Gaddesden Place, near
BerkhamstedBerkhamsted is a historic town which is situated in the west of Hertfordshire, between the towns of Tring and Hemel Hempstead. It is in the administrative district of Dacorum....
in
HertfordshireHertfordshire , abbreviated Herts, is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford....
,
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was designed by
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
James WyattJames Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
and built between 1768 and 1773, and was the home of the noted Hertfordshire
Halsey familyA Baronetcy was granted to the Halsey family in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 22 June 1920.- Halsey of Gaddesdon, Hertfordshire :*Sir Thomas Frederick Halsey, 1st Baronet , MP for Hertfordshire 1874-1885 and Watford 1885–1906...
.
The Halseys moved to
Great GaddesdenGreat Gaddesen is a parish in Dacorum Hundred in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, north of Hemel Hempstead. The parish borders to Flamstead, Hemel Hempstead, Nettleden and Little Gaddesden and also to Studham in Bedfordshire.The Church St. John the Baptist was...
in 1458 and later became lessees of the Rectory of Gaddesden until March 12, 1545. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries during the
ReformationThe English Reformation was the series of events in 16th century England by which the Church of England first broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, he granted the estate to William Halsey. Thomas Halsey
MPA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
(1731–1788) erected Gaddesden Place, to Wyatt's design.
Gaddesden Place is said to be Wyatt's first country work and represents his conformity at the start of his active career to the
EnglishEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
PalladianPalladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
tradition.
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Gaddesden Place, near
BerkhamstedBerkhamsted is a historic town which is situated in the west of Hertfordshire, between the towns of Tring and Hemel Hempstead. It is in the administrative district of Dacorum....
in
HertfordshireHertfordshire , abbreviated Herts, is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford....
,
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was designed by
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
James WyattJames Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
and built between 1768 and 1773, and was the home of the noted Hertfordshire
Halsey familyA Baronetcy was granted to the Halsey family in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 22 June 1920.- Halsey of Gaddesdon, Hertfordshire :*Sir Thomas Frederick Halsey, 1st Baronet , MP for Hertfordshire 1874-1885 and Watford 1885–1906...
.
The Halseys moved to
Great GaddesdenGreat Gaddesen is a parish in Dacorum Hundred in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, north of Hemel Hempstead. The parish borders to Flamstead, Hemel Hempstead, Nettleden and Little Gaddesden and also to Studham in Bedfordshire.The Church St. John the Baptist was...
in 1458 and later became lessees of the Rectory of Gaddesden until March 12, 1545. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries during the
ReformationThe English Reformation was the series of events in 16th century England by which the Church of England first broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, he granted the estate to William Halsey. Thomas Halsey
MPA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
(1731–1788) erected Gaddesden Place, to Wyatt's design.
Gaddesden Place is said to be Wyatt's first country work and represents his conformity at the start of his active career to the
EnglishEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
PalladianPalladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
tradition. The house is set in an elevated position overlooking the Gade Valley and is said to enjoy one of the finest views in the
Home CountiesThe "Home counties" refers to the counties that border or surround London, England but not including the United Kingdom's capital city itself. There is no exact definition of the term and the composition of the 'home counties' is sometimes a matter of debate....
. The conservatory was added in 1891 and has recently been extensively restored. Gaddesden Place was gutted by fire, on the 1 February, 1905, and was subsequently rebuilt. The quadrant links and north and south pavilions were demolished in 1955 and 1963 because of dry rot. The house and its grounds have been frequently used as film locations, including a recent appearance in
Lewis.
The building, which is
listed as Grade II, was purchased in 1984 by Charles Moir, founder of the Xara software company and has been the headquarters Xara Group Ltd since that time.
External links