Editing Stratfield Saye House (section)

==Purchase by the state==
[[File:Coachhouse, Stratfield Saye - geograph.org.uk - 1420480.jpg|thumb|left|The coachhouses and stable blocks at Stratfield Saye House.]]

The estate was purchased by the state in 1817, so that it could be given by a grateful nation to the victorious [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]]. The government gave £600,000 for the construction of a proposed "Waterloo Palace" to rival [[Blenheim Palace]], home of the [[Duke of Marlborough (title)|Dukes of Marlborough]]. 

The Hampshire site Wellington chose was the {{convert|5000|acre|km2|adj=on}} estate of Stratfield Saye, home of the Pitt family. He was advised on the purchase by the architect [[Benjamin Dean Wyatt]] who had once been his private secretary.<ref>{{cite book|title=Wellington: A Personal History|first=Christopher|last= Hibbert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZnnnUQu6cAC&pg=PT220|access-date=26 December 2011|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2010|isbn=978-0-00-740694-4}}</ref> He originally planned to demolish the existing house, and replace it with a more prestigious home, to be known as Waterloo Palace. These plans were abandoned in 1821, when they proved to be too expensive, and subsequently the duke made numerous additions and improvements to the existing building. All but the 1st and 6th Dukes are buried at Stratfield Saye House.