The Duke of Ellingham

Julian Assange was granted bail today by a British judge. The pictures you see below is where he'll be placed under some kind of brutal house arrest. It's called Ellingham Hall, which has its own website.


This is where Julian will winter. It's not quite as large as the estate in Sandringham but it'll have to do.


This is where the poor guy will be taking his meals. Somehow, I get the feeling this isn't a self-serve environment or that he'll be carrying trays to his table.


This isn't the foyer but the mud room where Julian can shake the snow off his riding boots after the fox hunt.


OK, in all seriousness, I almost pity poor Assange if he has to spend a minute in this room, which looked as if it was designed by Professor Plum.


This would be pretty posh if it was the servants' quarters but this is, I shit you not, a rental cottage called "the Hen House."

Ellingham Hall's website says of itself on its index page,

Taking over your very own stately home is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people. Set in the heart of Northumberland, close to rolling hills and breathtaking coastlines, Ellingham Hall is a country house venue comprising a seventeenth century historic hall ideal for holiday rental, parties, weddings, birthdays or corporate events – a fabulously unique venue for your holiday or special occasion.

Ellingham Hall is a Northumberland country house venue with 12 luxury holiday cottages and is also available as a corporate venue or wedding venue.

So my question is this: We know that Michael Moore and other celebrities are rushing to this guy's aid and scraping together $316,000 to bail him out while Bradley Manning continues rotting away in an 8x8 cell 23 hours a day for months on end.

Who's paying to put up Assange in this posh Northumberland castle?
Update: Apparently, I got the wrong Ellingham Hall, according to a reader in the state government of New Jersey. There are two, apparently, in England. One is in Northumberland and there's another in Norfolk. The Northumberland Ellingham Hall issued an addendum on their website which reads as follows, perhaps as a reaction to my error:

The Wikileaks Founder, Julian Assange, is NOT staying with us at Ellingham Hall, unless he's sneaked in with a wedding party. He is apparently staying at the other Ellingham Hall in Norfolk.

Whilst we would love to host your wedding or corporate event with us, we are not interested in bringing down Governments via Wikileaks, nor any other form of anarchistic behaviour!

Assange is staying at the Norfolk Ellingham Hall, which is just a little less posh, as the satellite view of the estate shows a swimming pool off the west wing and palatial grounds. Plus, I hardly think that putting up Assange under court order can be construed as being "interested in bringing down Governments."