Mulling over a tricky question?
If Bamber Gascoigne looks lost in thought it’s probably because he’s fantasising about velvet curtains and orchestra pits. Plans for a 700-seat opera house that the former University Challenge host hopes to build on the derelict stately home he inherited last year have been unveiled.
Where is it located?
The building, which will be home to Grange Park Opera, will be situated on Mr Gascoigne’s 400-acre estate at West Horseley Place, in Surrey. The company is leaving its current base in Hampshire next summer and the ambitious project is due to be completed by 2017 if all goes to plan.
I didn’t know Mr Gascoigne was an opera fan.
The decision to build the theatre was almost accidental. He alighted upon the idea when trying to work out how to maintain the sprawling Tudor mansion which he inherited after the death of his great aunt Mary Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe last year.
Talk about first-world problems…
The quizmaster told The Times: “I suddenly thought, ‘Supposing we turn it into a charity? The purposes of which would be to preserve and maintain the estate but also to turn it into a lively place with things going on, such as the performing arts.’ Step forward Grange Park Opera.”
Is Grange Park happy with the arrangement?
What’s not to like? Mr Gascoigne has promised Grange Park a 99-year lease and year-round access to the building. The company has confirmed it will move to the grounds, which the TV presenter, 81, said were “perfect for an opera festival”. Designs for the new venue, currently named Theatre in the Woods, are based on the renowned La Scala opera house in Milan.
That sounds like a pricey project.
The new theatre will be funded through donations from trusts and foundations, as well as a public fundraising appeal that will be launched in December. A public consultation over the new build begins today.
