Battlesden House
Encyclopedia
Battlesden House was a large manor house situated in parkland, Battlesden Park, close to the hamlet of Battlesden
in Bedfordshire
, England
.
A manor house was constructed in the late 16th century and was associated with the family of Lord Bathurst
before he sold the estate to Sir Gregory Page
in 1724. The estate was later inherited by Page's great-nephew Sir Gregory Page-Turner in 1775.
The original house was demolished in 1860 and a new house was built in 1864. This had 40 rooms and a large ballroom and cost £40,000 to build, while the surrounding parkland and lake were created by Sir Joseph Paxton
. However, the owner, Sir Edward Page-Turner did not like the house, preferring to let it to a wealthy tenant before selling the estate to Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
in 1885. The Duke, who already owned two country houses in the county, was interested in the land rather than the building, so he ordered the partial demolition of the house in 1886. Only the ground floor was retained, which was used as a nursing home during the First World War and a maternity home in the Second World War. This was demolished after the war leaving just the coach house, which is today a private dwelling.
Battlesden
Battlesden is a hamlet and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is just north of the A5, between Dunstable and Milton Keynes. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 38...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, 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...
.
A manor house was constructed in the late 16th century and was associated with the family of Lord Bathurst
Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst
Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst PC , known as the Lord Bathurst from 1712 to 1772, was a British politician....
before he sold the estate to Sir Gregory Page
Gregory Page
The heads of three successive generations of the same English family were each named Gregory Page. A wealthy family whose fortune was not inherited but initially accumulated through trade, the Pages were closely associated with the development of north-west Kent during the 18th century.-First...
in 1724. The estate was later inherited by Page's great-nephew Sir Gregory Page-Turner in 1775.
The original house was demolished in 1860 and a new house was built in 1864. This had 40 rooms and a large ballroom and cost £40,000 to build, while the surrounding parkland and lake were created by Sir Joseph Paxton
Joseph Paxton
Sir Joseph Paxton was an English gardener and architect, best known for designing The Crystal Palace.-Early life:...
. However, the owner, Sir Edward Page-Turner did not like the house, preferring to let it to a wealthy tenant before selling the estate to Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
Francis Charles Hastings Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford KG was an English politician and agriculturalist.-Life:...
in 1885. The Duke, who already owned two country houses in the county, was interested in the land rather than the building, so he ordered the partial demolition of the house in 1886. Only the ground floor was retained, which was used as a nursing home during the First World War and a maternity home in the Second World War. This was demolished after the war leaving just the coach house, which is today a private dwelling.