Early Twentieth-Century Cobham, 1914-1957 |
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During the First World War, Cobham was used as a convalescent hospital for Australian troops. Money was in ever shorter supply, and a backlog of repairs started to build up, affecting house, grounds and estate buildings. Between the wars further sales from the Cobham collections took place and substantial blocks of land were sold. Renewed efforts were also made to shore up the dwindling family finances: new business ventures such as commercial market gardening were set in motion; and the East Park was adapted for use as a golf course soon after the Armistice: a use that continues to this day.
The Second World War had a considerable impact upon the estate. Ashenbank Wood was taken over for an RAF camp, the house was partly occupied by RAF personnel, and some damage was done to the service court. Post-war shortages resulted in the breakdown of a regular maintenance regime: this affected the garden structures in particular, which began to deteriorate rapidly. Some 2,000 acres of agricultural land was sold off just after the war, but funds were still in short supply.
A backlog of repairs was building up requiring sums beyond those available to Lord Darnley. By the early 1950s the long-term future of the estate was looking shaky: the Mausoleum in particular was causing concern as it became increasingly the target for vandals. The National Trust contemplated taking Cobham Hall into guardianship in 1955, but legal problems prevented this from happening. The death of the 9th Earl in 1955 worsened the problem by adding a further burden of death duties on the already-encumbered estate, and the Darnleys finally moved out of Cobham after over two centuries of residence in 1957.
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