Taxpayer-owned Apethorpe Hall on sale at knock-down price Apethorpe is now back on the market, having had more money spent on it, for around £2.5 million. Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, described Apethorpe as "one of the most important 17th century country houses in England." It is one of the few surviving houses in the UK to have been visited by three English monarchs: Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I. Critics of the sale have accused the Government of wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers" money by selling the house at a huge discount to what it spent on it. Emma Boon, a director at the Taxpayer Alliance, said: "It's devastating that taxpayers have ended up paying millions, only to see the property go back into private hands." However Mr Thurley said: "Buildings at risk cannot be left until the economy improves, and we had to act before the building was lost."