Knebworth House

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Knebworth House

Knebworth House is a manor house in the village of Knebworth in the English county of Hertfordshire .

History and description

The house has been the seat of the Lytton family since 1490 when Thomas Bourchier sold the manor to Sir Thomas Lytton . Knebworth House was originally a red-brick late Gothic mansion built around an open, rectangular courtyard. Between 1813 and 1816, all buildings with the exception of the west wing were demolished. The west wing was modified by John Biaggio Rebecca for Mrs. Bulwer-Lytton in the Tudor Gothic style . In the years 1843 to 1845 another renovation was carried out by Henry Edward Kendall Jr. into the neo-Gothic building that can be seen today .

In 1913 and 1914, the Russian Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich and his morganatic wife Natalja Brassowa rented the property. The most famous resident of the house was Edward Bulwer-Lytton , the writer, playwright and statesman of the Victorian era who had the gardens decorated in a formal Italianate style .

Much of the content was redesigned by Sir Edwin Lutyens , who simplified the main floor. A herb garden with a crossed quincunx arrangement was designed by Gertrude Jekyll in 1907 , but was not realized until 1982. The main building has been listed as a Grade II * listed building since 1952 .

today

Today Henry Lytton-Cobbold and his family live in the manor house. The house and the surrounding gardens and parks are open to the public. In the park is the medieval church of St. Mary and the mausoleum of the Lyttons.

Lyttons Mausoleum

There are also tourist facilities on the property, such as an adventure playground, a miniature train (which was closed in 2012) and a dinosaur park. Various events take place, e.g. B. Classic car rallies, the annual Salvo Fair for architectural preservation and since 1974 large open-air rock and pop concerts by various performers (see concerts in Knebworth ).

Radio and film

The local radio station 106 Jack FM Hertfordshire broadcasts from the old pumping station that once supplied the drinking water for the country house.

Various films have been shot at Knebworth House, e.g. B .:

  • Anastasia (1956) - Palace of the Empress
  • Decline and Fall ... of a Birdwatcher (1968)
  • Frankenstein's Horror Clinic (1973)
  • Who is raging in the lower house? (1976) - filmed entirely on the estate as fictional Cockshute Towers
  • The Dead Sleep Better (1978) - General Sternwood's Country House
  • The Big Muppet Break (1980) - Exterior of the Mallory Gallery
  • Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (1980) - indoor and outdoor shots
  • The Last Hunt (1985) - filmed entirely on the estate
  • Wedding night in the ghost castle (1986) - exterior of the house
  • Porterhouse Blue (1987) - The interior and exterior of the house of Sir Cathcart D'Eath
  • The Snake Woman's Bite (1988) - Exterior of the D'Ampton mansion
  • Batman (1989) - Wayne Manor exterior shots
  • The Canterville Ghost (1996)
  • Sacred Flesh (1999) - outside scenes of the convent
  • Agent Cody Banks 2: Mission London (2004) - some scenes in and around the property
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - Christmas ball scene in the stairwell
  • The Girls of St. Trinian 2 - Treasure Hunt - (2009) as St. Trinian's Girls School
  • Jonathan Creek - as Metropolis in the 2008 Christmas Special
  • The King's Speech (2010) - Party at Balmoral Palace and other scenes
  • The Hour (2011) - residence of Lord Elm
  • The Scapegoat (2012) - important indoor and outdoor scenes
  • Inspector Barnaby (15x01: You are dead! ) -Exteriorscenes

Web links

Commons : Knebworth House  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Parishes: Knebworth , A History of the County of Hertford . Volume 3 (1912), pp. 111-118. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  2. ^ Howard Colvin: A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 . 3. Edition. Yale University Press, New Haven 1995. See: "John Biagio Rebecca".
  3. ^ Howard Colvin: A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 . 3. Edition. Yale University Press, New Haven 1995. See: "Henry Edward Kendall".
  4. ↑ Donald Crawford: The Last Tsar: Emperor Michael II . Murray McLellan. Kindle edition # 630.
  5. ↑ Knebworth: The Stately Home of Rock . knebworthhouse.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ Most Popular Titles With Location Matching “Knebworth House, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, UK” - IMDb

Coordinates: 51 ° 52'22.1 "  N , 0 ° 12'53.3"  W.