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Preserving Our Heritage

22nd, July, 2010

Preserving Our Heritage

_The Daily Mail has today published a letter from Andrew written in response to an article published on Saturday 17th July:_

My position concerning Highclere Castle is not as stated (Mail). My attention was drawn by concerned Hampshire residents to a large housing development proposed by the Earl of Carnarvon to raise funds for essential work on Highclere Castle. The development has no impact on me personally but concerned two of my main interests: the preservation of historic buildings and protection of the countryside.

The Earl was relying on an English Heritage guideline that development may be allowed in an Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty to raise funds to preserve an important historic building. But this recommendation also states that all other avenues, including sale of the building to someone who can afford to repair it without developing part of the estate, must have been pursued – and this hasn’t happened.

Neither the possibility, for instance, of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation becoming involved with Highclere, or the sale of some of its farmland had been explored when Basingstoke Council met on the issue, let alone the sale of the estate on the open market.

I can understand the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon wanting to keep Highclere Castle (though it hasn’t been lived in for a long time) and I understand the expense of maintaining a historic building of this kind. But I’m asking for the exploration of other options which would preclude housing development in one of the unspoiled corners of Hampshire.

The description of my art collection was flattering but misleading. There are many more valuable art collections in private hands. I probably have the best private collection of Pre-Raphaelite art but it in no way compares with the magnificent collections at, say, Tate Britain, Manchester City Gallery or Port Sunlight.

Picasso’s Angel Fernandez de Soto and Waterhouse’s St Cecilia were owned not by me personally but by my charitable foundation. Both have been sold. Following the sale of the Picasso, the foundation will receive £32 million which will release funds to support important projects including the provision of stage school bursaries.

And, by the way, I don’t earn anything like £100,000 a day in royalties – though I live in hope.

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER