Aristocrat loses battle to stop public accessing his country estate: Owner of Hatfield House the Marquess of Salisbury will be forced to allow walkers onto grounds after council ruled part of it is common land

• Owner Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, is worth £345m 

An aristocrat who owns Hatfield House – one Britain’s largest homes where TV hits and films such as The Crown and the King Speech were filmed – has failed on his mission to ban the general public from walking on his grounds.

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, who is worth £345m according to The Sunday Times Rich List, had opposed an application to register part of his massive Hertfordshire estate as common so the public could access the grounds.

But the Open Spaces Society’s (OSS) application was granted by Hertfordshire Country Council after it heard the area is considered the manor’s ‘waste land’.

It is currently made up of grass, shrub and trees and was largely unused by those on the estate – but following the decision walkers will be able to ramble through the greenery.

The OSS claimed that it was a ‘waste land of a manor’ and that the lord and lady were not cultivating it.

Hatfield House is one Britain’s largest homes where TV hits and films such as The Crown and the King Speech were filmed. It sprawls over 1.8 hectares (4.45 acre)

Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, who is worth £345m according to The Sunday Times Rich List, had opposed an application to register part of his massive Hertfordshire estate

Frances Kerner, the society’s commons re-registration officer, told The Guardian: ‘I am delighted that the land at Wildhill Road has been added to the register of common land and that the public will be able to enjoy its beauty.

‘Ironically, the marquess recently hosted Future Countryside, an important conference tasked with discussing the many challenges faced by people who live in, work in, and visit the countryside.

‘Disappointingly, the society was not invited to the conference, but we hope that any future events held by the organisation will include the society and others who champion access to our splendid countryside.’

The paper said that in 1969 the land had been registered as common under provisional measures. But this provisional registration was later axed following an objection.

The land then became eligible to become a public space again after it met the conditions under the 2006 Commons Act.

And it is not the first time the Marquess has got into a row over his land.

Back in 2020 he received backlash for introducing a ‘divisive and exclusive’ scheme when he announced that he wanted to charge £15 per walk for those who wanted to stroll through the estate.

The Open Spaces Society (OSS) application was granted by Hertfordshire country council after it heard the area is considered the manor’s ‘waste land

He also wanted to introduce an annual £50 fee for those living around the area in Hertfordshire to get access to the grounds which sprawl over 1.8 hectares (4.45 acre).

The Marquess of Salisbury, 76, reportedly manages 300 residential properties and owns 10,300 acres at Hatfield and Cranborne Manor in Dorset. 

Built in 1611, Hatfield house is surrounded by a deer park, stunning countryside and a lake. 

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