Talk:Langtry Manor

Deletion
Would have tagged for deletion but, wasn't sure what category to use. The Manor is not the subject of the series. It was the subject of a single episode. At most it should get a mention in the article on the series if one exists. Jasynnash2 (talk) 12:52, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
 * My take is that it is probably notable, because was allegedly built by the future King Edward VII to the throne for his mistress Lillie Langtry, and used by them both for entertaining. But we need verifiable references: ideally books and/or historical journal articles (the hotel website isn't a objective source). If someone could upload a public domain or GFDL image that would be good, too. - Pointillist (talk) 14:38, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Actually it is the subject of two series, the latest aired on May 21st with a revisit to the Langtry. My information comes directly from Tara Howard the current owner. I am not sure how to do the citations etc. The hotel is historic in the fact it was built by Edward VII, Lillie was his mistress. The Howard family did restore the building after it was sued as offices. When they stipped the walls of the newer covering some of the old paintings and tapestry was found, most of the items are original. There is even Lillie's signature in a window which she may have carved with a diamond ring - though no proof exist it was her who did it.

There is much history to the hotel and would be useful if some of the Dorset historians added to this article. Stormy Waters —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.157.138.53 (talk) 22:38, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Hi Stormy Waters and thanks for joining in. If you are in touch with the current owners of Langtry Manor, they may already have some historical materials and/or photographs that can be used to strengthen the article. For the materials, all you need is the usual stuff for citations. For images, the copyright holder has to release them for use on Wikipedia. Ideally they would upload the materials themselves, but otherwise there is a procedure for getting permission by email - I can point you in the right direction for this. For general help on citations and image uploads, I have taken the liberty of creating a "user talk page" for you and putting the links there. You can find this at User talk:Stormy Waters, or just click on the "my talk" link at the top of the page (when you are logged in). The bottom line is that if you can find good material lots of editors here will be happy to help you get it into Wikipedia. - Pointillist (talk) 00:21, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Emily Langton Langton

 * Unfortunately according to Professor Jane Ridley's recent publication Bertie: a life of Edward VII (2012) there is no contemporary evidence that the Prince of Wales had any involvement in the building of Langtry Manor and there is no evidence that he ever went there or lived there. I had accepted the accounts of Lillie Langtry by Brough (1975, pages 166-8) and Beatty (1999, pages 87-9) in this connection, but again they are not based on any known contemporary evidence. Many of the stories about Lillie Langtry's affair with the Prince and their various 'love-nests' are clearly much exaggerated. AnthonyCamp (talk) 14:59, 23 July 2013 (UTC).

According to the article on Emily Langton Massingberd (1847-1897) in Wikipedia, “after marriage [to her second cousin Edmund Langton] in 1867 their home was the Red House in Knyveton Road, Bournemouth”. The first two of their four children, Charlotte and Stephen, were, in fact, born at Tisbury and Barnack [RG10/1178-31-53], but their daughters Mary (born in 1871) and Diana (born in 1873) were born at Bournemouth [RG11/22-102-41], perhaps at The Red House [their birth and baptismal entries have not been found]. The husband, Edmund Langton, died at Eastwood, East Cliffe Road, Bournemouth (the home of his father Revd Charles Langton) on 28 November 1875, aged 34 [PPR Calendar; RG11/1194-120-14]. In January 1881 Edmund’s young widow, Emily Langton Langton, held a fancy dress dance ‘at the Assembly Room of the Red House, Bournemouth’ [Hampshire Telegraph, 15 January 1881, page 3] but by the time of the census that year (3 April) she was at 23 Sussex Place, Kensington [RG11/22-102-41] whilst the Red House was occupied by John E. Cooke and his family [RG11/1194-32-55]. According to James Brough [The Prince & the Lily (1975) page 282] Lily Langtry, when settling affairs in England, is said to have gone to Bournemouth in 1883 ‘where the town records registered the new occupants of the Red House as “Mrs E. L. Langton and family”’ but he gives no reference and the date is suspect. That Mrs Emily L. Langton, a prosperous widow of about Lily’s age who died in 1897, was at some later date confused in people’s memories with the notorious Lily (Mrs Emilie L. Langtry) seems probable. Such confusion would have been strengthened by noting the Red House’s inscriptions by one ‘E.L.L.’ and their seeming coincidence with events in Lily Langtry’s life. What they signified to Mrs Langton might be clarified by searches in directories, rate books, and any surviving deeds of the Red House itself. Has anyone done research on these matters locally? AnthonyCamp (talk) 14:22, 25 July 2013 (UTC).
 * Without cited contemporary evidence this story of the involvement of the Prince of Wales with Lily Langtry at The Red House (now called Langtry Manor) at the junction of Knyveton Road and Derby Road in Bournemouth is highly suspect.

Partially answering my own questions I now see that Mark Clement writing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography says that Emily and Edmund Langton 'lived principally at Bournemouth: Emily Langton built the Red House in Knyveton Road, and gave entertainment to the workmen employed on the villa'. AnthonyCamp (talk) 10:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC).

Emily Langton Massingberd's other Red Houses
I see that when Emily Langton Massingberd succeeded to the Gunby Estate she built at Gunby in 1887 another Red House, a substantial farm house with stables, entirely of red brick (the material used for her ancestral home Gunby Hall).

Searching indexes to contemporary newspapers I also see that there was at Bournemouth between about 1891 and 1899 a Red House Temperance Hotel in Wyndham Road, Bournemouth (very close to Derby Road), and it would be interesting to know if, as seems likely, that was also connected with Mrs Massingberd. AnthonyCamp (talk) 10:42, 15 June 2015 (UTC).

Sold or not sold?
OK, an uncited sentence in the article (added in June by an IP from Cardiff) says it was sold in March 2015. And indeed the Bournemouth Echo reported in March 2015 that the hotel "has been taken over by the Meyrick Estate, which owns the freehold on the site." The report also says that "Pamela Howard, who bought the Derby Road hotel in 1977, had decided to retire, a statement said." However, the hotel's website still says that "One hundred years later it was purchased by Pamela Hamilton-Howard who is still actively involved with the running of the hotel with her family." and "The Howard Family own, run and maintain the hotel in the style befitting a King. It was purchased by Pamela Howard in 1977, exactly one hundred years after it was built and has been lovingly restored to its former glory.". Either the hotel hasn't updated their website in 6 or so months, or they're lying, or the change of hands never went through, or a combination of the above. I can't find anything more recent than this information. Softlavender (talk) 12:21, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

UPDATE: I added the info as it stands in the newspaper article. Softlavender (talk) 08:39, 24 December 2015 (UTC)
 * According to the Land Registry details given at https://nethouseprices.com the Langtry Manor Hotel at 26 Derby Road was sold on 2 March 2015 for £300,000, but of course the name of the purchaser is not given. AnthonyCamp (talk) 17:12, 24 November 2017 (UTC).