He bore a striking resemblance to Bob Hope, which I doubt either of them would take as a compliment. They both had the pointed chin sticking way out in front of them which paled into insignificance compared to the nose which looked like a giant ski jump. If only the nose was a little more malleable it could probably be manipulated to join forces with the chin to create a wonderful handle on the front of the face. Their hairline was the same and they both wore it slicked back and close to the scalp, kept in shiny place by a generous helping of pomade. Both dressed extremely well, Bob Hope to attract the ladies, Lord Fairhaven to attract…., well, lets just say he never married. But he was great friends with Queen Mary, which was a definite feather in his cap, an accessory he might have enjoyed.

The main difference between them was money. Bob Hope had a great deal of it. Lord Fairhaven had a great deal more. His grandfather moved to the States in the 19th century and made his fortune in oil. And what a fortune it was. In a study in 1996 he was listed as one of the 25 wealthiest people in US history. He bequeathed his fortune and the name Urban to his son. His son, still in the States, made another fortune in Railroads, before returning to England. He in turn left the two fortunes and the name Huttleston to his son. Grateful for the two fortunes but not so grateful for the name Huttleston, he saw no reason to do anything as disagreeable as work. He could live quite wonderfully with two fortunes, so there seemed little point in adding a third. Besides his particular talent was for spending money rather than making it.

Huttleston, before becoming Lord Fairhaven, was still living with his parents at age 30. Not a good sign. But taking his courage and his fortune in both hands he finally decided it was time to move out. The poor boy, all on his own with no wife in sight, wanted a home of his own, and he wanted it to be very special. Of course he did. He dreamed of somewhere that the Fabulosity Meter would go wild over. A home that would inspire others and surprise visitors, and he had the money to do it. In the fortunate position of being able to buy anything he wanted, he settled on the house at Anglesey Abbey, a rundown relic dating back to the 14th century. A strange choice perhaps, but from it, he created what he called a “cozy house” perfect for entertaining with a spectacular garden, full of flowers regardless of the season

Is this what you would call a cozy house:

He chose the house partially because of its location, which was not far from Newmarket Racecourse. Huttleston had three passions in life, collecting antiques, horse racing and the Royal Family. He might have had a fourth, although it was never mentioned. However a statue in the garden might be a clue.

And then there is his memorial statue.

But it would be improper to speculate.

So I will make no more mention of it.

So…… When fully clothed, his life at the house revolved around horse racing and entertaining. He had a stud nearby where he kept several racehorses. He attended Newmarket races regularly and here he met the Queen. He invited the Queen and other Royals for drinks before and tea after the races, as one does. They became frequent visitors. They even signed the guest book. Actually Huttleston’s guest book was a little unusual. He provided his guests with a diamond pen and asked them to scratch their names onto the windows of the house.

Princess Margaret, a frequent visitor and always anxious to own yet another diamond pen, signed her name on three different occasions and on three different windows. There is a wonderful story of her coming to the house and seeing that the Duchess of Kent had signed her name rather prominently on one of the windows. Margaret, worried that she might have been upstaged, demanded a stool and signed her name just above and in much larger script.

Queen Mary was another frequent visitor. Queen Mary, as you may know, also collected antiques. But where Lord Fairhaven travelled the world and bought his, Queen Mary did not. She was famous for visiting peoples homes and on spotting something she liked, simply taking it, or if it was too large for her handbag she would just tell the owner she wanted it. Everyone knew and everyone allowed it. After all it is hard to accuse the Queen of stealing. Lord Fairhaven, well aware of light fingered Mary’s reputation, kept careful watch of her. When her eye landed on a large tapestry he avoided the problem by taking the Queen to the weaver of the tapestry and telling her she could order a much nicer one for herself.

He was a particular man, so particular in fact that some of his foibles might seem a little over the top. He enjoyed taking his morning walk around the gardens, but he found the sight of early morning dew on the grass rather disagreeable. His staff were under instructions to remove all sight of any dew before he took his walk. No small task when you consider his garden covered well over 50 acres. Perhaps such foibles were a sign of a man with too much time on his hands. If he wasn’t going to work, and by this time it was perfectly obvious that he wasn’t, and if he wasn’t going to marry, and by this time ………(you know the rest), he needed a hobby.

So he traveled the world with his mother (oh dear). They traveled in some considerable style, on their steam yacht named Sapphire, with a crew of just fifty! There were his foibles to be taken care of, and there is nothing worse than not having enough help.

They travelled the world buying antiques with which to fill his cozy home. And that, dear reader, will lead us and the Fabulosity Meter very nicely on to the next blog.