Coldham Hall
Encyclopedia
Coldham Hall is a Grade I listed building, built in 1574, that is located in the parish of Stanningfield
in Suffolk
. The Hall is very close to the village of Lawshall
, and part of the Coldham estate is located within this parish.
that was constructed in 1574 for Sir Robert Rookwood (or Rokewood) of Stanningfield
. A notable feature of this two-storey building is the great hall
, with a long gallery in the roof space some 32 metres long, running from east to west. Internal alterations undertaken around 1770 include a Roman Catholic chapel with delicate plasterwork, leading from the long gallery.
Mid-nineteenth century alterations, including loggias on the east and south side, are now removed, but various window alterations at the rear and a service wing at the north end remain. The house was restored around 1980.
The Hall has had a number of famous residents including Ambrose Rookwood who was involved in the Gunpowder plot
and was executed in 1605. The Rookwood family continued in the Roman Catholic faith, as shown by the two chapels and several priest hole
s at Coldham. A remarkable feature of the history of Stanningfield and Lawshall has been the continuity of Roman Catholicism from the Middle Ages to the present day, in a predominantly Protestant area.
While the property remained in the Rookwood family until 1869, the estate passed through the female line to the Gages of Hengrave
and was let to a tenant, Robert Taylor in the 1840s. In 1869 the estate was sold to Richard Holt-Lomax, whose family held it until 1893.
The purchaser in 1893 was Colonel Henry Trafford-Lawson who developed Coldham as a shooting estate, enlarging old clumps of woodland andplanting new blocks, some very close to the Hall. After the death of the Colonel's son, John Trafford-Lawson, in the First World War, the Coldham estate was purchased in 1918 by Colonel Everard Hambro, who lived there until his death in 1952.
Since that time the property has been owned by David Hart
, who was an adviser to Margaret Thatcher
; Jens Pilo; and more recently Matthew Vaughn
and his supermodel wife Claudia Schiffer
, the current owners.
. From time out of mind there has been a footpath alongside the grounds of the Hall, giving parishioners past and present a view of the mansion.
and Stanningfield
, with many local women working in service at the main house and local men employed on the estate as agricultural workers or grooms. In the 1920s Christmas parties for the children of the employees at Coldham Hall were held in the Emancipation Chapel at Stanningfield.
The field near the main entrance on to the Bury Road, Lawshall was actively used for both football and cricket for many years. The clubs relocated more than 40 years ago but the Coldham Hall Football Club still plays in the Bury & District Sunday Football League, and the Hartest & Coldham Hall Cricket Club in the Hunts County Bats Suffolk Cricket League.
David Hart
maintained a rapport with the local community by inviting local residents to Coldham Hall on 5 November, Guy Fawkes Night
, to acknowledge the estate's link with the Gunpowder plot
with a fireworks display and synchronised music from a brass band.
Stanningfield
Stanningfield is a village in the parish of Bradfield Combust with Stanningfield, in the St Edmundsbury District, in the English county of Suffolk. The village also consists of the area Hoggard's Green...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. The Hall is very close to the village of Lawshall
Lawshall
Lawshall is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Located around a mile off the A134 between Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury, it is part of Babergh district.-Background:...
, and part of the Coldham estate is located within this parish.
Description
Coldham Hall is a large Tudor country houseEnglish country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
that was constructed in 1574 for Sir Robert Rookwood (or Rokewood) of Stanningfield
Stanningfield
Stanningfield is a village in the parish of Bradfield Combust with Stanningfield, in the St Edmundsbury District, in the English county of Suffolk. The village also consists of the area Hoggard's Green...
. A notable feature of this two-storey building is the great hall
Great hall
A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
, with a long gallery in the roof space some 32 metres long, running from east to west. Internal alterations undertaken around 1770 include a Roman Catholic chapel with delicate plasterwork, leading from the long gallery.
Mid-nineteenth century alterations, including loggias on the east and south side, are now removed, but various window alterations at the rear and a service wing at the north end remain. The house was restored around 1980.
History
Following its construction by Robert Rookwood in 1574, Coldham Hall remained the property of the Rookwood family for almost three centuries, until 1869.The Hall has had a number of famous residents including Ambrose Rookwood who was involved in the Gunpowder plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
and was executed in 1605. The Rookwood family continued in the Roman Catholic faith, as shown by the two chapels and several priest hole
Priest hole
"Priest hole" is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558....
s at Coldham. A remarkable feature of the history of Stanningfield and Lawshall has been the continuity of Roman Catholicism from the Middle Ages to the present day, in a predominantly Protestant area.
While the property remained in the Rookwood family until 1869, the estate passed through the female line to the Gages of Hengrave
Hengrave
Hengrave is a small village in Suffolk, England. It is near the town of Bury St Edmunds....
and was let to a tenant, Robert Taylor in the 1840s. In 1869 the estate was sold to Richard Holt-Lomax, whose family held it until 1893.
The purchaser in 1893 was Colonel Henry Trafford-Lawson who developed Coldham as a shooting estate, enlarging old clumps of woodland andplanting new blocks, some very close to the Hall. After the death of the Colonel's son, John Trafford-Lawson, in the First World War, the Coldham estate was purchased in 1918 by Colonel Everard Hambro, who lived there until his death in 1952.
Since that time the property has been owned by David Hart
David Hart (UK political activist)
David Hart was a British writer, businessman, and adviser to Margaret Thatcher.-Early life:David Hart was the eldest of the two sons of Anglo-Jewish businessman Louis Albert Hart, the founder of the Henry Ansbacher merchant bank. Hart came from a prominent Anglo-Jewish family which has contributed...
, who was an adviser to Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
; Jens Pilo; and more recently Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Vaughn is an English film producer and director known for producing such films as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch and directing the films Layer Cake , Stardust and Kick-Ass...
and his supermodel wife Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer is a German model and occasional actress, who reached the peak of her popularity during the 1990s, initially due to her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers...
, the current owners.
Gardens and grounds
The house is approached down an avenue of trees and by crossing two small lakes in the valley bottom, which drain to the River LarkRiver Lark
The River Lark is a river in England, which crosses the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse, and was extended when that river was re-routed as part of drainage improvements. It is thought to have been used for navigation since Roman times, and...
. From time out of mind there has been a footpath alongside the grounds of the Hall, giving parishioners past and present a view of the mansion.
Community
In the past Coldham Hall had strong links with the local communities of LawshallLawshall
Lawshall is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Located around a mile off the A134 between Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury, it is part of Babergh district.-Background:...
and Stanningfield
Stanningfield
Stanningfield is a village in the parish of Bradfield Combust with Stanningfield, in the St Edmundsbury District, in the English county of Suffolk. The village also consists of the area Hoggard's Green...
, with many local women working in service at the main house and local men employed on the estate as agricultural workers or grooms. In the 1920s Christmas parties for the children of the employees at Coldham Hall were held in the Emancipation Chapel at Stanningfield.
The field near the main entrance on to the Bury Road, Lawshall was actively used for both football and cricket for many years. The clubs relocated more than 40 years ago but the Coldham Hall Football Club still plays in the Bury & District Sunday Football League, and the Hartest & Coldham Hall Cricket Club in the Hunts County Bats Suffolk Cricket League.
David Hart
David Hart (UK political activist)
David Hart was a British writer, businessman, and adviser to Margaret Thatcher.-Early life:David Hart was the eldest of the two sons of Anglo-Jewish businessman Louis Albert Hart, the founder of the Henry Ansbacher merchant bank. Hart came from a prominent Anglo-Jewish family which has contributed...
maintained a rapport with the local community by inviting local residents to Coldham Hall on 5 November, Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
, to acknowledge the estate's link with the Gunpowder plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
with a fireworks display and synchronised music from a brass band.
Notable former and current residents
- Ambrose Rookwood
- David HartDavid Hart (UK political activist)David Hart was a British writer, businessman, and adviser to Margaret Thatcher.-Early life:David Hart was the eldest of the two sons of Anglo-Jewish businessman Louis Albert Hart, the founder of the Henry Ansbacher merchant bank. Hart came from a prominent Anglo-Jewish family which has contributed...
- Matthew VaughnMatthew VaughnMatthew Vaughn is an English film producer and director known for producing such films as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch and directing the films Layer Cake , Stardust and Kick-Ass...
- Claudia SchifferClaudia SchifferClaudia Schiffer is a German model and occasional actress, who reached the peak of her popularity during the 1990s, initially due to her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers...