I FOUND the story about the letter written by a young Anthony Eden upon the sad death of his comrade and young friend Reg Park both brilliant and very touching.

Eden, who was only 19 years old, handling responsibility in this way showed the true compassion and lasting impression this brave young lad had on a man born to be a hero and future Prime Minister (albeit a controversial one during the Suez crisis).

Born and bred at Windlestone Hall his ancestral home in Spennymoor, I wonder how many times The Northern Echo has featured Windlestone Hall and its wonderful, if chequered, history.

With stories like this over the years, and its use as a military hospital and school for delicate children, and more recently for maladjusted ones, my wife and father-in-law both worked there.

Indeed, a friend of our father was a prisoner there during the war and stayed on to marry a local girl.

It’s a criminal travesty that now, even after all the flack and media coverage regarding its insidious sale to someone who seemingly did not have the means to reinstate it to its former glory, this hall is being dissected.

The councillors who sold it are no better than Jack the Ripper. They certain ripped the heart out of our architectural heritage.

It would be nice if the current owner auctioned it off as a whole.

John Cumberland, Rushyford.