Twenty years ago, house-hunters
would probably have been
dismayed to learn that a potential
home had a music festival close
by. But today, attitudes couldn’t be more
rent. Festivals have become an integral
part of the British summer and many of them
are held on the grounds of England’s finest
stately homes. Having a really good festival
in the vicinity is an asset – as Hektor Rous,
of Henham Park in S firmly believes.
Since 2006, his estate has hosted Latitude
every July, when thousands of people come
to camp upon the elegant grounds,
landscaped in the eighteenth century by Sir
Humphry Repton.
‘Festivals have come a long way from mosh
pits and people throwing beer cans,’ says
Rous. ‘At Latitude, there are restaurants and
prosecco bars, performances from Sadler’sWells and piano recitals by Lang Lang.’
Having grown up in Australia, Rous moved
to the UK to take up the reins at Henham,
and shortly afterwards, a music promoter
got in touch about holding a festival there.
‘That first year was surreal,’ he recalls. ‘I’d
never been to a festival before, and suddenly
I had one in my back garden.’ He soon
acquired a taste for their unique atmosphere- he went on to meet his wife at Wilderness.
Much as he enjoys the great outdoors,
the great advantage to having a festival
close by is being able to return home to a
comfortable bed and a hot shower at the
end of each day. ‘Everyone who lives in this
area gets called up by nieces and nephews,
grandkids and cousins, looking for a spare
sofa that they can sleep on for the weekend,’
says Rous. ‘And local properties listed on
Airbnb are very much in demand, so there’s
an economic benefit too. I like that it adds
another celebratory date to the calendar- it’s another opportunity to have a get-
together with family and friends.
‘We’ve found that the wider community
has been very supportive of Latitude,’ Rous
continues. ‘A lot of locals work at the festival - be it manning gates or painting signs for
the woods. It brings world-class acts to their
front door that they’d never normally have a
chance to see without getting on a train.’ On
the subject of trains, there’s another reason
why buying a house near a festival is a good
idea – they tend to be held in locations with
good infrastructure, often within easy reach
INTO THE WILDOwning a property near a festival has never been more popular:
Hektor Rous of Henham Park talks to Rosemary Brooke
about the advantages of having Latitude on his doorstepBRITAIN PROPERTYASHBOCKING HOUSE, SUFFOLK
On 9.6 acres, this Georgian rectory is surrounded
by mature gardens and open countryside. It has six
bedrooms and a guest annexe, and the charming
interiors have been featured in House & Garden.
It’s well placed for Latitude festival –
Southwold is a short drive away. £2.35 million.
Strutt & Parker: 020 7318 502508-19Festivals.indd 2 24/05/2019 02:24