TOTTENHAM House in Savernake Forest is set to be turned into a multi-million pound hotel and golfing centre aimed at the super rich.

By attracting wealthy people from all over the world to the area, it will put Marlborough on the international map, provide huge employment prospects and pump enormous sums into the local economy.

The stately home, which once hosted glittering social events with some of the richest people in the land among the invited guests, will once again, if planners back the scheme, echo to the sounds of the wealthy having fun.

However, instead of horse drawn carriages which once took the gentry to the mansion and collected them when the grand balls were over, the new guests will be able to make use of a heli-pad.

The Earl of Cardigan, who runs the family estate, will reveal today that he has signed a major deal with what he describes as a 'formidable international consortium', for a £50 million scheme to develop a prestigious hotel and golf resort at Tottenham House.

The financial deal has been tied up with a development group comprising Euro Property Holdings, Conduit Investments and the Buena Vista Hospitality Group of Tampa in Florida.

The consortium has this week signed a 150-year lease with Lord Cardigan to take over the Grade I listed mansion which his family moved out of in 1946. The deal includes Tottenham House and the adjacent stable block, outbuildings and farmland behind the house.

The deal is subject to planning consent but Lord Cardigan told the Gazette that initial discussions have taken place with Kennet District Council and with English Heritage which oversees the maintenance and development of important listed buildings like Tottenham House.

Once the necessary planning consents have been obtained the consortium will be offering a management contract for probably 30-40 years to the world's top hotel groups to run the centre.

Lord Cardigan said: "Now that negotiations between myself and the developers have been successfully concluded, work will start to draw up the huge amount of very detailed plans that are necessary for the planning application.

"If the plans are approved, work could start in 12 months' time, with the developers spending £50 million on the total refurbishment of Tottenham House into a hotel with 100 luxury suites."

It's understood that the cost of a night in the hotel, as yet unnamed, will start at about £350 per person.

Lord Cardigan admits his family could have made a vast sum by selling the early 19th century mansion, but he said that as the 31st generation of his family to control Savernake Forest he had never contemplated selling the property.

He said: "I have been quietly working on this huge project for no less than eight years, and so I am thrilled that I have finally found a team of developers whose ideas match my own.

"I have been very close to doing a deal several times before, but each time talks have broken down because I have been unable to live with their insensitive plans for the site,

"Though we all accept that there has to be some new building, team after team have proposed putting that new-build in very insensitive places.

"At long last I have found a team which has come up with plans that don't detract from the house at all.

"I love the old place dearly, but it really has slowly fallen into rather a sad state.

"Some parts of the building are now semi derelict as recent visitors will have noticed.

"Indeed things have got so bad in the last few years that English Heritage has placed the house on its at risk register.

"The thought that this great house might be put back to how it once was, for people to come an enjoy, is quite wonderful," said Lord Cardigan.

House with rich history

TOTTENHAM House was built by one of Lord Cardigan's ancestors, the 1st Marquess of Ailesbury, in 1820.

It was built to celebrate his elevation from earl to Marquess of Ailesbury in the 1815 Coronation Honours.

Lord Cardigan said: "The house which was on the site was greatly enlarged almost entirely for entertaining."

Guests certainly included royalty and the Prince of Wales is known to have stayed at the house on several occasions.

In its heyday, Tottenham House had more than 100 staff.

The house also boasted its own impressive stable block.

It continued to be the family home for the Ailesburys until 1945 when the family moved out. It was then leased to the former Hawtrey's Boys' Preparatory School. It was subsequently incorporated into Cheam School.

The stately home, which has more than 100 rooms, was then leased to the Amber Foundation, the charity which helps 18-30 year-olds get over social problems including drug and substance abuse. It also helps them to find employment.