My Parents Want To Sell Our $4.3 MILLION Home, I Won't Forgive Them | Country House Rescue | Abode 

A quick google search and I found out it was sold in late 2021

@@bebeautiful6613 That's sad news! 😔

Indeed, the pandemic closures and a mountain of debt from renovations proved too much for the lender. Aside from the financial aspect the brothers heart was no longer in it. The realization the work never ends, even on the weekends, as well as the inability to ever be able to enjoy being the custodian was reason enough for the brothers to pass the estate on. Without a vast fortune to hire the best staff to run the house, maintain the house and grounds, and manage all of the business responsibilities, these grand houses do require a 24/7/365 day commitment by the custodian. These men do not come from money. The nearly £7m purchase price and the earnings from the sale of its entire contents is more money than these men have ever seen or could imagine earing running the house. The desire to fight for survival is being lost by custodians of fine homes each and every year. It's my understanding they had been quietly seeking a buyer for years hoping to cash in. Year two of the pandemic forced the sale. It is sad the family has left Staffordshire. However the new custodian is sure to invest heavily to ensure this magnificent homes is preserved for the nation. Cheers!

@@J.Cameron.Stuart.Adams. why not a bed and breakfast...

"FOLLOWING THE SALE OF THE ESTATE IN 2021, THE PHILIPS FAMILY SADLY LEFT STAFFORDSHIRE BUT WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE ESTATE WILL PROSPER AND GROW UNDER THE OWNERSHIP OF A NEW FAMILY." 😢 Both parents passed away in 2017

The sons didn’t want the house like my sister they wanted the enormous price they could sell it for.

That's what I said too.

At lest the sons got to run it for a little over 10 yrs. They would of been in their 50s + neither of them had children then who would it go to as they grow old. Might as well sell it + they got a better price then was being offered during the filming. However if one of them had had children it would of been sad to sell it.

But the website said it was run by Justin and his wife? So what happened to Ben?

That is not Hugh Bonnevilles voice at the beginning.

I can barely manage the dust bunnies as a single person with a 3 bedroom home

The real killer to these houses is death duties. No new owner can captivate the essence of a real country home.

This couple may as well sell it and enjoy the money bcos they know their sons will sell it off and enjoy the money once they're gone.

Entitled ? Yes ,they are entitled to their inheritance and unless you are in their shoes you would not know how difficult and sad is for them to deal with this ,with all the huge taxes imposed on them ,etc ,etc I wonder what kind of plan you would put in place ,your words mean nothing if you don’t have a real solution and you can’t even have one as you don’t live there and you know nothing about the ins and outs of the property.

@A It was obvious that society had changed after WWII. There was no more cheap labor of the underclasses. And there were taxes to be paid. Other families recognized that and made changes to support the buildings in the 50s and 60s, like tours of gardens and house. So the plan should have been to do something similar at that time. That requires getting the horticultural skills, gathering the historical facts/knowledge, creating interesting experiences, learning how to run events, etc. The specifics depend on the house, surroundings, history. You start creating income streams, learn how to create them and then do it. Don’t wait until the 21st. century to fix a crumbling house or expect to run an enterprise. Create the income while maintenance is still manageable! I don’t have any pity because life is difficult for everyone.

@@LCamp-cr7fs I totally agree with your assessment. The upper classes just don't want to change and this is the result.

COVID indeed had to have been the final straw.

@bina nocht not to mention the cost to have employees to help run the estate.

And the energy cost in 2022

Hi how are you doing?

Having your life cut out for you and being forced into taking over something you have no interest in at all is not appealing to most people. Voluntary is different. Expressing a desire to become the manager is different. Being trained to "take it over".....is certainly different but not so desirable.

Trained to take over? Would you want it? I can’t imagine it’s endless upkeep which is different than dusting and vacuuming.

It's a lifestyle that will never return again.

@@hezmydaddyo2722 *I* would certainly have wanted it, just like Ben did.

how can you call a 40 year old man adorable? yuk. Dont know if you noticed his slight speech impediment ? that may make him a bit shy and awkward, but adorable?

adorable and handsome

​@@itsmyparty4637the only yuk is your comment

The father knows his children, one is living with his granny at 42 years the father knows the sons will not be able to bring in the money to save the mansion so that they loose the home In the end

The father doesn’t have faith in himself and projects this onto his sons.

I feel the parents should enjoy the money for themselves. Leave it to him so he can sell it after they die?

It's up to parents to provide the guidance. But sometimes outside influences create a difference on the children.

Think the son is to blame not the son, brings his nanny from London to help him run the wedding! Yikes

I did not get very warm fuzzies from either parent, her face, more stoic than a rock. I believe if she smiled she would hurt herself.

Exactly, they let the house perish until it was too late. I wonder what those rich people have in mind that they always get poor after inheriting...

@@Indy__isnt_it I did not get that vibe from her at all. No one should have this responsibility dumped on them unwanted. Why do people ALWAYS make such judgements from an hour long program????

@Barbara T We are not a fan of how they just gave up with out even trying! That house has meaning to the family, especially her children! If she actually cared somewhat, they would have been supportive of letting Ben train to take over so they don’t have to deal with the property. And the house is in great shape considering other grand houses on these shows, the issue is that the couple wasn’t open to anything but just getting rid of the whole thing! No consideration how wasted opportunity would have made it more challenging for Ben when he finally stepped up the plat. Also, poor parenting to doubt their son like that. A parent helps prepare their children for when they fail, not become an obstacle just so their kids don’t fail. That is why I personally judge the way they came across.

@@gemstonesparkle7915 Rich people? Who was rich? The parents couldn't afford to live there year around bc they couldn't afford to heat it! The kids had to give up their jobs to work it as a catering venue, and even then, didn't even earn enough for the two of them. Even if they had sold it, it would have only gone for £2 million and then there are the death taxes! None of them was rich, with or without the house!

I kept thinking the same thing. Such a grand estate in a prime tourist district, and yet they were constantly fretting about earning a mere $70k a year to pay the bills?! I got the impression that no one in that family had great business acumen, as a savvy entrepreneur could surely leverage that property into a $1M+ a year enterprise. Sadly, in the end, the son(s) struggled along for years until COVID closures finally killed off their dream, forcing them to sell in 2021. What a waste. Maybe the new owners will have better sense.

Definitely could have done an awesome BNB. Even mar alogo is a members club.

Excellent idea!

They aren’t modernized and lack modern conveniences that hotels would have normally.🙏❤️💕♥️♥️

@@christienelson1437 true but there are plenty of people who would pay good money to stay in a piece of history like this, modern conveniences or not.

I don't feel they belittled their sons, just being realistic. I would not want to saddle my children with such a money sucker. A parent wants to see their children succeed and this home would take more than one son with dreams to make money. they were doing him a favor.

Unless their sons make a business.....it's almost impossible to keep it, I would let my son try to work on it and let them make the final decision about the palace

You can hear Ben romanticized the idea.

Both the sons are dolts!

Both John and Flavia Philips died in 2011

@@Grandstreet1 2017

Oh well

Or "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again"

@@4Youalone3 I read 'Rebecca' when I was 10yo, maybe the first adult book I ever read (after only a year of learning to read). Loved it as a 'house story', my favourite genre. In the new unnamed wife, nervous and uncertain, were elements of my own slow progress in life. The development of the plot was therefore lost on me, till after I later saw the old b&w movie and had reread the book I've never enjoyed the late part - wish Du Maurier had made 'nice' for Mrs De Winter and let me go on thinking it was a romantic rather than gothic house-story. Strangely my own life later resembled the early part of the book - till I grew up enough to realise the family seat took up so much time and money that love and warmth went out the window. Perhaps these parents were wiser than the people here who think the house deserved more than their personal lives. I intend to post a message from my own experience of trying to save an old family estate at any cost, including health, heart and happiness.

They should've put a little money into the servants quarters (since that was the spookiest part of the house) and rented those rooms out using a 'this house is haunted' theme. There are people who would pay a ton of money to stay in a 'haunted' castle like this. There are so many ways one can make money off of a place like this. It's a shame that the last 2 generations of this family were incapable of preserving their family legacy. That's what usually happens though. At some point on down in the generations, you have a generation born, who aren't very good at anything, and they end up losing it all. I would like to know why the father (when he was younger) and the sons didn't keep the servants quarters cleaned up? Why let it get to this point where it looks so bad? Do a couple of rooms at a time and keep it clean if nothing else. Spoiled people. lol

In my neighborhood ,new owners are tearing down beautiful multimillion dollar houses and putting up ugly concrete modern ones or "Persian palaces".

@@chrislastnam6822 Same here in France.

👍🏼

This is outdated information, despite making it a bold type, the facts are it was sold to a corp. The brothers did not keep it.

@@Indy__isnt_it So they didn't work it for 10 years? What about the inheritance tax? Who sold it to whom?

Normally people place inheritable assets in trust, so there is no inheritance tax,

That *was* true - but they sold it and auctioned off all the contents last year. It's unclear to me what's to become of it. The website seems to be saying the new owners will be continuing on with it as a business, but having to fully furnish it from scratch will be a big barrier to that.

It was also possible in the times when the Empire exploited other nations.

You could drop $3.5 million on it?

YES. BUT BETTER HIRE A PROPERTY MANAGER AND TURN IT INTO A TOURIST ATTRACTION. YOU'RE GOING TO NEED AT LEAST 200 PEOPLE TO RUN IT

They are money pits. Every time you fix something another thing goes wrong. If they are Airbnb then you can rent it couple times and full filled the fantasy without the expenses

Ir doesn't fit in the USA it would look like a haunted mansion.

there are homes like these in the US that are abandoned or owned privately from the gilded age and beyond.

Wow, what a bummer. Rudeness has no place in the hospitality industry.

Very sad. I saw this also. A quick google search and we learn a lot 😊 If someone new can make it successful, it’s sad that the family couldn’t 😞 to bad the parents couldn’t have faith in their son 😞

@@bebeautiful6613 I agree, new blood is what they needed and they were afraid to let him try.

Thanks for the update! Sure wish this program was still going. It's sad the house went out of the family, but not so much either. All too often it seems these properties are more of a curse than a blessing. Not sure if you've read about this phenom - the Best thing that can happen to a family with a property such as this, have a popular BBC program film in your grand house, for several seasons!

during COVID, it would be a disaster

@@justinwhite6787 I'm pretty sure the BBC is on it's way out the door.

Hi how are you doing??

HaHaHa “ Where there is a will there is away!”

The house didn't belong to the son, it belonged to the parents. The parents had the right to do anything they wanted with it, including selling the property. End of subject.

He thinks he will just lose the house.

MONEY

A parent knows their children. He probably knows the son can't manage it

Both their sons are over 40 and aren’t married. They mentioned on of them lives somewhere with an aunt. Do they sound like normal sons?

I’m sure the realtors counted the bedrooms. Also I think for houses like Heath House I’m not sure if I’d consider the old servants quarters as bedrooms.

There are bedrooms there definitely but after 10, who wants to count. You only need one to sleep in anyway. I'm more concerned how many toilets are there in the mansion.

As a typical entitled person, John probably considered counting the bedrooms was not in his purview ....

@@rainbocatz6376 I agree. That's exactly what I thought he was insinuating. He lives there, he has it on the market but it isn't his responsibility to care about how many bedrooms there are just know that it's been in his family for centuries and he's one of many who grew up in this grand old historical mansion.

I smelled complete control by both elders!!! She was stern enough to portray a particular character in the beloved Wizard of Oz, nope. Not Auntie Em! Ms G? Margaret Hamilton nailed her role perfectly. I'm not a HUGE FAN. But the quad does have a beautifully pencil sketched portrait on my wall! LoL To the point of this home, I also wonder if the families went on to success. This home should not leave their bloodline. My opinion of course, is just that, my own business. I think if this woman's two sons lead different paths in life, she would have a different outlook. I feel complete animosity from her they both let her down, and possibly her husband can't do enough, although she would stay if he worked his fingers to the bone.

No it didn't work out people in the threads are saying it was sold in 2021 and that the Furnishings were auctioned off

People in the threads are saying the house was sold last year and the Furnishings auctioned off and that both parents died in 2017

Where were you and your other siblings during the years it would have taken to abandon the upkeep to the point the home depreciated that much? Did none of you even bother to visit but still expected an inheritance?

The parents both died within 2 years of this show airing. The sons did continue for about a decade running the place as a wedding venue and letting out rooms. Unfortunately, it would seem they didn't maximize profits enough and Covid killed income; they ended up selling the house and auctioning off all the contents. To be honest, neither son seemed to truly have great business acumen or the kind of work ethic you would need to truly make a place like this make the profit it would need to continue for a long time. I got the impression that neither son had really ever had to truly work for a living. You need massive amounts of determination and a good work ethic to make a go of something like this. You also need good business sense.

It’s not soled

I wouldn't waste money on the servants quarters. I would have removed anything very valuable from the bedrooms in the main house and rented the beautiful bedrooms to tourists

The worse is that no one buys mansions like this anymore no one likes old style they all prefer to live in modern mansions and building them from scratch is cheaper than this.

Yup. Stuck up as well .

​@@davidlynch9049like you you mean!

Yes unlike the decor of today which is cold and soulless and that's why that house was so cozy inside because it was full of warmth and color and beautiful Fabrics but nowadays so many people want ugliness

@@gardensofthegods Aye, exactly so...because the controllers programmed the people to be that way.......but things are going to change ;-)

So sad. It could have been saved.

I don't understand how they could sell all the family heirlooms. My father recently died and I plan to keep most of the paintings and other art and the furniture. My mother died when I was young and my father didn't take care of his large house which is in the condition of the house in this video.

Generations? Centuries. Over 500 years, and they are throwing it all away because they are a lazy, spoiled couple.

@@stupidkitty84 yes generations. 14 generations which equates to centuries 🙄 lol But yes the parents act like the spoiled ones in my humble opinion. Appeared Ben was ready to try but from the ladder scene he also obviously had never done any manual labor lol right??

All this would takd is financing to fix things up, hire a manager and staff. Apparently from prvious comm ed nts thats what yhey did for 10 years after the parents died. They must have tired of it but at 7mill they made much more than the 2mill the parents were offered. The mother was a horror to be talking about her son like that to a complete stranger. Even the stranger came to Ben's defense saying "it sounds sensible to me".

A good example of failure to launch. Parents be an example and stop coddling your adult children…a good work ethic and responsibility taught young…just saying!

Allow him a chance??? It's NOT his house???? 🤣🤣🤣 My gosh are you people nuts, he's not entitled to ANYTHING!!

@@AnastasiaBeaverhousn Considering it got passed down for over 500 years, generation to generation, I'd say the son was entitled. His parents were soon to die anyways. Sign it over or just add the son to the home/land title, then let parents stay there till they die.

As an American, I think I can say the next generation would want it sold asap. They aren't interested in inheriting our furniture or jewelry much less a mini-empire. Everyone is always on the move.

People in the comments are saying regrettably both parents died in 2017 and the one son couldn't get the other brother to help him and so he sold it in 2021 and the new owners auction off some of the possessions . Someone says the new owners have it up for sale now

What would make them more deserving then him or his brother, of the $ for 'retirement'? The house was built to be passed down from generation to generation. Not for one generation to decide to sell everything for their own personal benefit. With a family home like this (that has been passed down through many generations) it's not really 'your home' to do as you wish. It's your family home and belongs to the family and your offspring, just as much as it belongs to you.

I’m curious of they lived off Inheritances or have professions?

As a mother, I can't imagine selling something like this from under my children. This is their ancestral home! If they were not able to turn it into a successful business, there could always sell. The parents were incredibly selfish about forcing a sale for a fraction of the price, just to get some cash in their pocket. Mother being particularly cold and uncaring and a brow beaten father who projected his own failings on Ben. They could have sold some of the farmland if they wanted a cash payout for the retirement, it's not like it was entailed. I'm glad the brothers gave it a go and later managed to get a good price for the property.

Ultimately... The ancestors' intentions are 100% irrelevant. When you become the home's owner you can do whatever you want with it. Further, if Justin and Ben cared so much why was their 75ish year old father still doing all of the yard work basically on his own? Why wasn't Ben LIVING there? It's easy to tell someone else to do the work for your dream. John knew his own heart and had made up his mind. And the sons pretty much went on to sell the house as soon as the parents died anyway.

​@@CarriUSA They mentioned that John was a retired entrepreneur/business owner. And Ben also worked... Pension counselor or something.

No if you read the threads people are saying the beautiful house was sold in 2021 and then the Furnishings auctioned off . The elderly parents hear both died in 2017

What a sin 😪

Shameful. The parents are loathsome.

I kep thinking the parents didn't care preservation of their heritage, they wanted the cash from a sale.

The show aired in 2010. John Phillips died in 2011 and Flavia just 4 months later. In addition to the effort put into keeping the house during the years preceding this program, declining health might have figured in to their ambivalence and waning energy. Their sons successfully operated the house for another 10 years.

@@ragingsmirk68 They were broke. They couldn’t do it anymore. Did you expect them to become paupers just to preserve the estate?

And I can’t help but wonder what the reason was. I suspect there is more to this story. The “I’ll never forgive them” speaks volumes about his maturity - he is acting like a petulant child, and petulant children should not be entrusted with estates worth millions.

They obviously must hate their sons. They died soon, 2 years after the filming and it is no loss.

Of course that’s why the son then sold it. It was never about the house.

@@dougl945 , wrong the parents died in 2011. The venue was doing well, run by the younger son and his wife, the pandemic was the reason.