Alice Charlotte von Rothschild

When in 1874 he began the construction of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire England, Alice acquired a nearby property at Eythrope for herself.

Although, as Alice had suffered from rheumatic fever, she had been advised not to sleep near water as dampness would aggravate her health problem meaning her house was built for solely for daytime occupation.

She also collected art and had spectacular gardens created for her residences in England and France, at Villa Victoria, Grasse.

[1] In late 1898, following the death of her brother, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, Alice inherited Waddesdon Manor and his London House.

As her health declined she spent more of her time at her magnificent château, "Villa Victoria", in the balmier climate of the town of Grasse in the Alpes-Maritimes département in France.

While she acquired paintings, sculptures and objets d'art, Alice von Rothschild also had a unique collection of smoking pipes, including French, Spanish and Italian examples from the 17th century.

The château in Grasse later became the hotel "Parc Palace", where the famous French actor Gérard Philipe was raised.

For instance, the helmet of the Emperor Charles V is a prominent contribution of Miss Alice's to the Armoury Corridor, upstairs in the Bachelor's Wing.

She regarded herself as 'the protector' of Ferdinand's inheritance and is famous for establishing ‘Miss Alice’s Rules' – guidelines for the care and preservation of the collections which formed the foundation for conservation practices at the National Trust.

The Grey Drawing Room at Waddesdon Manor , which Alice inherited after her brother's death.
Miss Alice felt the need to add to the gap in the collection when her brother died and bequeathed the majority of his renaissance collection to the British Museum . She therefore added major pieces of armour to the armoury corridor, just outside the Smoking Room.