The Grange, Northington, Hampshire UK
Encyclopedia
The Grange is a mansion near Northington
in Hampshire
, England. It is owned by Lord Ashburton
's family. English Heritage
have a guardianship deed on the Grade I listed building and the exterior of the monument can be viewed. During June and July, Grange Park Opera
stages a festival here.
1764: Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington
(1708-1772) employed Robert Adam to design a kitchen block and a handsome bridge. The same year he laid out a naturalistic landscape including a lake and folly which still exists.
1787: The second Earl
died childless and his sisters sold the house to the Drummond banking family.
1795: The Grange was leased to George, Prince of Wales
as a hunting lodge with over 400 deer in the park
in 1804, Henry Drummond commissioned his friend William Wilkins
to transform his brick house into a Greek temple. Wilkins, a promising young architect and antiquary, had been much influenced by his recent travels to Greece and Asia Minor. The massive Doric portico is a copy of the Theseion in Athens and the side elevations imitate the Choragic Monument of Thrasyllus. This is thought to be the earliest Greek Revival house in Europe. The transformation was largely external - the old house was literally wrapped in Roman cement, a very hard render made from ground flint. This is when the podium visible today was built. What had been ground floor rooms became basement rooms and the main reception rooms which had been on the piano nobile were now at the same level as the podium. The windows of servants’ rooms on the uppermost storey were covered by the entablature of the temple and this is partly why it was necessary to extend the house.
In 1817, before the works were finished, Drummond sold the house to Alexander Baring
, second son of Sir Francis Baring who owned Stratton Park
, five miles north of The Grange.
In 1820, Alexander Baring commissioned Robert Smirke
, a pupil of George Dance
, to build the single storey west wing. He increased the size of the park, extended the flower gardens, and planted many ornamental trees, such as the cedars which survive today.
In January 1823, Baring invited Charles Robert Cockerell
to visit and discuss proposed additions. Designs were ready by June and included an elegant dining room (now demolished) and conservatory (approx 80‘x50’) with a four columned Ionic portico on its east elevation.
December 1823 Baring spent two days discussing the conservatory design with Jones (of Jones & Clark) and the order was place the following March. There were two large rectangular planting beds running the length of the building with a central and an outer walkway all the way round, paved in Portland stone. Slim hollow cast iron columns held up the roofs and channelled rainwater into a large reservoir under the portico which supplied the house and the conservatory.
The external elevations were rendered pilasters with full length glazed sashes of rolled iron with copper sash bars. The side lights and the doors at each end were mahogany glazed with British glass.
1826 In the Gardener's Magazine, Baring’s head gardener, Peter McArthur, gives technical details of the building, the balance of humidity, light and heat, how the beds were constructed, the mix of soils, a list of about 150 plants “the principal and most conspicuous sorts”. The vestibule inside the east end of the conservatory had standing boxes of orange tress, camellias, proteas and magnolias which were brought out onto the terraces for the summer (picture).
Around this time terrace gardens with fountains and balustrades were finished.
January 1827 Jones & Clark wrote to Baring “We think we may safely venture to affirm that the conservatory at The grange is not surpassed by anything of the kind in the Unitied Kingdom.” “The whole of the conservatory, with the exception of the brick and stone work, was executed, and its different parts put together at our Birmingham and aftwards [re-]erected in its present situation by own own workmen.” This use of prefabrication was revolutionary and a precursor to Paxton's Crystal Palace
.
14 June 1828 Cockerell took his new bride, Anna Maria (née Rennie) to The Grange.
(son of C R) added a second storey to Smirke’s west wing.
1868 John Cox further extended the buildings and modernised the interiors. This was the heyday of the house - with a staff of more than a hundred and exuberant house parties attended by Thomas Carlyle, Alfred Lord Tennyson and other society figures.
1890 Francis Baring
, the 5th Lord Ashburton, sold Bath House in Piccadilly and to accommodate his paintings, converted the orangery into a picture gallery which doubled as a ballroom. Cockerell’s full-height external window sashes were removed and walls built in their place. The interior and planted beds were removed and the walls were plastered and fitted with oak dado panelling and a new flat partly glazed ceiling inserted (see Further Reading).
October 1935 In the Antique Collector: The Grange “which seemed doomed to become derelict” had “during the last 18 months been transformed into a palace of art treasures entirely fitting its former glory”. The picture gallery “formerly a ball-room had been debased to a badminton court before Mr Wallach adapted it to its present purpose.
1943 Wallach allowed the American Army to use the main house and soldiers of the 47th US Infantry enjoyed a large Christmas party in the picture gallery
1944 On 24 March Prime Minister Winston Churchill
and U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
met at The Grange to discuss the Invasion of Normandy.
(now 7th Lord Ashburton). In 1975 he placed the building in the guardianship of the Department of the Environment (now English Heritage).
used The Grange for her film Onegin, starring Ralph Fiennes
. The picture gallery was Onegin's library.
1998 Grange Park Opera
staged its first summer festival at The Grange.
In 2002 a new theatre was built inside the old orangery by Studio E Architects, which won the RIBA Award 2004, RIBA Conservation Commendation 2004, Georgian Group Award for Best New Building in a Georgian Context 2004 and was shortlisted for the Crown Estate Conservation Award 2004.
The new theatre at The Grange 2002
Recent work to The Grange
Northington
Northington is a village in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. It lies half a mile from the neighbouring village, Swarraton. Its nearest railway station is at New Alresford, on the Mid-Hants railway line.-See also:...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England. It is owned by Lord Ashburton
John Baring, 7th Baron Ashburton
John Francis Harcourt Baring, 7th Baron Ashburton, is a British merchant banker and former chairman of British Petroleum...
's family. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
have a guardianship deed on the Grade I listed building and the exterior of the monument can be viewed. During June and July, Grange Park Opera
Grange Park Opera
Grange Park Opera is a professional opera company whose base is The Grange in Hampshire, England. The company was founded in 1998 by Wasfi Kani OBE and Michael Moody...
stages a festival here.
The red brick house
1662: Robert Henley bought the estate and a modest house known as The Grange. In 1665 he commissioned William Samwell to build an impressive four storey red brick residence to replace the house.1764: Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington
Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington
Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington PC , was the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. He was a member of the Whig Party in the parliament and was known for his wit and writing.-Family:...
(1708-1772) employed Robert Adam to design a kitchen block and a handsome bridge. The same year he laid out a naturalistic landscape including a lake and folly which still exists.
1787: The second Earl
Robert Henley, 2nd Earl of Northington
Robert Henley, 2nd Earl of Northington was a British politician.He was elected a Member of Parliament for Hampshire on 30 March 1768, and sat until succeeding as Earl of Northington on 14 January 1772, when he moved to the House of Lords. He was made a Knight of the Thistle on 18 August 1773...
died childless and his sisters sold the house to the Drummond banking family.
1795: The Grange was leased to George, Prince of Wales
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
as a hunting lodge with over 400 deer in the park
The transformation into a Greek temple
William Wilkins (architect)
William Wilkins RA was an English architect, classical scholar and archaeologist. He designed the National Gallery and University College in London, and buildings for several Cambridge colleges.-Life:...
to transform his brick house into a Greek temple. Wilkins, a promising young architect and antiquary, had been much influenced by his recent travels to Greece and Asia Minor. The massive Doric portico is a copy of the Theseion in Athens and the side elevations imitate the Choragic Monument of Thrasyllus. This is thought to be the earliest Greek Revival house in Europe. The transformation was largely external - the old house was literally wrapped in Roman cement, a very hard render made from ground flint. This is when the podium visible today was built. What had been ground floor rooms became basement rooms and the main reception rooms which had been on the piano nobile were now at the same level as the podium. The windows of servants’ rooms on the uppermost storey were covered by the entablature of the temple and this is partly why it was necessary to extend the house.
In 1817, before the works were finished, Drummond sold the house to Alexander Baring
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton PC was a British politician and financier.-Background:Baring was the second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, and of Harriet, daughter of William Herring...
, second son of Sir Francis Baring who owned Stratton Park
Stratton Park
Stratton Park, in East Stratton, Hampshire, was an English country house, built on the site of a grange of Hyde Abbey after the dissolution of the monasteries; it was purchased with the manor of Micheldever in 1546 by Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton...
, five miles north of The Grange.
A second Greek temple and other additions
On 6 November 1819, Baring ordered from the Birmingham ironmasters Jones & Clark two metallic pine houses to be built in the new walled kitchen garden on the opposite side of the lake about half mile south east of The Grange. He later ordered peach houses and vineries.In 1820, Alexander Baring commissioned Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke (architect)
Sir Robert Smirke was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture his best known building in that style is the British Museum, though he also designed using other architectural styles...
, a pupil of George Dance
George Dance
George Dance may refer to:* George Dance the Elder, English architect* George Dance the Younger, English architect, son of George Dance the Elder* George Dance , Canadian politician* George Dance , English lyricist and librettist...
, to build the single storey west wing. He increased the size of the park, extended the flower gardens, and planted many ornamental trees, such as the cedars which survive today.
In January 1823, Baring invited Charles Robert Cockerell
Charles Robert Cockerell
Charles Robert Cockerell was an English architect, archaeologist, and writer.-Life:Charles Robert Cockerell was educated at Westminster School from 1802. From the age of sixteen, he trained in the architectural practice of his father, Samuel Pepys Cockerell...
to visit and discuss proposed additions. Designs were ready by June and included an elegant dining room (now demolished) and conservatory (approx 80‘x50’) with a four columned Ionic portico on its east elevation.
December 1823 Baring spent two days discussing the conservatory design with Jones (of Jones & Clark) and the order was place the following March. There were two large rectangular planting beds running the length of the building with a central and an outer walkway all the way round, paved in Portland stone. Slim hollow cast iron columns held up the roofs and channelled rainwater into a large reservoir under the portico which supplied the house and the conservatory.
The external elevations were rendered pilasters with full length glazed sashes of rolled iron with copper sash bars. The side lights and the doors at each end were mahogany glazed with British glass.
1826 In the Gardener's Magazine, Baring’s head gardener, Peter McArthur, gives technical details of the building, the balance of humidity, light and heat, how the beds were constructed, the mix of soils, a list of about 150 plants “the principal and most conspicuous sorts”. The vestibule inside the east end of the conservatory had standing boxes of orange tress, camellias, proteas and magnolias which were brought out onto the terraces for the summer (picture).
Around this time terrace gardens with fountains and balustrades were finished.
January 1827 Jones & Clark wrote to Baring “We think we may safely venture to affirm that the conservatory at The grange is not surpassed by anything of the kind in the Unitied Kingdom.” “The whole of the conservatory, with the exception of the brick and stone work, was executed, and its different parts put together at our Birmingham and aftwards [re-]erected in its present situation by own own workmen.” This use of prefabrication was revolutionary and a precursor to Paxton's Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
.
Further additions and alterations
1852 Frederick Pepys CockerellFrederick Pepys Cockerell
Frederick Pepys Cockerell was a British architect. He was the second son of Charles Robert Cockerell, also an architect, whose favour for French architecture and sculpture in architecture was a major influence on Frederick.-Life:He studied at Winchester College and at King's College London, and...
(son of C R) added a second storey to Smirke’s west wing.
1868 John Cox further extended the buildings and modernised the interiors. This was the heyday of the house - with a staff of more than a hundred and exuberant house parties attended by Thomas Carlyle, Alfred Lord Tennyson and other society figures.
1890 Francis Baring
Francis Denzil Edward Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton
Francis Denzil Edward Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton was a British peer and politician.-Sources:* http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/people/mr-francis-baring-2...
, the 5th Lord Ashburton, sold Bath House in Piccadilly and to accommodate his paintings, converted the orangery into a picture gallery which doubled as a ballroom. Cockerell’s full-height external window sashes were removed and walls built in their place. The interior and planted beds were removed and the walls were plastered and fitted with oak dado panelling and a new flat partly glazed ceiling inserted (see Further Reading).
Charles Wallach as owner
1934 The Grange and 600 acres of the park were sold to Charles Wallach (see Further Reading) whose fortune was from the medicinal use of paraffin and other petroleum by-products. The rest of the estate remained in the ownership of the Baring family.October 1935 In the Antique Collector: The Grange “which seemed doomed to become derelict” had “during the last 18 months been transformed into a palace of art treasures entirely fitting its former glory”. The picture gallery “formerly a ball-room had been debased to a badminton court before Mr Wallach adapted it to its present purpose.
1943 Wallach allowed the American Army to use the main house and soldiers of the 47th US Infantry enjoyed a large Christmas party in the picture gallery
1944 On 24 March Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
met at The Grange to discuss the Invasion of Normandy.
The Barings buy back the house
In 1964 Charles Wallach died and the house and 600 acre park was bought by John BaringJohn Baring, 7th Baron Ashburton
John Francis Harcourt Baring, 7th Baron Ashburton, is a British merchant banker and former chairman of British Petroleum...
(now 7th Lord Ashburton). In 1975 he placed the building in the guardianship of the Department of the Environment (now English Heritage).
Opera and more at The Grange
1998 Martha FiennesMartha Fiennes
Martha Fiennes is a British film director, writer and producer. An award-winning director, Fiennes is best-known for her films Onegin and Chromophobia .-Career:...
used The Grange for her film Onegin, starring Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
. The picture gallery was Onegin's library.
1998 Grange Park Opera
Grange Park Opera
Grange Park Opera is a professional opera company whose base is The Grange in Hampshire, England. The company was founded in 1998 by Wasfi Kani OBE and Michael Moody...
staged its first summer festival at The Grange.
In 2002 a new theatre was built inside the old orangery by Studio E Architects, which won the RIBA Award 2004, RIBA Conservation Commendation 2004, Georgian Group Award for Best New Building in a Georgian Context 2004 and was shortlisted for the Crown Estate Conservation Award 2004.
Further reading
- Life at The Grange in the 1890s
- Charles Wallach (the owner of The Grange from 1934 to 1964)
- A schoolboy visits the ruin in the 1970s
- Did Paxton copy The Grange when he built Crystal Palace?
The new theatre at The Grange 2002
- The project
- The traditional building methods and materials
- The labyrinth which cools the building
- The treasure trove
- Modern finishes to the building
Recent work to The Grange