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Meet the Neighbours - Alton Towers #82

...displays, balloon festivals and exhibitions of instruments of torture (sounds very Victorian!). The 20th Earl was a very active businessman and in 1902 founded the manufacturing of Talbot cars – however, by now the Earl and his wife had separated and in 1918 he decided to sell off the majority of the estate. In 1924, the house and the rest of the estate were sold to a group of businessmen who formed Alton Towers Limited and opened the grounds to the public along with cafes and toilets being installed in the house.  During the war years it was requisitioned by the War Office and remained closed until the 1950s when parts of the grounds were re-opened to the p...