Built / Designed For: George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham

House & Family History: Edward Lambton, 7th Earl of Durham, better known as Ned Lambton, is a musician and guitarist for the band Pearl TN. His aunt was Freda Dudley Ward, the mistress of the Prince of Wales from 1918 to 1934 (before he began his famous/infamous relationship with Wallis Simpson). In 2014 the thrice-married 7th Earl was sued by three of his sisters, one of whom is the broadcaster Lucinda Lambton, for a share of their father's estate, from which the sisters had been excluded. Lord Durham reached an out-of-court settlement that gave approximately £1.5 million to each of his sisters. The settlement forced him to sell a provocative nude portrait of his late mother, "Head on a Green Sofa," by Lucian Freud. The artist painted the canvas between 1960 and 1961, when Lord Durham's mother was the artist's secret mistress. It sold at Sotheby's on February 12, 2014 for £2,994,500. In 2015 Lord Durham sold Fenton House, together with 2,273 acres, for £10 million.

House Listed: Not Listed

Park Listed: Not Listed

Past Seat / Home of: George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham, 1875-79; John George Lambton, 3rd Earl of Durham, 1879-1928; Frederick William Lambton, 4th Earl of Durham, 1928-29; John Frederick Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham, 1929-70; Antony Claud Frederick Lambton, 6th Earl of Durham, 1970-2006; Edward Richard Lambton, 7th Earl of Durham, 2006-15.

Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust

Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home

House Open to Public: No

Phone: 01668-281-312

Historic Houses Member: No