Canons Ashby House
Encyclopedia
Canons Ashby House is an Elizabethan manor house
located in Canons Ashby
, Daventry
, Northamptonshire
, England
. It has been owned by the National Trust
since 1981, although "The Tower" is in the care of the Landmark Trust
and available for holiday lets.
It has been the home of the Dryden
family since its construction in the 16th century. The manor house
was built in approximately 1550 with additions in the 1590s, in the 1630s and 1710; it has remained essentially unchanged since the 1710s.
John Dryden had married Elizabeth Cope in 1551 and inherited, through his wife, an L-shaped farmhouse which he gradually extended. In the 1590s his son, Sir Erasmus Dryden completed the final north range of the house which enclosed the Pebble Courtyard.
The interior of the house is noted for its Elizabethan
wall paintings and its Jacobean
plasterwork.
The house sits in the midst of a formal garden with colourful herbaceous border
s, an orchard
featuring varieties of fruit trees from the 16th century, terraces, walls and gate piers from 1710. There is also the remains of a medieval priory church
(from which the house gets its name).
Gervase Jackson-Stops
, who was the Architectural Adviser to the National Trust for over twenty years, broke fresh ground when he fought for the rescue of the then decaying manor-house. This was the first time that the Trust used government funds rather than the traditional family endowment to save an historic house.
Louis Osman (1914–1996)
Architect and accomplished British goldsmith Louis Osman lived at Canons Ashby from 1969/70 to 1979. While living there, Osman made the crown—with his enamelist wife, Dilys Roberts—used at the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969. They also made the gold enameled casket that held the Magna Carta, on view in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. in 1976.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
located in Canons Ashby
Canons Ashby
Canons Ashby is a small village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire, England.Its most notable building is Canons Ashby House, a National Trust property. The parish church is a surviving fragment of Canons Ashby Priory.It is situated one mile from Moreton...
, Daventry
Daventry (district)
The Daventry district is the largest local government district of western Northamptonshire, England. The district is named after the town of Daventry which is the administrative headquarters and largest town...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has been owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
since 1981, although "The Tower" is in the care of the Landmark Trust
Landmark Trust
The Landmark Trust is a British building conservation charity, founded in 1965 by Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or architectural merit and then gives them a new life by making them available for holiday rental...
and available for holiday lets.
It has been the home of the Dryden
John Dryden
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
family since its construction in the 16th century. The manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
was built in approximately 1550 with additions in the 1590s, in the 1630s and 1710; it has remained essentially unchanged since the 1710s.
John Dryden had married Elizabeth Cope in 1551 and inherited, through his wife, an L-shaped farmhouse which he gradually extended. In the 1590s his son, Sir Erasmus Dryden completed the final north range of the house which enclosed the Pebble Courtyard.
The interior of the house is noted for its Elizabethan
Tudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
wall paintings and its Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
plasterwork.
The house sits in the midst of a formal garden with colourful herbaceous border
Herbaceous border
A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. The term herbaceous border is mostly in use in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth...
s, an orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
featuring varieties of fruit trees from the 16th century, terraces, walls and gate piers from 1710. There is also the remains of a medieval priory church
Canons Ashby Priory
Canons Ashby Priory was an Augustinian monastic establishment in Northamptonshire, England.The Priory was founded by Stephen La Leye on a site to the south of the present church between 1147 and 1151, during the reign of Henry II....
(from which the house gets its name).
Gervase Jackson-Stops
Gervase Jackson-Stops
Gervase Frank Ashworth Jackson-Stops OBE was an architectural historian and journalist. He died of an AIDS-related illness.-Education:...
, who was the Architectural Adviser to the National Trust for over twenty years, broke fresh ground when he fought for the rescue of the then decaying manor-house. This was the first time that the Trust used government funds rather than the traditional family endowment to save an historic house.
Louis Osman (1914–1996)
Architect and accomplished British goldsmith Louis Osman lived at Canons Ashby from 1969/70 to 1979. While living there, Osman made the crown—with his enamelist wife, Dilys Roberts—used at the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969. They also made the gold enameled casket that held the Magna Carta, on view in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. in 1976.