NORTHAMPTONSHIRE |
| Althorp |
On A428, 5 miles north-west of Northampton |
The Spencers - the family of the Princess of Wales -
came to Althorp in 1508, and their dedication has created the elegant, tasteful mansion of
today. An Italian architect remodelled the original Elizabethan moated house late in the
17th century. Soon after 1786, the architect Henry Holland altered the interior, refaced
the outside, filled the moat and redesigned the wooded park around the lake. Restoration
between 1950 and 1987 has brought the mansion's Georgian rooms to life again. Fine
paintings grace the beautifully furnished house. In 1997 after the tragic death of Diana,
Princess of Wales, her body was laid to rest at Althorp. |
| Boughton House |
Off A43, 3 miles north of Kettering |
The beautifully proportioned north front gives Boughton
House the appearance of a French chateau. It looks now exactly as it did in the late 17th
century. The north front does, however, mask a much older structure of enormous
proportions. The house was transformed from a 15th century monastery and stands around
seven courtyards. Boughton is a treasure house of fine art in all its forms. There are
paintings, French porcelain and furniture, English silverware and a collection of swords,
pistols and armour. |
| Canons Ashby |
On B4525, 8 miles south of Daventry |
Little altered since it was built in the 16th century,
this ironstone and brick manor house has fine Elizabethan wall paintings and its Jacobean
plasterwork is outstanding. The ceiling and fireplace in the drawing room, for example,
are outstanding. The poet Sir John Drydon, owned the house in the 17th century. Outside is
an 18th century formal garden. |
| Coton Manor Gardens |
Off A50, 8.5 miles north-west of Northampton |
In the 1960s the owners of Coton Manor added a new
dimension to their already colourful gardens by introducing exotic birds, flying free, to
add life and movement. Now cranes patrol the lawns, and flamingos decorate the water
garden. All this and flowers too - from rose garden, wild garden and herbaceous borders to
a tropical house where palms and mimosa border a waterfall and pool. |
| Holdenby House Gardens |
Off A428, 6 miles north of Northampton |
Charles I walked in these gardens while a prisoner at
Holdenby House, and much of what he would have seen is still there today. There are ponds,
fed by a stream, Elizabethan arches and terraces and a walled border said to be the king's
favourite walk. An Elizabethan garden has been replanted with plants and shrubs that would
have been available when the house was built in 1580. What the king would not have seen
are the many attractions that today provide fun and interest for all the family. These
include a model railway, donkey rides, rare breeds of farm animals, museum, pottery and a
pets corner. |
| Kirby Hall |
Off A43, 4 miles north-east of Corby |
The fascination of this Elizabethan house lies not in
art treasures and finely furnished rooms, for there are none. Instead it is the richness
and variety of architectural styles that hold the eye. The roofline is quite remarkable -
a panorama of ornate parapets, gables, balustrades and chimneys. The inner courtyard is
entered by a seven-arched arcade, and brings into view, at the far end of the courtyard, a
porch of ambitious design and proportions. Its lower arch is flanked by fluted pilasters;
above them are tapered columns, and higher still is a gable of seven small columns topped
by stone orbs and scallop shell motifs. |
| Lamport Hall |
On A508, 8 miles north of Northampton |
An inscription above the frontage of Lamport Hall reads
'In things transitory resteth no glory'. There is nothing transitory about this fine
house, but there is much glory. By the standards of its day it is a modest building, only
two storeys high, but all modesty is left behind beyond Lamport Hall's portals. Here are
elegant rooms lavishly decorated and displaying fine paintings, porcelain and furniture.
The gardens and parkland are as impressive as the house. There is also an agricultural
museum and a display of vintage tractors. |
| Rockingham Castle |
On A6003, 2 miles north of Corby |
The castle has survived on its rocky hilltop for 900
years, and within its walls lived a self-contained community that has left marks of the
styles and tastes of almost every century. Plantagenet and Tudor kings fortified the
castle, and the only time it fell to an enemy was in 1643 when Cromwell's men stormed it.
More peaceful times are reflected in the Long Gallery, with its fine furniture and
pictures, and in the Panel Room, its deal panelling grained to look like oak. From the
castle gardens there are views over four counties. |
| Rushton Triangular Lodge |
Off A6003, 6 miles north-west of Kettering |
It has three sides, three triangular gables on each
side, a three-sided chimney and triangles set in clover-leaf designs on each wall. Who was
the builder, and why did he have such an obsession with triangles? The truth is that Sir
Thomas Tresham's obsession was with his Roman Catholic religion, and the triangles
represent the Holy Trinity. When Sir Thomas built the lodge, in 1593, his religious
beliefs had already earned him many years in prison, so the building symbolises its
builder's defiant faith. |
| Southwick Hall |
Off A427, 2 miles north of Oundle |
Three families and five centuries have moulded
Southwick Hall, and though extensively altered since it was built in the 14th century, the
use of the same local limestone and stone slates has resulted in a harmonious blend of
styles. To find Southwick's beginnings, stand in the courtyard and look at the circular
turret with a conical roof. Its spiral staircase led to a Solar, a room where the family
could enjoy privacy. Another stair turret and a three-storey annexe were added 50 years
later, and there were further additions and alterations in the 16th, 18th and 19th
centuries. |
| Sulgrave Manor |
At Sulgrave, 9 miles north of Brackley |
In the top corners of the front porch are the arms of
the man who built this house - two stripes and three stars. The man was Lawrence
Washington, 16th century ancestor of George Washington, first President of the USA, and
his arms inspired the design of the American flag. The house is a lovely example of a 16th
century manor. Though George Washington never lived there - it was his great-grandfather
who emigrated to America in 1656 - the house has become a memorial to him. There are
portraits of him in the Great Hall and Oak Parlour, and two small rooms contain such
relics as his velvet coat and a lock of his hair. |
