Houghton House
Encyclopedia
Houghton House is a ruined house located near Houghton Conquest
in Bedfordshire
, on the ridge just north of Ampthill
, and about 8 miles south of Bedford
. It is a Grade I listed building.
Being set above the surrounding countryside, it commands excellent views, and can be visited during daylight hours. It is an English Heritage
property which is free to visit.
The house was built in approximately 1615 for the writer, translator, and literary patron Mary Sidney Herbert, Dowager Countess of Pembroke
(born 27 October 1561) but she died of smallpox on 25 September 1621, not long after its completion. A Jacobean
style frieze on the western side of the house incorporated devices from Mary's ancestral Sidney and Dudley families.
After the Countess' death, the house passed to Thomas Bruce
, 1st Earl of Elgin
in 1624. The Bruce family owned the house until the 2nd Earl of Ailesbury, a strong supporter of the Stuarts, retired to exile overseas in 1696 on account of his loyalty to King James II of England
.
Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury
never returned to Houghton and so sold the house to John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford in 1738, whose principal seat was Woburn Abbey
, less than seven miles from Houghton. The 4th Duke was predeceased by his sons (the 4th Duke's son and heir, Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock
died when he fell from a horse whilst hunting) and therefore the house and the dukedom passed to his grandson, Francis Russell.
In 1794, Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
stripped Houghton House of its furnishings and removed the roof. This may have been due, in part, to his father's horseriding tragedy. The Duke never married nor had he produced a legitimate heir. He died in 1802 by which time the house, now open to the elements, was already in decay.
Conservation work was undertaken in 2006 to help maintain safety and improve the understanding of the site. New visitor information boards were installed as a result. Sadly, in 2007, a number of these have been vandalised, leaving empty boards behind.
It is said that the house was the model for House Beautiful in John Bunyan
's The Pilgrim's Progress
. Its staircase survives in The Swan Hotel in Bedford
.
Houghton Conquest
Houghton Conquest is a village and civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The parish also includes the hamlet of How End.-History:...
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....
, on the ridge just north of Ampthill
Ampthill
Ampthill is a small town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population of about 6,000. It is administered by Central Bedfordshire Council. A regular market has taken place on Thursdays for centuries.-History:...
, and about 8 miles south of Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
. It is a Grade I listed building.
Being set above the surrounding countryside, it commands excellent views, and can be visited during daylight hours. It is an 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...
property which is free to visit.
The house was built in approximately 1615 for the writer, translator, and literary patron Mary Sidney Herbert, Dowager Countess of Pembroke
Mary Sidney
Mary Herbert , Countess of Pembroke , was one of the first English women to achieve a major reputation for her literary works, poetry, poetic translations and literary patronage.-Family:...
(born 27 October 1561) but she died of smallpox on 25 September 1621, not long after its completion. A Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
style frieze on the western side of the house incorporated devices from Mary's ancestral Sidney and Dudley families.
After the Countess' death, the house passed to Thomas Bruce
Thomas Bruce
Thomas Bruce may refer to:*Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin , British nobleman and diplomat*Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury, 3rd Earl of Elgin , British peer, M.P...
, 1st Earl of Elgin
Earl of Elgin
The title Earl of Elgin was created on June 21, 1633 in the Peerage of Scotland for Thomas Bruce, 3rd Lord Kinloss. He was later created Baron Bruce of Whorlton in the Peerage of England on July 30, 1641. His son, Robert, succeeded him, and was also created Earl of Ailesbury in the Peerage of...
in 1624. The Bruce family owned the house until the 2nd Earl of Ailesbury, a strong supporter of the Stuarts, retired to exile overseas in 1696 on account of his loyalty to King James II of England
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
.
Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury
Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury
Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury and 3rd Earl of Elgin was the son of Robert Bruce, 2nd Earl of Elgin and Lady Diana Grey. His maternal grandparents were Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford and Lady Anne Cecil, daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Exeter...
never returned to Houghton and so sold the house to John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford in 1738, whose principal seat was Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
, less than seven miles from Houghton. The 4th Duke was predeceased by his sons (the 4th Duke's son and heir, Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock
Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock
Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock was a British politician and the eldest son of the 4th Duke of Bedford....
died when he fell from a horse whilst hunting) and therefore the house and the dukedom passed to his grandson, Francis Russell.
In 1794, Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford was an English aristocrat and Whig politician, responsible for much of the development of central Bloomsbury.-Life:...
stripped Houghton House of its furnishings and removed the roof. This may have been due, in part, to his father's horseriding tragedy. The Duke never married nor had he produced a legitimate heir. He died in 1802 by which time the house, now open to the elements, was already in decay.
Conservation work was undertaken in 2006 to help maintain safety and improve the understanding of the site. New visitor information boards were installed as a result. Sadly, in 2007, a number of these have been vandalised, leaving empty boards behind.
It is said that the house was the model for House Beautiful in John Bunyan
John Bunyan
John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, famous for writing The Pilgrim's Progress. Though he was a Reformed Baptist, in the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August, and on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on 29 August.-Life:In 1628,...
's The Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan and published in February, 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been...
. Its staircase survives in The Swan Hotel in Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
.
External links
- Houghton House at britainexpress.com
- An illustration of what the West and North side of the house would have looked like
- Illustration of the house in 1784, ten years before the roof was removed
- Mary Sidney Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke
- The Bruce Family
- The Russell Family
- Houghton House at Bedfordshire Libraries
- English Heritage page
See also
- Houghton HallHoughton HallHoughton Hall is a country house in Norfolk, England. It was built for the de facto first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and it is a key building in the history of Palladian architecture in England...
- a Palladian country house in NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county... - Houghton House Addiction Recovery