Hampton Court, Herefordshire
Encyclopedia
Hampton Court is a castellated country house in the English
county of Herefordshire
. The house is located in the village of Hope under Dinmore
, near Leominster
.
on the occasion of his marriage to the king's cousin Margaret Fitzalan, a daughter of the Earl of Arundel
. Sir Rowland's house was a quadrangular
courtyard house
, and despite numerous alterations over the centuries the house has retained this basic form.
family from 1510 until the early 19th century when the estate was purchased by John Arkwright, the grandson of the inventor and industrialist Richard Arkwright
.
Some of the original oak panelling
was removed, probably during the 17th century, to the private house Wickton Court near Leominster
(grid SO525500) where it still adorns the living room.
The house was remodelled in the 1830s and 1840s to give it more of a castle air, reversing earlier attempts to make it appear more regular and domestic.
It has changed hands several more times. Between 1924 and 1972 it was the seat of Viscount Hereford
and was bought by American businessman Robert Van Kampen
in 1994. He died in 1999. The formal gardens were still opened with a celebration by the Van Kampen family in the year 2000, where the Indiana Wesleyan University Chorale was featured as a sacred choir and some members as a small madrigal choir.
Hampton Court Castle and grounds were sold by the Van Kampen family in 2008.
, as well as a maze
, a secret tunnel, Dutch garden
, island pavilions and a 150 year old wisteria
arch.
Hampton Court has a twelve acre
garden which was largely created by the Van Kampens and is open to the public throughout the summer months, and now offers special events such as outdoor theatre productions, concerts and family days out.
The house featured extensively in the 1970s BBC TV Series Survivors
: large parts of the first series were filmed in and around the house in spring and summer of 1975. The house was empty at the time.
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...
county of Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
. The house is located in the village of Hope under Dinmore
Hope under Dinmore
Hope under Dinmore is a village in Herefordshire, England, on the A49 road, about 4 miles south of Leominster and 9 miles north of Hereford. The Newport-to-Shrewsbury railway line tunnels under Dinmore through the split-level 1,051-yard long Dinmore Tunnel....
, near Leominster
Leominster
Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England, located approximately north of the city of Hereford and south of Ludlow, at...
.
History
Hampton Court dates from 1427, when a Sir Rowland Lenthall built the original house on an estate which had been granted to him some years previously by King Henry IVHenry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
on the occasion of his marriage to the king's cousin Margaret Fitzalan, a daughter of the Earl of Arundel
Earl of Arundel
The title Earl of Arundel is the oldest extant Earldom and perhaps the oldest extant title in the Peerage of England. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. It was created in 1138 for the Norman baron Sir William d'Aubigny...
. Sir Rowland's house was a quadrangular
Quadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
courtyard house
Courtyard house
A courtyard house is a type of house — often a large house — where the main part of the building is disposed around a central courtyard. Many houses that have courtyards are not courtyard houses of the type covered by this article. For example, large houses often have small courtyards surrounded by...
, and despite numerous alterations over the centuries the house has retained this basic form.
Successive owners
It was owned by the ConingsbyEarl Coningsby
Earl Coningsby was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1719 for Thomas Coningsby, 1st Baron Coningsby, with remainder to his eldest daughter , Margaret Newton, 1st Viscountess Coningsby, and the heirs male of her body. He was the great-grandson of the soldier and politician...
family from 1510 until the early 19th century when the estate was purchased by John Arkwright, the grandson of the inventor and industrialist Richard Arkwright
Richard Arkwright
Sir Richard Arkwright , was an Englishman who, although the patents were eventually overturned, is often credited for inventing the spinning frame — later renamed the water frame following the transition to water power. He also patented a carding engine that could convert raw cotton into yarn...
.
Some of the original oak panelling
Panelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
was removed, probably during the 17th century, to the private house Wickton Court near Leominster
Leominster
Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England, located approximately north of the city of Hereford and south of Ludlow, at...
(grid SO525500) where it still adorns the living room.
The house was remodelled in the 1830s and 1840s to give it more of a castle air, reversing earlier attempts to make it appear more regular and domestic.
It has changed hands several more times. Between 1924 and 1972 it was the seat of Viscount Hereford
Viscount Hereford
Viscount Hereford is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1550 for Walter Devereux, 9th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. The Devereux family is of Norman descent and came to England after the Norman conquest in 1066, and settled in Lyonshall and Bodenham, Herefordshire. Sir Walter...
and was bought by American businessman Robert Van Kampen
Robert Van Kampen
Robert D. Van Kampen , was a businessman and member of various organizational boards in the business world and Christian ministry.Van Kampen's business career took him into the investment banking world, and he became one of the wealthiest men in the United States after founding the investment...
in 1994. He died in 1999. The formal gardens were still opened with a celebration by the Van Kampen family in the year 2000, where the Indiana Wesleyan University Chorale was featured as a sacred choir and some members as a small madrigal choir.
Hampton Court Castle and grounds were sold by the Van Kampen family in 2008.
Gardens
The gardens are a particular feature, and include an organically managed kitchen gardenKitchen garden
The traditional kitchen garden, also known as a potager, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden - the ornamental plants and lawn areas...
, as well as a maze
Maze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
, a secret tunnel, Dutch garden
Dutch garden
The Dutch garden is distinguished by its dense atmosphere and efficient use of space. On an international level, a garden with tulips is also easily labelled as a Dutch Garden....
, island pavilions and a 150 year old wisteria
Wisteria
Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the eastern United States and to China, Korea, and Japan. Aquarists refer to the species Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae, as Water Wisteria...
arch.
Hampton Court has a twelve acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
garden which was largely created by the Van Kampens and is open to the public throughout the summer months, and now offers special events such as outdoor theatre productions, concerts and family days out.
The house featured extensively in the 1970s BBC TV Series Survivors
Survivors
Survivors is a British post-apocalyptic fiction television series devised by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC from 1975 to 1977...
: large parts of the first series were filmed in and around the house in spring and summer of 1975. The house was empty at the time.