In an interview in the Daily Mail on the occasion of the house opening to the public for the first time (dated August 26th<\/sup> 1986) Sir Ben is quoted as saying that he wanted to take the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153stuffiness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d out of stately home visiting. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Most houses do it on a show-off scale, but the majority of visitors don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel relaxed. Here they can do what they want- even grill a streak in the grounds. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the unstateliest home in England.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/span><\/p>\n While Maunsel has been vastly improved, with most of the dry rot and rising damp that greeted visitors twenty years ago now gone, there is still a distinct feeling that this is anything but a museum piece of a stately home. Especially when compared to the experience of visiting a National Trust property like Knightshayes Court<\/a>, where we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d spent the morning in an attempt to escape the torrential rain.<\/span><\/p>\n What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more interesting, however, is Sir Ben\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quest to find an heir to this \u00c2\u00a37.5 million country pile. Having no children of his own, this eccentric, right-wing aristocrat has made international headlines thanks to his world-wide hunt for an appropriate Slade to continue his blood-line. No matter if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s English or not.<\/span><\/p>\n It was even suggested last year that he had found a close DNA match in Isaac Slade, singer with Denver-based band The Fray. The 26-year-old has shown no indication of wanting to take on Maunsel, though he has formed an improbable friendship with the baronet.<\/span><\/p>\n
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