Hughenden Manor
Encyclopedia
Hughenden Manor is a red brick
Victorian
mansion
, located in High Wycombe
, Buckinghamshire
, England
. In the 19th century, it was the country house of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli
. Today, it is owned by the National Trust
and fully open to the public.
The house sits on the brow of the hill to the west of the main A4128 road that links Hughenden
to High Wycombe (Ordnance survey reference 165:SU866955), where it has fine views of the Chilterns countryside.
of Hughenden is first recorded in 1086, when formerly part of Queen Edith's lands it was held by William, son of Oger the Bishop of Bayeux, and was assessed for tax at 10 hides.
Benjamin Disraeli
, British Prime Minister (1868 and 1874–1880, and Earl of Beaconsfield 1876), whose father rented a house at nearby Bradenham
, purchased the manor in 1848 with the help of a loan of £
25,000 (equivalent to almost £1,500,000 today) from Lord Henry Bentinck
and Lord Titchfield
, because as leader of the Conservative Party "it was essential to represent a county," and county members had to be landowners. He and his wife Mary Anne Disraeli
, alternated between Hughenden and several homes in London.
. Lamb has been described as "one of the most perverse and original of mid-Victorian architects" Architecturally, he had a strong interest in the eclectic; this interest is very apparent in his work at Hughenden.
Under Lamb's hand, classical Georgian features were swept away as he "dramatised" the house. Lamb worked in a hybrid baronial form of Gothic architecture, with exposed and angular juxtaposing brickwork surmounted by stepped battlements with diagonal pinnacles. The uppermost windows of the thirteen bayed garden facade were given unusual pediments - appearing almost as machicolations. The architectural historian Nickolaus Pevsner, in his highly critical appraisal of Lamb's work at Hughenden, labels these "window-heads" as "indescribable" and Lamb's overall Hughenden work as "excruciating."
Pevsner clearly failed to appreciate what the delighted Disraeli described as the "romance he had been many years realising" while going to say that he imagined it was now "restored to what it was before the civil war
". As the house was not originally constructed until the middle of the 18th century, almost a century after the Civil War, that scenario would have been difficult.
The house is of three floors. The reception rooms are all on the ground floor. most with large plate glass windows (a Victorian innovation) giving onto the south-facing terrace overlooking a grassy parterre
with views over the Hughenden Valley
.
The west wing was built in 1910, long after Disraeli's death, when the house was in the ownership of his nephew Coningsby Disraeli
.
created Mary Anne a Viscount
ess in her own right in 1868), has been restored to a similar condition to when occupied by the Disraelis. The long terrace at the rear of the house is decorated with Florentine vases. An obelisk on a nearby hill, visible from the house, was erected by Mary Anne in 1862 in memory of her father-in-law.
The church contains a memorial to the Earl erected by Queen Victoria: the only instance a reigning monarch has ever erected a memorial to a subject. Disraeli had no children; he left Hughenden to his nephew, Coningsby. However, as Coningsby was only 14 at the time, his trustees rented out the property until he came into his inheritance in 1888. When Coningsby died in 1936, his widow left Hughenden, and the following year Disraeli's niece sold the house to W H Abbey, who vested it, with the remaining contents and 189 acre (0.76485654 km²), in the Disraelian Society.
staff at the manor analysed aerial photography of Germany and created maps for bombing missions, including the famous "Dambusters
" raid.
In 1947, the Abbey family and the Disraelian Society made Hughenden over to the National Trust.
It is decorated as it might have been at the time it was occupied by Disraeli. It contains a collection of memorabilia including family portraits, Disraeli's own furnishings, a library including a collection of Disraeli's novels and one written and signed by Queen Victoria along with many of the books he inherited from his father Isaac D'Israeli
.
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
, located in High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, 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...
. In the 19th century, it was the country house of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS, was a British Prime Minister, parliamentarian, Conservative statesman and literary figure. Starting from comparatively humble origins, he served in government for three decades, twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
. Today, it is owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and fully open to the public.
The house sits on the brow of the hill to the west of the main A4128 road that links Hughenden
Hughenden Valley
Hughenden Valley is an extensive village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England, just to the north of High Wycombe...
to High Wycombe (Ordnance survey reference 165:SU866955), where it has fine views of the Chilterns countryside.
History
The manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Hughenden is first recorded in 1086, when formerly part of Queen Edith's lands it was held by William, son of Oger the Bishop of Bayeux, and was assessed for tax at 10 hides.
Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS, was a British Prime Minister, parliamentarian, Conservative statesman and literary figure. Starting from comparatively humble origins, he served in government for three decades, twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
, British Prime Minister (1868 and 1874–1880, and Earl of Beaconsfield 1876), whose father rented a house at nearby Bradenham
Bradenham, Buckinghamshire
Bradenham is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near Saunderton, off the main A4010 road between Princes Risborough and High Wycombe.- Village :...
, purchased the manor in 1848 with the help of a loan of £
Pound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
25,000 (equivalent to almost £1,500,000 today) from Lord Henry Bentinck
Lord Henry Bentinck
Lord Henry William Scott-Bentinck , known as Lord Henry Bentinck, was a British Conservative Party politician.-Background:...
and Lord Titchfield
William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland
William John Cavendish Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland , styled Lord William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck before 1824 and Marquess of Titchfield between 1824 and 1854, was a British aristocratic eccentric who preferred to live in seclusion...
, because as leader of the Conservative Party "it was essential to represent a county," and county members had to be landowners. He and his wife Mary Anne Disraeli
Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield
Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield was a British peeress and society figure, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli....
, alternated between Hughenden and several homes in London.
Disraeli's house
The present house was built towards the end of the 18th century and was of a stuccoed and of unassuming design. However, in 1862 the Disraelis had the house remodelled by the architect Edward Buckton LambEdward Buckton Lamb
Edward Buckton Lamb was a British architect who exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1824. Lamb was labelled a 'Rogue Gothic Revivalist', and for breaking with convention, his designs were roundly criticised, especially by The Ecclesiologist....
. Lamb has been described as "one of the most perverse and original of mid-Victorian architects" Architecturally, he had a strong interest in the eclectic; this interest is very apparent in his work at Hughenden.
Under Lamb's hand, classical Georgian features were swept away as he "dramatised" the house. Lamb worked in a hybrid baronial form of Gothic architecture, with exposed and angular juxtaposing brickwork surmounted by stepped battlements with diagonal pinnacles. The uppermost windows of the thirteen bayed garden facade were given unusual pediments - appearing almost as machicolations. The architectural historian Nickolaus Pevsner, in his highly critical appraisal of Lamb's work at Hughenden, labels these "window-heads" as "indescribable" and Lamb's overall Hughenden work as "excruciating."
Pevsner clearly failed to appreciate what the delighted Disraeli described as the "romance he had been many years realising" while going to say that he imagined it was now "restored to what it was before the civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
". As the house was not originally constructed until the middle of the 18th century, almost a century after the Civil War, that scenario would have been difficult.
The house is of three floors. The reception rooms are all on the ground floor. most with large plate glass windows (a Victorian innovation) giving onto the south-facing terrace overlooking a grassy parterre
Parterre
A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds, edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form a pleasing, usually symmetrical pattern. Parterres need not have any flowers at all...
with views over the Hughenden Valley
Hughenden Valley
Hughenden Valley is an extensive village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England, just to the north of High Wycombe...
.
The west wing was built in 1910, long after Disraeli's death, when the house was in the ownership of his nephew Coningsby Disraeli
Coningsby Disraeli
Coningsby Ralph Disraeli , was a British Conservative politician.Born in Kensington, London, Disraeli was the son of Ralph Disraeli , the younger son of the writer Isaac D'Israeli. The Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was his uncle...
.
Grounds
The park and woodlands total almost 1500 acres (6.1 km²). The formal garden which was designed by Lady Beaconsfield (Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
created Mary Anne a Viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
ess in her own right in 1868), has been restored to a similar condition to when occupied by the Disraelis. The long terrace at the rear of the house is decorated with Florentine vases. An obelisk on a nearby hill, visible from the house, was erected by Mary Anne in 1862 in memory of her father-in-law.
After Disraeli
Lady Beaconsfield died in 1872, and Disraeli in 1881; both were buried in a vault adjacent to the church, which is situated downhill from the main house, to the east.The church contains a memorial to the Earl erected by Queen Victoria: the only instance a reigning monarch has ever erected a memorial to a subject. Disraeli had no children; he left Hughenden to his nephew, Coningsby. However, as Coningsby was only 14 at the time, his trustees rented out the property until he came into his inheritance in 1888. When Coningsby died in 1936, his widow left Hughenden, and the following year Disraeli's niece sold the house to W H Abbey, who vested it, with the remaining contents and 189 acre (0.76485654 km²), in the Disraelian Society.
Modern history
During the Second World War, Hughenden Manor was used as a secret intelligence base code-named "Hillside". The UK Air MinistryAir Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
staff at the manor analysed aerial photography of Germany and created maps for bombing missions, including the famous "Dambusters
Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as the "Dambusters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis...
" raid.
In 1947, the Abbey family and the Disraelian Society made Hughenden over to the National Trust.
It is decorated as it might have been at the time it was occupied by Disraeli. It contains a collection of memorabilia including family portraits, Disraeli's own furnishings, a library including a collection of Disraeli's novels and one written and signed by Queen Victoria along with many of the books he inherited from his father Isaac D'Israeli
Isaac D'Israeli
Isaac D'Israeli was a British writer, scholar and man of letters. He is best known for his essays, his associations with other men of letters, and for being the father of British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli....
.