Maribel Culton
Has Pippa Middleton’s competitive spirit — first noted by her prep school games mistress — been revved up further by her older sister’s impending move to the delightful Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom Crown Estate property in Windsor Great Park?
I ask because, while Prince William and Catherine wait for minor work to be completed before taking up residence at Christmas, Pippa and her husband, hedge fund executive James Matthews, have unveiled plans for a stately upgrade of the Berkshire manor house they snapped up for £15million in 2022.
It includes demolition of a 1970s extension, so as to ‘enhance the arrival experience in a manner commensurate with the building’s significance’, and the creation of a garden room— ‘a desirable feature of contemporary living’ – and a new kitchen.
That last detail is especially piquant. The current kitchen was the work of the late restaurateur and design king Sir Terence Conran, who bought the house as a wreck in 1971 and magnificently restored it.
Evidently not magnificently enough for Pippa, 42, and James, 50, who replaced Conran’s kitchen garden with a swimming pool. Forest Lodge lacks one of those – but does have a ballroom. Food for thought, Pippa?
Pippa and James came under fire earlier this year after revealing their plans to open a nursery at their Buckleberry Farm in Berkshire.
Highway bosses voiced concerns that the countryside creche would result in too much traffic in the surrounding area.
Despite the complaints, the couple received the green light to establish a nursery at the farm, which the council claimed will deliver ‘strong social benefits’, noting the local shortage of ‘early years places’.
The Matthews have carried out a series of improvements to Bucklebury Farm since they bought it, continuing its 40-year success.
It has a deer park, soft play area, animal petting, office space and cafe. There are also rustic glamping tents, where families can stay with just the heat from a logburner and no electricity or Wi-Fi.
They hope the latest plans for a day nursery will give local parents more choice, with no similar facilities for five miles.
Many local ones also don’t provide cover in school holidays meaning parents nearby are missing out on working outside of term time.
Additional reporting by Jordana Seal
Source: Dailymail.co.uk | Read the Full Story…
