Great Harrowden
Encyclopedia
Great Harrowden is a village in Northamptonshire
, near the town of Wellingborough
- the population is approximately 70. The village sits astride the busy A509
running between Kettering
and Wellingborough
- although a bypass is due to be built shortly. The village forms part of the Orlingbury
hundred
.
; at Great Harrowden, the Doom sits very high up - at clerestory
level. The work is not sophisticated but is considered to be one of the best and most complete Dooms remaining in England.
The church is mainly made of ironstone
apart from the tower, which is ashlar
. The tower was rebuilt in 1822; there was formerly a spire, but this collapsed in the 18th century.
The church contains some 16th-century plate (Cup
: 1695; Paten
: 1698) and a brass to William Harrowden.
(d.1750) who had become the 6th Lord Rockingham, was later made up to be the Marquess of Rockingham
in 1746. The Hall is now Grade I (Ref GD1355) and still contains some early formal gardens and a landscape park of about 160 acres (647,497.6 m²) to the north and east of the hall, now used as a Championship golf course owned and run by Wellingborough Golf Club.
Kings Henry VIII
and James I
are both known to have visited the hall. There are formal gardens which are surrounded by brick walls and fine iron gates are notable features. The Hall has a surprisingly unaltered contemporary garden which contain a number of garden features including several statues by the Dutch sculptor John van Nost, of which one has recently been repaired.
The grounds also contain a chapel built by Lord Vaux in 1905 - being a copy of the school at Higham Ferrers
and three groups of lead statuary.
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,...
, near the town of Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
- the population is approximately 70. The village sits astride the busy A509
A509 road
The A509 is a short A-class road for north-south journeys in south central England, forming the route from Kettering in Northamptonshire to the M1 and A5 in Milton Keynes....
running between Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
and Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
- although a bypass is due to be built shortly. The village forms part of the Orlingbury
Orlingbury
Orlingbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is between the towns of Kettering and Wellingborough. Administratively it forms part of the borough of Wellingborough...
hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
.
Church
The church (All Saints) dates back to Norman times and is famous for its medieval DoomDoom (painting)
A Doom is a traditional English term for a painting or other image of the Last Judgment, an event in Christian eschatology. Christ judges souls, and then sends them to either Heaven or Hell...
; at Great Harrowden, the Doom sits very high up - at clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
level. The work is not sophisticated but is considered to be one of the best and most complete Dooms remaining in England.
The church is mainly made of ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
apart from the tower, which is ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
. The tower was rebuilt in 1822; there was formerly a spire, but this collapsed in the 18th century.
The church contains some 16th-century plate (Cup
Chalice (cup)
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony.-Christian:...
: 1695; Paten
Paten
A paten, or diskos, is a small plate, usually made of silver or gold, used to hold Eucharistic bread which is to be consecrated. It is generally used during the service itself, while the reserved hosts are stored in the Tabernacle in a ciborium....
: 1698) and a brass to William Harrowden.
Great Harrowden Hall
Watson Wentworth built the Hall between 1716 and 1719. His son Thomas WentworthThomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham
Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham, KB, PC was a British peer and Whig politician.Watson-Wentworth was the only son and heir of Hon...
(d.1750) who had become the 6th Lord Rockingham, was later made up to be the Marquess of Rockingham
Marquess of Rockingham
Marquess of Rockingham was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1746 for Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Earl of Malton. The Watson family descended from Lewis Watson, Member of Parliament for Lincoln. He was created a Baronet, of Rockingham Castle in the County of Northampton,...
in 1746. The Hall is now Grade I (Ref GD1355) and still contains some early formal gardens and a landscape park of about 160 acres (647,497.6 m²) to the north and east of the hall, now used as a Championship golf course owned and run by Wellingborough Golf Club.
Kings Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
are both known to have visited the hall. There are formal gardens which are surrounded by brick walls and fine iron gates are notable features. The Hall has a surprisingly unaltered contemporary garden which contain a number of garden features including several statues by the Dutch sculptor John van Nost, of which one has recently been repaired.
The grounds also contain a chapel built by Lord Vaux in 1905 - being a copy of the school at Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers is a market town in the Nene Valley in East Northamptonshire, England, close to the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire borders. It forms a single urban area with Rushden to the south and has an estimated population of 6,086...
and three groups of lead statuary.
- The house was also later owned by the Harrowden and VauxBaron Vaux of HarrowdenBaron Vaux of Harrowden is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1523 for Sir Nicholas Vaux. The barony was created by writ, which means that it can pass through both male and female lines. Vaux was succeeded by his son, the second Baron. He was a poet and member of the courts of...
families. - The Hawaiian Princess, Victoria Kaiulani was educated at Great Harrowden Hall in the 1890s
External links
Sources
- PevsnerNikolaus PevsnerSir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
- The Buildings of England - Northamptonshire. ISBN 0-300-09632-1