Two of the main reasons why homes are called historic is either because of their association with historical figures or because of the fascinating stories and historical events associated with them. However, some of them are steeped so much in history that they become a part of it. For instance, the story behind Anne Frank’s house is rooted deeply in the history of Ward War II itself. That being said, there are plenty of historic homes around the world to admire from afar. And today, we will give you a ride through history by telling the stories behind some of the most historic homes around the world.
Ayers House, South Australia
The house is named after Sir Henry Ayers, a wealthy industrialist and five times Premier of South Australia. He leased the property in 1855 when it was a 9-room house and transformed it into a 40-room mansion during the 1860s. But for the greater part of its existence, the house was called Austral house.
The historical significance is associated with the house’s many usages. During his tenure, Sir Henry Ayers used this property as the venue for official purposes including meetings, parliamentary dinners, and so on. From 1928 to 1922 the house had been used as a club for injured soldiers. At one point, during 1926 this house was used for training nurses as well as to house them.
However, in 1970, Don Dunstan renovated the house and transformed it into a place of attraction with a museum, fine-dining restaurant, and event centers. Much of the house is conserved to its original condition with most of the items including costumes, silverware, artworks, furniture, a 300kg chandelier. The house is the only property on North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia to have survived.
Anne Frank House, Netherlands
This 17th-century canal house one of the most historical homes around the world because of its root in World War II and a girl named Anne Frank. Anne Frank was a Jewish wartime diarist, who with her family and four other people were caught in the middle of World War II. They hid in this house, which used to be her father’s office, from Nazi people fearing persecution for being Jewish.
The house became famous after her wartime diary got published in 1947. She did not survive the war but her work made waves across the world when her diary was published as a book and translated into different languages. The house became an attraction and the number of visitors started to increase day by day. So the property owner sold the building to a real estate developer who wanted to demolish the house and turn it into a factory. But protesters protect the property from the developers and Anne Frank Foundation was established.
On 3rd May 1960, the entire property was turned into a museum. The museum preserves the hiding places and has a permanent exhibition area dedicated to Anne’s life during that time. It also features a separate exhibition area about all forms of persecution and discrimination. It is now the 3rd most visited museum in Netherland and draws more than a million people per year.
Graceland, Tennessee, US
Soon after he rose to fame, Elvis Presley’s (the iconic American singer) house at 1034 Audubon Drive in Memphis was a place of congregation for people and journalists. Being irritated by the nuisance of journalists and fans, Mr. Presley decided to shift his home.
Although a bit higher than his budget, Mr. Presley purchased Graceland for the amount of $102,500 located in a desolated place in Memphis. It became famous for being visited frequently by other celebrities. Later Mr. Presley expanded the house and decorated the interior with his distinctive taste and style including the famous jungle room which is adorned with green shag carpet and a built-in waterfall.
Graceland was turned into a museum after Mr. Presley’s demise and opened to the public on June 7, 1982. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in America in 1991 as the first site related to rock and roll to be entered in that respect and declared as a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Graceland is the 2nd most visited house in the US with a total annual visitor of 6,50,000.
Winchester Mystery House, California, US
The story behind the Winchester Mansion is mysterious albeit fascinating. It was widely regarded as the famous haunted house in California. The house was built unconventionally and had odd features like a door with no real purpose or a stair that goes nowhere. Many visitors and guests who visited and stayed at the house had reported having experienced abnormalities and were uncomfortable throughout their stay in the house.
The history behind the house has its root in deep personal tragedy. Sarah Winchester was consumed by grief, after losing her child and husband. Sarah then reached out to a medium to help ease the pain of her tragic losses. But she was not prepared to hear the things that the medium would say to her. Sarah’s deceased husband was the munitions baron who produced the Winchester Repeating Rifle. It was one of the most popular rifles and was known as the gun that won the west. The medium explained to Sarah that the countless lives that had been lost to the Winchester rifles can make her life even more miserable unless she took precautions.
The remedy was to build a house that is attractive to the kindly spirits who in turn would keep evil spirits at bay. Sarah moved from New Haven to an eight-room farmhouse in San Jose, California. Right away she began remodeling. Some reports estimate the house expanded from 8 to 26 rooms in the first six months. And there was no end to the construction, Winchester’s crew worked on the house in rotating shifts, 24 hours a day, for 38 years until her death.
Highclere Castle, England
England is dotted with historic homes and landmarks and is the home to the most iconic structure in the world, the Buckingham Palace. But when talking about the oldest and the most beautiful historical landmarks, Highclere Castle located in Hampshire, England tops the list.
Constructed in 1679 and heavily renovated in 1840 this castle is a Grade I country house, graced by many notable historic figures and even contributed to the history of the formation of Canada. From King Edward II to Sir Robert Sawyer, the Attorney General to Charles II and James II, every one of them who lived there was fascinated by the architectural features and the beauty of the integrated park designed by Capability Brown, the greatest gardener who has ever lived in England.
This castle became home to Egyptian artifacts and also is the country seat of “Earls of Carnarvon” which is a branch of the noble Anglo-Welsh Herbert family. For its rich historical significance, Highclere Castle has been used for various purposes including as the set for various films and TV series. But the biggest recognition and international fame came after being used as the set for TV series called Downton Abbey and a film based on it. The entire property including the garden, house, and the Egyptian exhibition center is opened to the public during the summertimes and on occasions such as Christmas and Easter.
Here is the fact about the historic homes around the world, they all have witnessed and stood tall through different phases of history and some of them have become a part of it. So if you happen to visit any of them, take some time to fully appreciate the history that it is steeped with.
