends-Tony Benn said he was proud this house would stay open to everyone.
So, whether you’re here for mystery, old magic, grand history, or just a peek into the life of a Prime Minister, Arundells has stories stacked as high as its bookshelves. Ready for the next stop? Let’s walk on!
