Hinxworth Place
Encyclopedia
Hinxworth Place is a medieval manor house
near Hinxworth
, Hertfordshire
England
.
Formerly the Manor of Pulters, building was started circa 1390. The construction is of clunch
with loose flint
filling cavities in the lower part of the walls. There is 16th century decoration painted directly onto the stonework in one of the upper rooms.
It was once owned by John Ward, son of Richard Ward, who was Lord Mayor of London
for one month in 1484. After his death it passed to John Lambard, master of the Mercers' Company and alderman
of London
.
The house was inhabited at one time by Cistercian monks of the Monastery
of Pipewell
Northants.
The Drury and Andrews map of 1766 shows an L shaped building with three separate outbuildings with indication of an avenue and other plantings.
The large spring fed pond to the south of the house is one of the sources of the river Rhee which is a major tributary of the river Cam
.
In the early part of the 20th century it was owned by Walter Sale who farmed 250 acres (1 km²) but in the 1930s was compulsorily purchased by the county council who divided the land into four smallholding
s each of about 60 acres (242,811.6 m²). The Sales remained tenants until 1949 by which time, the house having fallen into dereliction, it was sold to a banker who formed a syndicate of London
professionals and artists (including the actor Peter Copley
) who renovated it.
Hinxworth Place was divided and sold during the 1960s and the larger part of the property is now the home and workplace of the sculptor John W Mills, a number of his works are displayed in the grounds.
" for a joke, the child's terrified nurse screamed and struck at him with a poker, and he fell down a flight of stairs, the commotion awakening the family's baby. Servants attempted in vain to revive the boy by putting his head under the pump.
There have also been tales of ghostly monks - sometimes a procession, sometimes alone - vanishing through a doorway long since bricked up.
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...
near Hinxworth
Hinxworth
Hinxworth is a village and civil parish in North Hertfordshire, England. It sits just off the Great North Road between Baldock and Biggleswade...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
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...
.
Clunch
Clunch is a term for traditional building material used mainly in eastern England and Normandy. It is a term which encompasses a wide variety of materials, often locally variable....
with loose flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
filling cavities in the lower part of the walls. There is 16th century decoration painted directly onto the stonework in one of the upper rooms.
It was once owned by John Ward, son of Richard Ward, who was Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
for one month in 1484. After his death it passed to John Lambard, master of the Mercers' Company and alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The house was inhabited at one time by Cistercian monks of the Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Pipewell
Pipewell
Pipewell is situated at the edge of the Kettering borough, a mile away from Corby. With 63 inhabitants, it is one of the smallest hamlets in Northamptonshire....
Northants.
The Drury and Andrews map of 1766 shows an L shaped building with three separate outbuildings with indication of an avenue and other plantings.
The large spring fed pond to the south of the house is one of the sources of the river Rhee which is a major tributary of the river Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
.
In the early part of the 20th century it was owned by Walter Sale who farmed 250 acres (1 km²) but in the 1930s was compulsorily purchased by the county council who divided the land into four smallholding
Smallholding
A smallholding is a farm of small size.In third world countries, smallholdings are usually farms supporting a single family with a mixture of cash crops and subsistence farming. As a country becomes more affluent and farming practices become more efficient, smallholdings may persist as a legacy of...
s each of about 60 acres (242,811.6 m²). The Sales remained tenants until 1949 by which time, the house having fallen into dereliction, it was sold to a banker who formed a syndicate of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
professionals and artists (including the actor Peter Copley
Peter Copley
Peter Copley was a British television, film and stage actor.-Biography:Copley was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, son of the printmakers, John Copley and Ethel Gabain....
) who renovated it.
Hinxworth Place was divided and sold during the 1960s and the larger part of the property is now the home and workplace of the sculptor John W Mills, a number of his works are displayed in the grounds.
Haunting of Hinxworth Place
Hinxworth Place has long been reputedly haunted. The main legend concerns the sound of thumps, screams, the sound of a baby crying, and of water coming from a pump - but this only takes place during stormy autumn evenings. The story behind the disembodied sounds is the accidental killing of a young boy by his nursemaid. Having dressed himself in a white sheet as a "ghostGhost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
" for a joke, the child's terrified nurse screamed and struck at him with a poker, and he fell down a flight of stairs, the commotion awakening the family's baby. Servants attempted in vain to revive the boy by putting his head under the pump.
There have also been tales of ghostly monks - sometimes a procession, sometimes alone - vanishing through a doorway long since bricked up.