Kate's 'Barratt home': Duchess angers Sandringham neighbours by replacing tiles on her Georgian mansion with bright brick-red roof

  • Duke and Duchess upset neighbours with new tiles on mansion
  • Locals near Norfolk estate complain it 'looks like a Barratt home'

By Sara Malm

PUBLISHED: 21:00 EST, 7 December 2013 | UPDATED: 09:03 EST, 8 December 2013


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have incurred the wrath of locals living near the Queen's Sandringham estate after picking 'vulgar' colourful tiles for their country home.

Kate and Wills are putting up a new roof on Anmer Hall and have been accused of turning the Georgian building into 'a Barratt home'.

The mansion's tiles have been replaced over the past weeks and the neighbours are not best pleased with the result.

Now: The roof tiles of Anmer Hall are being replaced as renovation and improvement works continue, before The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge move in, but neighbours are not happy with the colour

Now: The roof tiles of Anmer Hall are being replaced as renovation and improvement works continue, before The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge move in, but neighbours are not happy with the colour

Now: The roof tiles of Anmer Hall are being replaced as renovation and improvement works continue, before The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge move in, but neighbours are not happy with the colour

Now: The roof tiles of Anmer Hall are being replaced as renovation and improvement works continue, before The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge move in, but neighbours are not happy with the colour

The Duke and Duchess, who left a London cinema in tears on Thursday after being informed of the death of Nelson Mandela during the premiere of a biopic of the civil rights hero, are believed to be renovating Anmer Hall to use as a second home.

 

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'The building dates back to the early 1800s but it looks more like a Barratt home now,' one local resident told The Sunday Express.

'It's not an eyesore but it does look completely different.'
Before: The ten-bedroom Georgian mansion as it looked before renovations began this year

Before: The ten-bedroom Georgian mansion as it looked before renovations began this year

The 10-bedroom property is situated on the Queen's private estate at Sandringham and has been the home of company director James Everett and his family for 13 years.

The Everetts is said to have been asked to leave four years ahead of the end of their lease in order to make way for William and Catherine's young family.

A raft of new security measures have also been approved by the local council, including the planting of dozens of trees to shield the stunning property from public view.

According to a planning application lodged with King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council this summer, an existing wood store will be converted into extra accommodation – mostly likely for police officers guarding the property – while a garage block will be transformed into an equipment room.

Other plans involve moving the main gates to the property further down the access lane so members of the public will not be able to get so close to the house.

The 20-room 'flat', a 10-bedroom country mansion and the Welsh 'love nest'

Anmer Hall, the 10-bedroom Georgian property situated on the monarch’s private estate at Sandringham, is the latest in a list of homes for the royal couple.

It has been lived in by company director James Everett and his family for 13 years, who also runs his bespoke timber company, Norfolk Oak, from its stables.

The couple are already renovating another 20-room home in Kensington Palace to serve as their primary London residence, which has so far cost taxpayers £1.1 million in building costs.

Making changes: The Duke and Duchess are have angered the locals with their choice of tiles for the new roof on Anmer Hall at Sandringham

Making changes: The Duke and Duchess are have angered the locals with their choice of tiles for the new roof on Anmer Hall at Sandringham

Apartment 1A is actually a spacious four-storey, 20-room property with its own large south-facing walled garden, which takes up half the Clock Tower wing originally designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King William and Queen Mary.

It boasts generous living space, including five reception rooms, three main bedrooms, dressing rooms and bathrooms, a night and day nursery, staff bedrooms and ‘ancillary’ rooms.

Former residents include Princess Louise, Queen Victoria’s daughter, and the late monarch’s grandson, the Marquess of Carisbrooke, followed by, most recently, the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, and her husband, Lord Snowdon.

The couple, who moved in following a £1.5million programme of refurbishment in 1963, famously installed a ‘futuristic’ new kitchen (which has since been ripped out) complete with sleek Formica and teak units.

The couple are already renovating another 20-room home in Kensington Palace to serve as their primary London residence, which has so far cost taxpayers £1.1 million in building costs

The couple are already renovating another 20-room home in Kensington Palace to serve as their primary London residence, which has so far cost taxpayers £1.1 million in building costs

Apartment 1A is actually a spacious four-storey, 20-room property with its own large south-facing walled garden, which takes up half the Clock Tower wing originally designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King William and Queen Mary

Apartment 1A is actually a spacious four-storey, 20-room property with its own large south-facing walled garden, which takes up half the Clock Tower wing originally designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King William and Queen Mary

It has been barely touched since the death of the Queen’s sister in 2002, however, and in recent years has been managed by the charity Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), which used the apartment as office and exhibition space.

Sources at the palace have said that Anmer Hall, however, will also be the young family's home fr 'decades'.

According to a planning application lodged with King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, an existing wood store will be converted into extra accommodation – mostly likely for police officers guarding the property – while a garage block will be transformed into an equipment room.

Other plans involve moving the main gates to the property further down the access lane so members of the public will not be able to get so close to the house.

Royal aides have also been given planning permission to begin extensive improvements including a new garden room and a pergola made from stone columns with oak beams for plants to trail through, providing both shade and privacy on the patio area.

The couple's first official home together was in Anglesey, an island off the north west coast of Wales

The couple's first official home together was in Anglesey, an island off the north west coast of Wales

These will be designed by architect Charles Morris, who was behind a controversial extension for Prince Charles at his own country home.

Council officers have approved the plans under delegated powers, which means they did not have to go through the usual council planning process.

Anmer Hall is one of 150 situated on the monarch’s 20,000-acre Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and is only two miles east of Sandringham House, one of her favourite private residences.

The hall, which largely dates back to 1802, was used as an illicit bolt-hole by Prince Charles and the then Camilla Parker-Bowles during their long-running affair when it was rented by the prince’s friend Hugh van Cutsem.

Prince William, who is close to the van Cutsems’ children, is also said to have enjoyed many happy visits to the hall as a child.

It also has something of a royal pedigree having been leased to the Duke and Duchess of Kent as their country house from 1972 until 1990.

The house, which has a swimming pool and tennis court, will provide a place where the young family will be able to entertain and host guests.

New life: A conservatory is to be built on Anmer Hall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's future home in the grounds of Sandringham

Anmer Hall is one of 150 situated on the monarch’s 20,000-acre Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and is only two miles east of Sandringham House, one of her favourite private residences

Second home: If as expected the Cambridges move in, the new conservatory could be built in the place of the current one, which overlooks the grand gardens

The hall, which largely dates back to 1802, was used as an illicit bolt-hole by Prince Charles and the then Camilla Parker-Bowles during their long-running affair

Plans: A church situated near Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate is having to change its entrance to allow the couple their own private entrance

Plans: A church situated near Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate is having to change its entrance to allow the couple their own private entrance

It is also close to Holkham beach where Prince George will be able to play as his father and grandfather both did.

The Sandringham Estate has been owned by the Queen since her accession in 1952 and by the Royal Family since 1862.

The couple's first official home together was in Anglesey, an island off the north west coast of Wales.

Arriving on the island in 2010, William decided to rent a £750-a-month, four-bedroom whitewashed farmhouse from local landowner and long-time royal confidant Sir George Meyrick and his wife Jean in the largely Welsh-speaking hamlet of Bodorgan, on the South-West corner of the island.

The couple's first official home together was in Anglesey, an island off the north west coast of Wales

The couple's first official home together was in Anglesey, an island off the north west coast of Wales

The Royal couple used to regularly enjoy Wednesday night suppers of shepherd’s pie and claret up at ‘the big house’ (as the stately pile, Bodorgan Hall, is known) with the admirably discreet Meyrick family.

The farmhouse is in an isolated but breathtakingly scenic position above the Irish Sea, surrounded by private land and overlooking a small beach, accessible only by an hour-long cross-country hike.

In the garden, there is a gas-fired barbecue, which was put to good use by the couple in summer.
William openly shared the house with Kate even before their marriage, although she retained her London pied-a-terre for the sake of appearances.



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Why is Catherine getting blamed for something that might be William's or even the Queen's decision? And why is it any of the neighbor's business what color the roof tile is?

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The original roof color is ugly tho. The new tile color makes more sense to me.

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Why does the headline say 'Kate's home"? It's William's home too, why aren't the knives out for him also? And if you asked me, the 200 year old tiles probably started out red too.

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Just wait until the solar panels are fitted

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Surprised it's not a listed building due to it's age. Ordinary folk wouldn't have got away with those ghastly roof tiles.

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They all end up concrete coloured but if it was joe public it would not be allowed a slate coloured brand new tile there would not be a problem , very strange tiling top to bottom as a roofing contractor can't be nailing many tiles I wouldn't hire them .

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The roof was probably rotten and needed replacing. I don't see a problem with a red tile roof.

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Not one comment about how the Everetts are being hoisted out 4 years early..... Oh well.

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Looks like the roof matches the trim around the windows to me.

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Why is it assumed that Kate chose the colour of the tiles?

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