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A painter and poet, like other romantics of that era, he followed the footsteps of Lord Byron and fell in love with Greece so passionately, that he decided to stay. He borrowed 10,000 gold sovereigns from Lady Byron and bought the Achmet Aga Estate from a departing Turk, Ismail Bey at the time that the Independence of Evia from the Turks was being negotiated. Turkish landowners were allowed to sell their estates before leaving, but given 400 years under the Turkish yoke,  few Greeks had money with which to purchase and so the newly formed Greek Government encouraged citizens of friendly foreign powers, to buy the lands. Edward Noel was one such. Several estates on Evia were purchased by foreigners, but within 50 years, nearly all had sold up and left. Today the Noel-Baker family is the only British, indeed foreign, family which has maintained this continuous link with Greece since its independence. At the age of 25, Edward Noel's son Frank inherited the Estate, followed by his Grand-daughter Irene in 1919. Irene met Philip Baker, whilst nursing during the First World War in Italy, and when they married, they joined their two names to Noel-Baker. |
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A Quaker and a founder of the Friends Ambulance unit,  Philip's vivid personal experiences of un-necessary death in the First World War trenches caused him to dedicate his life to the cause of Disarmament. To gain a platform, he became a Labour member of Parliament and served in several cabinets. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1959 and entered the House of Lords in 1977. The Estate is now owned by their son, The Honourable Francis Noel-Baker, also at one time a Labour Member of Parliament.The family house and its atmosphere reflect a powerful mixture of British and Greek culture as a result of this heritage. The Achmetaga Estate lies in spectacular scenery in the valley of the River Cereus,  between the mountains of Candili and Pyxaria, in the North of Evia, about 2 hours drive North West of Athens. There is a bridge on to the island at Halkis, the main town. The mountains and hills are forested with Aleppo pine and scattered with olive groves, and lush arable land in the valley bottom. Evia is a long narrow island so the sea is only 20 minutes drive to East Aegean coast, and 25 minutes to the West coast of the Gulf of Evia. Being so close to the mainland, Evia has not been considered a 'typical' island,  and has therefore escaped the attentions of the Tourist Developers and the Package Holidaymaker. Prokopi is therefore a real Greek village with its shops, Tavernas and churches, including one dedicated to the Orthodox St. John the Russian, whose relics lie within, attracting pilgrims to visit him for his miracle performing powers.
The body of St. John was brought to Evia in 1923, by Greek refugees from the village of Urgup, or Prokopi, in Capadocia, at the time of an exchange of populations, between Greece and Turkey following the failed 'Megali Idea' when Greece tried to recapture Constantinople and beyond for Greece. |
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 Please contact us by: Charlotte Nicholson: Tel [UK] 0788 7991931 Philip Noel-Baker: Tel [Greece] 0030 (0) 974062100 e-mail stay@candili.gr Post: Candili Ltd, Prokopi, 340 04 Evia, Greece | |
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