Father And Daughter Canoe To Raise Funds For West Horsley Place

Published on: 24 Mar, 2018
Updated on: 24 Mar, 2018

By Will Parsons

During this coming Easter weekend, West Horsley resident Peter Cave and his daughter, Lizzie, will be racing 125 miles by canoe from Devizes to Westminster, to raise funds for the Mary Roxburghe Trust.

Peter Cave and his daughter, Lizzie, will be racing 125 miles by canoe from Devizes to Westminster, to raise funds for the Mary Roxburghe Trust to help restore West Horsley Place.

The charity was created to save and restore West Horsley Place, a Grade I listed building, and establish a centre for teaching crafts and for performing and visual arts.

The estate was inherited in 2014 by historian and former TV University Challenge quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne, who found the Grade I listed manor house in such a state of disrepair that it was placed on Historic England’s at risk register.

To realise their vision of restoring and opening the estate for public benefit, and of creating a place for arts and the teaching of crafts, Mr Gascoigne and his wife, Christina, established the Mary Roxburghe Trust in 2015. The charity was named after Mr Gascoigne’s great aunt, the Duchess of Roxburghe, from whom he unexpectedly inherited the estate.

Peter Cave, who has lived with his family in a cottage on the estate since 1993, said: “My wife, Caroline, and I have now lived at West Horsley Place for 25 years and our children grew up here. We have had very many happy memories of our time here.

“Along with many people in the village, we were concerned that when Her Grace passed on, the Estate would be sold and would be developed in a manner to maximise profit to the detriment of its very rustic elegance. Fortunately that has not happened and Bamber and Christina are steering a careful path that is breathing new life into the place whilst allowing it to retain its former character. West Horsley Place is becoming a vibrant addition of the communities of East and West Horsley.”

Mr Cave and his daughter will be taking part in the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race 2018, with the hope of raising £1,000 for the trust.

Bamber Gascoigne said; “Christina and I are thrilled and touched that Peter and Lizzie are undertaking this dramatic challenge to help West Horsley Place. It is one of Surrey’s most important and beautiful buildings and greatly in need of support if it is to survive.”

Donations can be made to Peter and Lizzie Cave’s online fundraiser, which can be found by following this link: https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/dw4mrt

West Horsley Place is an ancient, 300-acre estate between East and West Horsley. The Grade I listed house was built in the 15th century, and there are a further eight Grade II listed buildings on the estate, all in disrepair.

To raise money for restorations, Mr Gascoigne arranged auctions of his great aunt’s possessions in 2015, which raised £8.8 million. In 2017, the Grange Park Opera company moved to a purpose-built theatre on the estate, under a 99-year lease.