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King Charles and the Prince’s Trust have opened three of his privately owned homes to the public as warm spaces. Dumfries House, above, is one of them.
King Charles III is really leaning into the whole noblesse oblige part of becoming sovereign.
The newly minted monarch has opened three of his personal palaces to the public during the worst of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter as Warm Spaces, places people can go to escape the cold, have a cup of tea and a natter, while saving money on their own heating bills.
The warm spaces, which will be open until mid-March, are at Castle Mey and Dumphries House in Scotland, and Highgrove, in Gloucestershire, his family home since 1980.
According to the BBC, the initiative was well received by the British public.
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Warm spaces have become a crucial part of British life this winter, following skyrocketing energy prices that have seen some household power bills increase by 80% in October 2022, following a 54% increase in the preceding April.
Prior to the King’s contribution to the movement, most designated warm spaces have been spaces already open to the public, such as libraries, community hubs and church halls.
Now local folks can sit in comfort in the tearooms of a 1566-built castle, and 18th century Mansion or Charles’ personal Georgian home and have a complimentary coffee and tea on the King and save a few pennies on the electric while they’re at it.
One attendee at Highgrove told the BBC the warm space at Highgrove was “very posh” compared to other warm spaces.
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The gardens at Highgrove House, which are open to the public. Not shown: the Orchard Room, which is being opened as a warm space.
What are the warm spaces like?
At Highgrove, the Orchard Room, overlooking the Orchard Terrace, is the designated a warm space. It is open every Tuesday till mid-March.
Typically used for lunch or a cream tea after a tour of Highgrove’s extensive gardens – Charles’ pet project since he moved into the home 40 years ago – the room is a newer addition to the Georgian manor house, which was built in the late 1700s.
It’s decorated in a cosy, country style, with deer antler table decorations, and portraits of Charles and his family dotted around the walls.
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King Charles at Castle Mey, which was his grandmoth, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s holiday home.
Built in 1566, the Castle of Mey is the oldest residence offering a warm space. This will be in the castle’s tearoom.
Mey was left to Charles by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who died in 2002. She bought the castle in 1952, when it was in a dilapidated state. She would spend the next 8 years restoring the home as a personal bolthole.
The castle was opened to the public for tours after her death and now includes accommodation.
According to local paper the John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier, Mey’s caretakers announced the warm space initiative as a “winter warmer” , inviting locals to join them for a complimentary tea or coffee.
“Please feel free to bring along your favourite book, a knitting project or to have a blether with other people. A welcome space for all,” the invite said.
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Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, at Dumfries House in 2013. The now-King has turns a tearoom at the home into a warm space for winter.
18th-century Dumfries House, in Ayrshire, is already open to the public for tours. However, when the warm space is in session, free hot drinks, biscuits and soup are provided to visitors.
According to local paper, The National, they are also “encouraged to bring books, games or knitting with them for the two hours they are permitted to be on the property” each Wednesday.
Built in 1748, Dumfries and its furniture collection was “saved for the nation” when Charles and the Prince’s Trust bought the home in 2007.
Like Highgrove, Dumfries has an extensive garden, it also has several historical features and follies, including a Chinese bridge; historic Temple Gate, an historical Grade A listed house; and the Lady’s Well which was refurbished in 2019.
Classic Charles
It’s not the first time the King’s properties have been made more accessible to the public.
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The accommodation at Castle Mey’s Granary Lodge is a cut above.
In 2019, the then-Prince of Wales turned Castle Mey’s Granary Lodge into a 10-room bed and breakfast, catering to tourists. The B&B overlooks the North Sea in the grounds of the castle.
Guests are invited to visit local distilleries, go bird and puffin-watching and take a private tour of the local historic sights.
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