Kirby Hall
| Kirby Hall | |
|---|---|
 Kirby Hall in 2016 | |
.svg)  Location within Northamptonshire | |
| General information | |
| Type | Country house |
| Location | Gretton, Northamptonshire |
| Coordinates | 52°31′27″N 0°38′14″W / 52.52417°N 0.63722°W |
| Completed | 17th century |
| Owner | English Heritage |
Kirby Hall is a Grade I listed Elizabethan country house, located near Gretton, Northamptonshire, England. The nearest main town is Corby. One of the great Elizabethan houses of England, Kirby Hall was built in 1570 for Sir Humphrey Stafford of Blatherwick. In 1575, Sir Christopher Hatton of Holdenby purchased the property,[1]Hatton was Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I. It is a leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Construction on the building began in 1570, based on the designs in French architectural pattern books and expanded in the Classical style over the course of the following decades. The house is now in a semi-ruined state with many parts roof-less although the Great Hall and state rooms remain intact. The gardens, with their elaborate "cutwork" design, complete with statues and urns, have been recently restored. Anne of Denmark stayed at Kirby on 9 August 1605 while her husband King James I stayed at Rockingham Castle.[2]
James I stayed nine times at Kirby Hall between 1608–1624,[3] one of them in August 1616 for three days.[4] When Anne of Denmark stayed at Kirby in August 1605, King James was accommodated nearby at Rockingham Castle.[5] During a royal progress Esmé Stewart, 3rd Duke of Lennox died at Kirby of the "spotted ague" on 30 July 1624.[6]
Kirby Hall was eventually inherited by Edward Finch, the youngest son of Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham and 7th Earl of Winchilsea and Anne Hatton, sole heiress to the 1st Viscount Hatton. Edward's eldest son, George Finch-Hatton married Lady Elizabeth Murray, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Mansfield. In 1791, their eldest son and heir George (later 10th Earl of Winchilsea) was born at Kirby Hall.
During the 1780s, George Finch-Hatton had begin renovating the hall's interior drastically into 18th century style while preserving the exterior intact, he removed and sold the Tudor wood panelling, in exchange for wallpaper and pediment. The Hall began its slow decline when George and Lady Elizabeth's newly built palatial mansion Eastwell Park was finished and the family moved there entirely.[7]
By the late 1880s, the hall had been completely abandoned and in ruins, the 12th Earl of Winchilsea, uncle to Denys Finch Hatton, dreamed to preserve and "if ever his ship came in" to restore the ancestral property to its old splendour, he was never able to carry out his dream. He died in 1898 and the title passed to his brother, Denys's father.[8]
The building and gardens are still owned by the Earl of Winchilsea. The site was designated a scheduled monument in 1927.[9]
Kirby Hall has been used as a filming location in many productions. These include : episode 6 ("Protest and Communication") of Kenneth Clark's Civilisation,[10] and Patricia Rozema film adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park (1999)[11][12] and A Christmas Carol for Ealing Studios in 1999. In 2014 it was the venue for an edition of BBC One's Antiques Roadshow.[13]
Images[edit]
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The giant order is exceptionally early for England (Courtyard) -
North front from inner courtyard with bust of Apollo in the middle. -
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Kirby Hall in 1829 (gate courtyard) -
North outer courtyard gate -
other facade of the giant order (Courtyard) -
Sir Christopher Hatton in Lord Chancellor attire -
Raised Terrace -
Oblique view (side & rear) -
The builder, Christopher Hatton by Nicholas Hilliard, 1588-1591 -
Great Hall -
renovated as library by George Finch Hatton -
used as ballroom by George FH and Lady Elizabeth (disrepair) -
Billiard room
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References[edit]
- ^ https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/northants/houses/kirby-hall.htm/ref>
- ^ John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. 1 (London, 1828), p. 525.
- ^ Express, Britain. "Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire | Historic Northamptonshire Guide". Britain Express. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ William Kelly, Royal Progresses to Leicester (Leicester, 1855), p. 11: Mary Anne Everett Green, Calendar State Papers Domestic, Addenda 1580-1625 (London, 1872), p. 556 citing TNA SP15/40 f.180
- ^ Emily Cole, 'King and Queen in the State Apartment', Le Prince, la Princesse et leurs logis (Picard, 2014), 79.
- ^ John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. 4 (London, 1828), p. 985.
- ^ DJP (24 May 2018). "KIRBY HALL". HOUSE AND HERITAGE. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ DJP (24 May 2018). "KIRBY HALL". HOUSE AND HERITAGE. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Kirby Hall: an Elizabethan country house and gardens, including the remains of the medieval village of Kirby". Historic England. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ Clark, Kenneth (1969) 6. Protest & Communication, Civilisation, BBC
- ^ "Mansfield Park". The Castles & Manor Houses of Cinema's Greatest Period Films. Architectural Digest. January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ^ "Mansfield Park". The Castles & Manor Houses of Cinema's Greatest Period Films. Architectural Digest. January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ^ "BBC One - Antiques Roadshow, Series 37, Kirby Hall".
External links[edit]
Media related to Kirby Hall at Wikimedia Commons