Hutton-in-the-Forest Hall

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Hutton-in-the-Forest Hall, view from the east

Hutton-in-the-Forest Hall , often just Hutton-in-the-Forest for short and formerly Hutton Hall , is a castle in the English town of Skelton in Cumbria , about eight kilometers northwest of Penrith . The complex consists of a pele tower , to which extensions were added in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century by the architect Anthony Salvin for the family Fletcher Vane changed, which is building ensemble since 27 December 1967 as a Grade I Listed Building under monument protection . It is still owned by the Fletcher Vanes, now Lords Inglewood , and serves as their private residence.

history

Beginnings

Hutton-in-the-Forest was first mentioned in 1292 when Edward I visited the royal forester in the Forest of Inglewood ( German  Forest of Inglewood ), Thomas de Hoton. He had received Hutton-in-the-Forest, located on the border with Scotland , from the king himself and named himself after his new possession. At the end of the 14th or beginning of the 15th century, the Hutton family built a pele tower , which with its fortifications was supposed to offer the residents protection from attacks by Scots. Hutton-in-the-Forest was thus one of three large mansions in Inglewood Forest . In the second half of the 16th century, the Hutton expanded the plant by a construction with a large hall ( English Great Hall ).

Extensions

The Huttons remained owners until 1605, when Lancelot Hutton sold the property to Richard Fletcher, a wealthy Cockermouth merchant . He married a woman from the house Crackenthorp of Newbiggin and was James I. to the Knights defeated. Since Scotland was now part of the English Kingdom, no more Scottish raids were expected on Hutton-in-the-Forest, and Richard Fletcher began to transform the acquired medieval fortifications into a comfortable castle. To do this, he had the moat that was still in existence at the time filled in and the drawbridge, which had become useless, removed.

Illustration of the castle based on an engraving by Johannes Kip published in 1705

The castle got its present form in the 17th century. Richard's son Henry, who was promoted to Baronet of Hutton le Forest in the County of Cumberland in 1641 , added a gallery wing to the existing structure around 1640 . Alexander Pogmire provided the plans for this. When he died on the side of the royalists in September 1645 at the Battle of Rowton Heath during the English Civil War , his widow suffered many reprisals from parliamentarians , including heavy fines, sequestration and even imprisonment. Henry's son George was only twelve years old when he succeeded his father. Around 1685 he had the hall of his property redesigned and expanded. The entrance facade of this part of the castle was changed by Edward Addison in the Renaissance style, presumably according to plans by William Talman . In addition, a south-east wing was added to the ensemble. An engraving of Johannes Kip's house published in 1705 shows Hutton-in-the-Forest with a southern counterpart to the gallery wing, but it is not certain whether this was actually ever built.

Passed on to the Vane family

After George's death in 1700, his son Henry became the new lord of the castle. Although he took care of the garden, he neglected the buildings. One visitor said the house was teeming with rats , but the garden was in good condition. Henry converted to Catholicism and became a monk in the Carthusian monastery of Douai , where he died in 1712. He had bequeathed his property to a distant relative, Thomas Fletcher of Moreby, but his youngest sister Catherine and her husband Lyonel Vane of Long Newton sued this legacy. It was then decided that Hutton Hall should fall to Catherine's son Henry Vane, provided that Thomas Fletcher were still childless at his death. As this occurred, Hutton-in-the-Forest came to the Vane family. Under her, most of the rooms in the palace were furnished as they can still be seen today.

Extensions, conversions, repairs

View of the lock from Morrisʼ Country Seats from 1880

Henry took great care of the park and garden. He had more than 50,000 trees planted, the largest of the three castle ponds created and the former kitchen garden to the northwest of the castle bordered by a wall on two sides so that fruit trees could be planted there. Under him, the elaborate stucco decoration of the so-called putti room ( English Cupid Room ) was created. Because he died unmarried and childless, the inheritance passed to his younger brother Walter. Like his older brother, he added the name Fletcher to his own and called himself Fletcher Vane. He was followed by his son Lyonel, who was made baronet in 1786 and died in the same year. At the beginning of the 19th century, his son Frederick had the southeast facade of the complex changed by William Nixon from Carlisle and the palace gardens under William Sawrey Gilpin in the 1820s. In the period from 1824 to 1827 renovations followed by the architect George Webster from Kendal . Together with Anthony Salvin , who later worked on the Tower of London and Windsor Castle , he was commissioned with extensive repair and renovation work. Salvin designed the massive east tower of the complex, which was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1830 . From 1845, under Frederick's son Francis and his wife Diana Olivia Beauclerk, further extensive changes followed according to Salvin's plans, which changed the appearance of the castle enormously. The architect placed another tower-like tower on top of the Pele tower and built accommodations for servants on the southwest side. He added neo-Gothic elements to the southeast wing of William Nixon. The last construction work of the 19th century was the erection of the Gladstone Tower ( English Gladstone Tower ) by Francisʼ daughter-in-law Lady Magaret Vane, nee Gladstone, in 1886 on an annex adjoining the gallery wing.

Todays use

Since Margaret's marriage to Henry Fletcher Vane did not result in children, a distant relative, William Morgan Vane, inherited the property after Henry's death. The new lord of the castle changed his name to Fletcher Vane and became the first Baron Inglewood in 1945. The current owner of Hutton-in-the-Forest Hall is his son Henry. He and his family use it as a private residence but also made the property open to the public. The castle, its park and its garden as well as some of the interior rooms can be visited for a fee . In addition, there are regular events in the park, such as an annual pottery festival, a plant and food market or equestrian events. The garden and park as well as the four largest rooms can also be rented for events. A restaurant on the ground floor of the gallery wing takes care of the physical well-being of the castle visitors.

description

The outer

Hutton-in-the-Forest Hall, view from the northeast

Hutton-in-the-Forest Hall gradually grew to its present size since the Middle Ages. Since the different components were created in different epochs, they all show different architectural styles. Mostly came sandstone for the brickwork for use with its color varies between gray, red and light pink. The castle is located in the middle of a large castle park, which includes extensive forest areas that were formerly part of the royal forest of Inglewood.

The core of the facility is a square Pele tower, the external dimensions of which are 32 × 24  feet (approximately 9.7 × 7.3 meters). Its walls were up to six feet (about 1.83 meters) thick. Its three storeys are closed by a crenellated crown that was added in the 19th century. The design of today's tower entrance with a small porch on the northeast side dates from the same century. The Pele tower is adjoined to the southeast by a wing of the building, the ground floor of which is the Great Hall , which is also known as the main wing. The two buildings have been united under one roof since the 17th century. The main wing has a vaulted cellar and three floors above ground, the topmost being designed as a mezzanine . The northeast facing facade was designed in the second half of the 17th century and its classic appearance is completely different from all the other facades of the castle. It is divided into five axes by windows, the middle one on the ground floor being particularly emphasized by a bossed entrance and a balcony with a filigree grille above it . The door to the balcony is flanked by Corinthian pilasters . The ground floor windows have a cornice-like upper end, while the windows on the first floor are crowned by blown round and triangular gables. The eaves are made of vases.

Southeast side of the castle

To the northeast, the Pele tower is adjoined at a right angle by a two-storey building wing from the 17th century. Although it was built shortly before the English Civil War, it is kept in Jacobean style . Because of the long gallery on its upper floor, this wing is called the gallery wing and is a rarity, because galleries are very rare in northern England. The ground floor has arcades , the arches of which are supported by multiple Tuscan columns. The arches are closed today, but were initially open according to classic models. On the upper floor there is a polygonal porch in the middle . It is supported by pillars similar to those in the arcades. The crenellated crown may have been added during the Anthony Salvin redesign. A round tower at the west corner of the gallery building allows a good view of the north-west of the castle lies Walled Garden ( German  walled garden ). The wing is extended to the northeast by a five-axis, also two-storey extension from the 19th century. The two tracts, one behind the other, flank a forecourt, which is closed on its northeast side by a low wall with a lattice fence and a central, two-winged gate . The wall and gate are entered as an independent Grade I Listed Building in the English list of monuments.

The eastern corner of the building complex is marked by a massive, neo-Gothic square tower with three floors. Its two outer sides are divided into three axes by windows. At the level of the attic, the tower has square corner towers, of which the eastern one is equipped with round watch towers . A three-story wing adjoins the east tower in a south-westerly direction, the south facade of which is seven-axis. The southern end of this wing is designed in such a way that the viewer is led to believe that it is a tower.

inside rooms

Ground floor plan

Through the main entrance on the ground floor of the Peletower, the visitor enters the entrance hall with its barrel-vaulted ceiling and a collection of weapons. The function of the entrance hall was not given until the late 19th century, when today's entrance in the north-east wall was broken out. The original access to this tower was on its southeast side, but was walled up in the 17th century because at that time a staircase was built from the adjoining Great Hall to the first floor of the tower. This was previously accessed by a narrow spiral staircase in the wall thickness.

From the entrance hall the visitor arrives in the south-east adjoining Great Hall . Its very thick southwest wall indicates the great age of this area and its origins in the early modern period. Originally from the 16th century and remodeled in the 1680s, it was modified in the 1830s by Francis Vane and his wife Diana Olivia Beauclerk. Anthony Salvin provided the drafts. However, they left some features unchanged, for example the large fireplace and the paneling are original. The wooden putti staircase ( English Cupid Staircase ) from the late 17th century was also left in its original state. It gets its name from the carvings in the form of winged figures of children, which together with acanthus - leaves the banisters grace. The stucco fields between the beams of the wooden beam ceiling show coats of arms. The design of the ceiling - like most of the stucco ceilings in the castle - dates from the 19th century. The designs for these come from George Webster and Anthony Salvin. The room is furnished with furniture from Robert Gillow's workshop .

The turkey staircase in the Great Hall at the beginning of the 20th century

At the southeast end of the Great Hall is the dining room, which is on the ground floor of the great east tower. Its neo-Gothic style furnishings date back to the 19th century and were designed according to Anthony Salvin's designs. Numerous portraits of members of the Vane family hang on the walls. Lighting caused a large Art Nouveau - chandeliers .

The turkey staircase in the Great Hall leads to the first floor of the Peletower. On its upper paragraph a hanging tapestry from the Mortlake - Manufaktur . The gallery can be reached from the landing, as well as the so-called putti room and the Victorian-style library . The latter lies above the Great Hall and was changed under Anthony Salvin. Among other things, it received its current ceiling and oak doors.

The Putten Room is the first of three spaces in a room sequence that was designed in the 1740s for Henry Fletcher. The name of the room comes from its ornate stucco ceiling, which was designed by Joseph Rose the Elder. She shows a putto in her round midfield. The cherubs rooms that follows Blue Room ( English Blue Room ), a named after his paint room with furniture from the 18th century in the Arts and Crafts style . Both the four-poster bed and the dressing table are by Robert Gillow. The Blue Room is Lady Darlington's Room ( English Lady Darlington's Room ) distance. The room is named after the second Countess of Darlington , a relative of the Vane family who often visited Hutton-in-the-Forest. The room may date from the 18th century but was redesigned during the Arts and Crafts era. The wallpaper based on designs by William Morris is evidence of this. It is one of a total of four surviving Morris wallpapers in the castle.

Above the dining room is the Drawing Room on the first floor , a large, comfortably furnished salon that was furnished in the Victorian era, but nonetheless in the Regency style. The furniture shown there comes from the workshop of Robert Gillow. The piano is an early piece by John Broadwood & Sons .

From the upper landing of the putta staircase , the visitor enters the gallery of the castle. It is located on the first floor of the gallery wing named after it. Although established in the 1640s, it still has an Elizabethian flair. Reconditioned in the 19th century, there are numerous family portraits on its walls. Old porcelain is on display in the buffet cupboards .

Castle park and garden

View from the Walled Garden to the northwest side of the castle

The castle is surrounded by a 200-  hectare castle park and garden, which has been a Grade II Registered Park and Garden since July 1, 1985 . As early as the 17th century, Hutton Hall had been surrounded by extensive formal gardens . A report from the 18th century states that in addition to native trees such as firs , beeches , elms and linden trees, there were also exotic plants from India . However, hardly anything has been preserved from the garden design of that time. Only the terraces on the two southern sides of the castle date from that time, although most of the topiarys were only planted in the 1890s.

To the northwest of the castle is a formal garden known as the Walled Garden because of its walls . Its current design goes back to designs by Anthony Salvins from the late 19th century, but the roots can be found in a formally designed kitchen garden that was laid out in the 1730s under Henry Fletcher Vane. The eponymous walls stand on the north and east sides of the area, the other two sides are bordered by yew hedges cut into shape . Two straight paths that cross each other divide the garden into four compartments , in which there are not only flowers but also a large number of herbal plants.

Part of the landscaped garden

The palace building and garden are surrounded by a spacious landscaped park in the English style , in which there are some valuable solitary trees, including a 37 meter high giant sequoia tree with a trunk circumference of more than eleven meters. In the park there are three ponds with the remains of cascade systems . The two southern ones are fed by a small stream that runs through the park area. The oldest and largest of the ponds is a fabulous location, Middle Pond ( German  medium pond called) and formerly served as a fish tank. The area of ​​the former Low Gardens , which was laid out as a rhododendron garden in the 1870s, borders it to the northwest . Today nothing is left of it, however, in its place there is a wildflower meadow . Only the sundial belonging to the rhododendron garden is still in place. Access to the park is provided by three entrance gates, one of which is on the east and two on the north. The main gate in the north and the east entrance are listed as independent Grade II listed buildings . The same applies to a pigeon tower in the northern area of ​​the landscape garden . The octagonal tower dates from the late 17th or early 18th century and has been a listed building since October 24, 1986. Its slate roof is crowned by a wooden lantern . The tower was designed for a total of 400 birds, but - divided into two floors - served at times as a dog house.

Deer used to be kept in the park and there was a cricket ground , but it was abandoned when the First World War broke out . During the Second World War , the park area served as an airfield . The castle park also includes some mixed forests made up of more than 200-year-old deciduous trees , 100-year-old conifers and newer plantings from the 20th century. Walks invite visitors to the castle to take a walk through the forest.

literature

  • Mary Baldwin: Hutton-in-the-Forrest. In: Royal Archaeological Institute (ed.): The Archaeological Journal. Vol. 115, 1958, ISSN  0066-5983 , pp. 247-250 ( PDF ; 6.8 MB).
  • Oswald Barron: Hutton-in-the-Forrest, Cumberland. The Seat of Sir Henry Vane, Bart. In: Country Life . Vol. 21, No. 552, January 5, 1907, ISSN  0045-8856 , pp. 18-29.
  • Cornforth: Hutton-in-the-Forest, Cumberland. Part 1. In: Country Life. Vol. 137, February 4, 1965, ISSN  0045-8856 , pp. 232-235.
  • Cornforth: Hutton-in-the-Forest, Cumberland. Part 2. In: Country Life. Vol. 137, February 11, 1965, ISSN  0045-8856 , pp. 287-289.
  • Cornforth: Hutton-in-the-Forest, Cumberland. Part 3. In: Country Life. Vol. 137, February 18, 1965, ISSN  0045-8856 , pp. 352-356.
  • Simon Jenkins: England's thousand best houses. Penguin Books, London 2004, ISBN 0-141-00625-0 , pp. 125-127.
  • Nikolaus Pevsner : Buildings of England. Cumberland and Westmorland. Penguin Books, London 1967, ISBN 0-14-071033-7 , pp. 140-141.

Web links

Commons : Hutton-in-the-Forest Hall  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Entry of the castle in the English list of monuments on historicengland.org.uk , accessed on November 24, 2015.
  2. ^ History of the property on the castle website , accessed April 3, 2017.
  3. ↑ a b O. Barron: Hutton-in-the-Forrest, Cumberland. The Seat of Sir Henry Vane, Bart. 1907, p. 18.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Entry of the castle park in the English list of monuments on historicengland.org.uk , accessed on November 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ a b Hutton-in-the-Forest Hall on pastscape.org , accessed November 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ a b c S. Jenkins: England's thousand best houses. 2004, p. 125.
  7. ↑ Information according to the entry of the castle in the English list of monuments on historicengland.org.uk . The information on the construction date fluctuates in the publications between the 1630s and 1645.
  8. ^ O. Barron: Hutton-in-the-Forrest, Cumberland. The Seat of Sir Henry Vane, Bart. 1907, p. 20.
  9. ↑ a b c d Information about the architecture on the castle website , accessed on April 3, 2017.
  10. ↑ a b c O. Barron: Hutton-in-the-Forrest, Cumberland. The Seat of Sir Henry Vane, Bart. 1907, p. 29.
  11. ^ A b M. Baldwin: Hutton-in-the-Forrest. 1958, p. 250.
  12. ^ Proceedings. In: Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society. 2nd row. Vol. 32, 1932, ISSN  0309-7986 , p. 176 ( PDF ; 11 MB).
  13. ↑ a b c d e f Information about the interiors on the castle website , accessed on April 3, 2017.
  14. ^ A b M. Baldwin: Hutton-in-the-Forrest. 1958, p. 248.
  15. ↑ Geocoordinate: 54 ° 42 ′ 51.7 ″  N , 2 ° 50 ′ 18.3 ″  W.
  16. ↑ Entry of the courtyard wall and the courtyard gate in the English list of monuments on historicengland.org.uk , accessed on November 27, 2015.
  17. ↑ a b c d e f Description of the gardens and park on the castle website , accessed on April 3, 2017.
  18. ↑ Information on the palace gardens and parks at greatbritishgardens.co.uk , accessed on November 27, 2015.
  19. ↑ a b Information about the tree on monumentaltrees.com , accessed November 30, 2015.
  20. ↑ Geographic coordinates: main gate in the north: 54 ° 42 ′ 57.3 ″  N , 2 ° 50 ′ 25.3 ″  W , northern side gate: 54 ° 42 ′ 56 ″  N , 2 ° 50 ′ 28.4 ″  W , eastern side gate : 54 ° 42 '54.6 "  N , 2 ° 49' 58"  W .
  21. ↑ Entry of the north main gate in the English list of monuments on historicengland.org.uk , accessed on November 30, 2015.
  22. ↑ Entry of the east gate in the English list of monuments on historicengland.org.uk , accessed on November 30, 2015.
  23. ↑ Geocoordinate: 54 ° 42 ′ 56.6 ″  N , 2 ° 50 ′ 18.7 ″  W.
  24. ↑ Entry of the pigeon tower in the English list of monuments on historicengland.org.uk , accessed on November 30, 2015.

Coordinates: 54 ° 42 ′ 50.5 "  N , 2 ° 50 ′ 20.3"  W.

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on April 13, 2017 .