Waddesdon resolution • An underpass for the A41 at Grand Lodge would retain the approach to Waddesdon and ensure that drivers would pass Grand Lodge, which is crucial to the relevance of the lodge, remains. • The underpass would remove the proposed overbridge to the north of Grand Lodge which would sit reasonably high in the landscape and with it bring the illumination from required street lamps and impacts of headlights at this level. • ThedangerousjunctionatGrandLodgeisstillgreatlyimprovedthroughareductionintrafficand construction activities are further away from Waddesdon village. • TheunclassifiedBlackgroveRoadisreroutedratherthantheA41andthefutureoptionfora Waddesdon Waddesdon relief road is still facilitated. • Flood management of the underpass is low cost, very achievable and could be powered by photovoltaic cells. HS2 A special place The impacts of HS2 © National Trust 2015. The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846. Photography © National Trust Images/John Miller and Avella. Printed on 100% recycled paper. Please recycle after use. Proposals to improve HS2 HS2 Waddesdon A4 4pp AW.indd 1-2 30/04/2015 11:28 History of Waddesdon • WaddesdonManorandEstatewasbuiltinthe1870sbyBaronFerdinanddeRothschildtodisplay his outstanding collection of art treasures and to entertain the fashionable world. • ThehouseissurroundedbyviewsofBuckinghamshire,Oxfordshire,theChilternsHillsandthe Vale of Aylesbury. • ItcontainshistoricFrenchfurnitureanddecorativeartsfromthe18thcenturywithmagnificent EnglishportraitsandDutchOldMasters. • WaddesdonhasoneofthefinestVictoriangardensinBritainandthisisacknowledgedinits Grade I status. • Itattracted393,000visitorsin2013,makingWaddesdonthethirdmostvisitedNationalTrust property in the country. • The Manor and 64 hectares were bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957 with surrounding propertyandestateownedandmanagedbytheWaddesdonEstateandtheRothschildFoundation. Waddesdon’s Grand Lodge Impact on Waddesdon ThedesignandlocationofTheGrandLodgeareintendedtobeoutwardlookingandthisisaccepted by HS2 Ltd: ‘ The setting of the building contributes to its value; the building is designed to be seen from its surroundings, and provide a dramatic statement aboutthepark.Itistheonlyelementoftheparkthatisconsideredtobe Illustration: Queen Victoria outwardlooking.’ arriving through Grand Lodge. The problem at Grand Lodge: Grand Lodge • Grand Lodge is designed to be conspicuous. • The current alignment removes the historic line of access to Grand Lodge. • TomarktheQueen’sDiamondJubileein2012,£700,000wasspenttocleanandconservethe • InthecurrentplansthepurposeoftheGrandLodgeisgreatlydiminishedandthevisitor’s masonry of Grand Lodge itself. appreciation, upon arrival from Aylesbury, becomes disjointed. • The majority of visitors arrive by car, and by post-code analysis we judge that 70% arrive from the • PossibilityofopeningupGrandLodgeastheprincipalvisitorentranceisan‘opportunitylost’. Aylesbury direction, therefore Grand Lodge. • The A41 also crosses over HS2 and introduces an alien feature which lies high in a relatively • AsAylesburyexpandsoverthenextfewyears,aprocesswhichisalreadyunderway,morevisitors flatlandscape. will approach from that side. • TheroundaboutwiththerealignedA41andBlackgroveRoadtothenorthofGrandLodgewouldsit • Waddesdoncurrentlyreceivesatotalof364,000visitorsannually,thisequatesto£4,300,000in highinthesurroundinglandscapeandwithitbringtheintrusiveeffectsfromthelightingrequired terms of value of the business to the National Trust alone. and from car headlights at this raised level. • Visitor numbers are projected to rise to 425,000 by 2018 and to 500,000 by 2025, the importance ofGrandLodgeasthefirstarchitecturalstatementofthepropertywillonlygrow. HS2 Waddesdon A4 4pp AW.indd 3-4 30/04/2015 11:28.