Historic Houses of Northamptonshire Part One
Northamptonshire is home to some of the most famous and best preserved stately homes in England. In fact, there are so many we had to split this blog into two parts! This second blogpost will delve into the history of the historic houses nestled in the west Northamptonshire countryside. All of the houses listed below are open for the public to visit - check their individual websites for more details.
Sulgrave Manor:
Sulgrave Manor is testament to Northamptonshire’s strong ties to America, and even claims to be the original home of the special relationship.
Sulgrave is the ancestral home of George Washington, one of the founding fathers of the USA, and their first president. The Washington family moved to Sulgrave in the 15th century, and developed a successful wool trading business. John Washington, George’s great-grandfather, emigrated to Virginia in 1656, where the Washington dynasty continued.
100 years after the end of the Anglo-American War of 1812, which was the last war with America pitted against Britain, former President Theodoore Roosevelt suggested restoring Sulgrave Manor as an act of peace and remembrance. Fundraising was secured from both American and British contributions, and the Sulgrave Manor we know and love today was restored and opened to the public in 1921.
78 Derngate:
78 Derngate is most famous for being the only building designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh outside of Scotland, but the house has so much more history behind it than that!
Originally remodelled by Mackintosh on the orders of W.J Bassett-Lowke in 1916, the house had previously been standing for a century beforehand. Bassett-Lowke’s father bought him the home as a wedding gift, and it was the happy couple’s home for decades. Bassett-Lowke himself could be considered as famous as Mackintosh - he was the founder of the famous toy company of the same name. They were integral during the Second World War in making miniatures for the army so they could utilise them in planning manoeuvres, most notably D-Day.
In 1964, the house was bought by Northampton School for Girls, first for offices, and then for classrooms. It was during this time that worries arose about preserving the unique architecture. Restoration officially began in 2002, after the council bought the house on a 999 year lease. The house now functions as a museum, highlighting the stunning eclectic architecture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Lamport Hall:
Lamport Hall has been the home of the illustrious Isham family since 1560. Built by John Isham, a wealthy wool merchant, the Ishams quickly became prominent members of the aristocracy, with John Isham II awarded the first baronet in 1627 by the crown.
In 1655 the building as it is today was begun by John Webb who was commissioned by Sir Justinian Isham. Building-work was continued throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, with the final piece of work being the main entrance to the hall in 1855. However, by 1950, the house was in severe disrepair, and Sir Gyles Isham left the manor house to the Lamport Hall Preservation Trust, who now run the house as a museum and events venue.
One of the most notable Ishams is Sir Charles Isham. Charles was a prolific gardener, and created an incredible ‘rockery’ - an organised pile of rocks with various plants throughout. Within this rockery is his cause for fame - garden gnomes! Charles is credited with bringing garden gnomes to England, after spotting them in Germany on a trip.
Cottesbrooke Hall & Gardens:
Younger than most of the other stately homes in West Northamptonshire, Cottesbrooke Hall dates to 1702, during the reign of Queen Anne. The hall was the home of the Langham family, who commissioned Francis Smith of Warwick to design the house.
The Langham family quickly rose to power during the 17th century - with Sir John Langham being awarded a baronet due to his role in petitioning King Charles II to return to England - going as far as to travel to the king himself in Breda in Holland in 1660.
In the 19th century, renovations were added to the hall by Robert Mitchell, although Mitchell was careful not to alter the original style and architecture of the Langham family’s original house too much. Due to this, the house is still one of the best preserved examples of architecture during the reign of Queen Anne, and was so notable that it was rented by the Empress Elisabeth of Austria for a hunting trip in 1877! The house is also thought to have been Jane Austen’s inspiration for Mansfield Park.
Today, the house is owned by the Macdonald-Buchanan family, who are credited for the prestigious 20th century gardens. The family still live there, but allow for visitors to explore their home and gardens during the summer months.
Holdenby House:
Built by Queen Elizabeth’s Lord Chancellor and favourite, Sir Christopher Hatton, as the biggest house in Elizabethan England, Holdenby House subsequently became the palace of both James I and Charles I, and was Charles’ prison after his defeat in the English Civil War.
After Charles was executed, the house was transferred to the Parliamentarian Adam Baynes, who reduced the house to just an eighth of its original size - this is the size of Holdenby today. However, when the Monarchy Restoration occurred in 1660, the house reverted back to royal ownership, but was bought by the Duke of Malborough in 1709, and after descending through a female line, has been in the Lowther family since. The Lowthers still live in Holdenby House, and are credited with producing the most members of Parliament from a single family.
The gardens are also of significant importance. They are the remains of the Palace gardens, the greatest of their age. Rosemary Verey’s Elizabethan Garden and her Tous Tous Fragrant garden has been reimagined by the award-winning designer Ruper Golby. There is a fully functioning Kitchen Garden, a stunning Silver border and Pond Garden. Charles I has a deep history with these gardens, with his favourite walk still available to traverse, and the spot where he stood when he was informed of his execution and subsequently taken away by Cromwell’s men is also marked in the garden.
Althorp House:
Althorp is one of the most well known houses in England - it is the childhood home of Princess Diana, and her brother Charles Spencer still resides there. It has been the ancestral home of the Spencer family since 1508, when John Spencer bought it for £800 from the Catesby Family.
The house itself is one of the oldest houses in Northamptonshire, with it being recorded in the Domesday Book as ‘Ollatorp’ - a name of Danish origin which insinuates that it was under Danelaw that the area was first inhabited. After John Spencer bought the estate, the house was built, although it was originally a large Tudor red brick house. The house as it stands today originates from 1788.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Spencer family became one of the most prominent families in Europe, with Althorp being known for its lavish parties and extensive library, which was once considered the largest in Europe in the 1830s. However, their luck went downhill, and many of the extravagant furnishings and art pieces were sold in 1892. In the 1980s, a huge refurbishment of the house was begun, costing over £2 million.
Today one of the most popular attractions is Lady Diana’s Island - a small island in the middle of a lake in the grounds, where the princess is buried underneath a neoclassical temple. Whilst the island itself is inaccessible to members of the public, there is a viewing platform on the side of the lake.
Delapre Abbey:
Delapré Abbey didn’t start out its life as a stately home - the house was originally built as a Cluniac nunnery in 1145 by Simon II de Senlis, who was a prominent member of King Stephen’s court during the Anarchy.
In 1460, the Battle of Northampton took place just outside of the Abbey’s grounds. Considered one of the most important battles of the Wars of the Roses, the Abbess and her nuns are recorded as helping wounded soldiers, with King Henry VI being held captive at Delapré until he was taken to London.
The Abbey was officially dissolved during the Dissolution of the Monasteries Act by Henry VIII in 1538, and was subsequently sold to the Tate family by the crown in 1550. The Tate family transformed the Abbey into a stately home, and lived there until 1756, when Sir Charles Hardy, husband of Catherine Tate, sold the house to the Bouverie family after he emigrated to New York. The Bouverie family then lived at Delapré until it was taken over by the War Office, who used it as their base during wartime. After WW2, there were talks of demolition, but it was bought by The Northampton Corporation in 1946 for £56,000, and was restored to its former glory by Northamptonshire Records Society when they used it as their base.
Today, Delapré Abbey is owned by Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, who ensure the history of the place is preserved and available for members of the public.
Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens:
The youngest stately home on this list, Kelmarsh Hall was built in the 1730s for the Hanbury family, who assumed a huge amount of wealth from a marriage arrangement to the niece of Viscount Bateman. However, it passed through many owners afterwards - first to Richard Christopher Naylor in 1864, mainly for its hunting potential, and then to George Granville Lancaster in 1902. His son, Claude, inherited the estate in 1924, and it later passed to Claude's elder sister Cicely in 1977. Cicely then established the Kelmarsh Trust to safeguard the estate's future after her death in 1996. Since then, the hall has been looked after by the trust to ensure the future of the building, whilst telling its story and history.
The aesthetic of the house as it is today was the vision of one of the most famous society decorators of her time - Nancy Lancaster. Whilst she and her then husband were renovating Kelmarsh Hall in 1933, she began an affair with the hall’s owner, Claude Lancaster. She went on to marry him, although divorced after just 5 years, stating that they were better suited as lovers. It is said that Kelmarsh was Nancy’s favourite house out of all the houses she had lived in. Drawn by the house’s fine bone structure, her taste for combining comfort with formality set the trend for the Twentieth Century’s Country House look. Her spirit still pervades the house today in the delicate terracotta colouring of the Great Hall, the exuberant Chinese wallpaper, and seasonal flower arrangements.
As you can see, there's so much history and heritage to be found in Northamptonshire! Which is your favourite?
Check out our other blogpost highlighting even more of the county's heritage!
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