After inheriting Wilton House from his father, Lord William Pembroke was faced with the daunting task of, as he puts it, ‘bringing the estate into the 21st century’. The sprawling 14, 000 acre estate situated in Wilton, near Salisbury in Wiltshire; and has even featured as a set for period dramas and films, including Oscar nominated movie Pride and Prejudice.
As the estate has been in his family for centuries, Lord Pembroke is keen to keep its cultural history alive. His greatest passion, however, is undoubtedly motorsports and automotive design, with Wilton House serving as the backdrop for his annual Wilton Classic and super car show.
We were lucky enough to have the chance to find out more about his work.
The most memorable place I have been to in the last year is…
Imola Race track near Bologna. I was invited there to take part in a high speed drive of the spectacular new Lamborghini Huracan.
If I had to choose one vacation destination for the rest of my life it would be…
Mnemba Island, off the coast of Tanzania
I always go back to eat at…
Maggie Jones, Kensington Church St. The best of old school English food.
The most exhilarating culinary experience I haec ever had was…
Tucking into cold gristly pickled ducks feet, sea cucumbers and scorpions in Beijing.
My guilty pleasure is…
Chicken and Mushroom Pot Noodles.
If I was asked to fill a large domestic space with a art I would…
Park up the one off 1925 ‘Round Door Rolls Royce’ in the Double Cube room at Wilton. It is a spectacular example of Art Deco automotive design.
My style icon is…
I’ve never been a close follower of fashion but I tend to look to Charles March when it comes to a timeless and sophisticated country style.
If my house was burning down the item of clothing I would grab would be…
My father’s old smoking jacket which fits me perfectly and still gets well used.
If I had to choose between theatre, opera and film I would pick…
Film
My favourite film is…
True Romance. That dialogue between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper, powerful stuff.
When I was 25 my ambition was to…
At 25 I inherited my family’s 500 year old estate, so my primary objective at that point was not to make too many mistakes, especially as at the time I was working as a product designer for Sir Terence Conran. It was somewhat of a juggling act, but sadly one of my careers had to make way for the other. My actual ambition, however, had I had the choice, would have been a professional racing driver.
The idea to establish a Classic and Supercar Show at Wilton House came about because…
I have an enduring passion for cars, motorsports and fellow petrol heads. I was fortunate enough to meet a few people with a similar passion as mine and our seed of a show soon blossomed into the car show I had always dreamed of attending.
The most exciting developments at the year’s 7th Wilton Classic & Supercar Show are…
Due to popular demand we have for the first time expanded the show to two days, with the first concentrating on world class classic cars, and the second with the very best super cars. We are also celebrating the 10 year birthday of the Veyron with a spectacular Bugatti display.
The most hotly anticipated car model among the car fraternity is…
The 1000mph Bloodhound land speed record car which will be on display here because it will firmly put Britain on the map as the world leaders of automotive engineering.
A potential successor for Jeremy Clarkson would have been…
Nigel Farage. He’s even more controversial and like Clarkson, no one takes him seriously.
The person I would be most interested to meet, dead or alive is…
Leonardo da Vinci, an astonishing engineer and artist (and possibly time traveller!)
The greatest challenge I have had to surmount in my life so far is…
With some assistance, to bring my family’s estate into the 21st century and make it run as an efficient and successful business.
As a member of a Pub quiz team, my specialist category would be…
Performance cars
This time in ten years I will be…
Proud of my achievements (I hope!)
Wilton House, Wiltshire -http://www.wiltonhouse.co.uk/estate/
Imola Race Track – http://www.autodromoimola.com/home/imola-racetrack-history.html
Wilton Classic and Supercar show -http://www.wiltonclassicsupercar.co.uk
Maggie Jones, Kensington Church Street – http://maggie-jones.co.uk