SCOTS KING TO VICTORIAN BLING
R obert the Bruce is a hero to many Scots for defeating the English at the Bannockburn in 1314. And, unsurprisingly, many people claim they are descendants of the warrior king; estimates put the number of people in the Bruce bloodline at 200 million, although just 496 of them are members of a Facebook group for those who can prove lineage.
Several famous people have been linked to him including US senator John McCain during his bid to become president of the United States in 2000, when a book he wrote claimed he was descended via his mother – a lineage rejected by Scottish academics.
A more solid and direct ancestor of Robert the Bruce is the 19th century businessman John Bruce, who commissioned a huge mansion to be built for himself in the Home Counties. South Park was completed in 1885 and later became a school for girls but by the early noughties, had fallen into disrepair. The property was recently bought by Newcourt Residential and has now been lavishly restored and converted into apartments decorated by Alexander James Interior Design. Built in the Domestic Revival and Queen Anne style, half-timbered with ornamental red brick facings and carvings, the house includes oak joinery, ornate plastered ceilings and stained-glass windows.
Prices start at £550,000 for a two-bedroom apartment. Visit newcourt.co.uk