Hunton Park
Encyclopedia
Hunton Park is a large country house and estate near Abbots Langley
, just north of Watford
in Hertfordshire
in the United Kingdom
. It was originally called Hazelwood House when first built in the early 19th century. The original house was destroyed in 1908 and completely rebuilt. It is now a hotel.
, a soldier who had fought at Waterloo
as a 16 year old Ensign and later commanded a division of the British army in the Crimean War
. Other notable owners include Admiral Ralph Cator from 1886 and the Vicar of Honingham
, Henry Stewart Gladstone in the early 20th century. Gladstone made a thousand pounds worth of improvements to the property, but a fire on 8 March 1908 completely destroyed the house, and it had to be demolished. Assisted by an insurance compensation of £10,500, Gladstone rebuilt the second Hazelwood House, similar in appearance to the first, but sited at a different angle to the ornamental grounds.
In 1930, the house was sold to Francis Edwin Fisher, a substantial landowner, farmer, meat wholesaler and businessman who frequently travelled the world with his wife, the explorer and journalist Violet Cressy-Marcks
. During their absences the house was left empty or rented out. Among the short-term occupants of this period was the Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, an exile from his country after the invasion by Italy in 1936.
From 1939 until 1971 the house went through various uses and often stood empty. Part of the estate was taken over by the Ministry of Defence
for aircraft manufacture, later becoming the Rolls-Royce
aircraft factory, and in the 1990s Leavesden Film Studios
.
In the 1970s, the cinema industry became interested in the house as a location, and a number of the Hammer House of Horror Productions
were filmed there as well as The Executioner directed by Sam Wanamaker
, and The Raging Moon
(1971) by director Bryan Forbes
. Shortly after this period Paul Edwin Hembler, the owner of several small businesses, bought the house and changed its name to Hunton Park.
The house is now a 61-bedroom venue, part of the De Vere Venues chain. The surrounding park now extends to only 22 acres (8.9 ha).
Abbots Langley
Abbots Langley is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Hertfordshire. It is an old settlement and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Economically the village is closely linked to Watford and was formerly part of the Watford Rural District...
, just north of Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was originally called Hazelwood House when first built in the early 19th century. The original house was destroyed in 1908 and completely rebuilt. It is now a hotel.
History
A wealthy Londoner Henry Botham built the first Hazelwood House from around 1810 as a country residence. Between 1810 and 1826 he acquired some 53 acres (21.4 ha) of surrounding land as a park. The ownership of Hazelwood House stayed in the Botham family for many years. It later passed around 1850 to Sir Henry Robinson Montagu, the 6th Lord RokebyHenry Montagu, 6th Baron Rokeby
General Henry Robinson-Montague, 6th Baron Rokeby GCB was a British soldier.-Military career:Born the son of the 4th Baron, Rokeby was commissioned into the 3rd Foot Guards in 1814. He fought at the Battle of Quatre Bras and the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.He fought in the Crimean War as...
, a soldier who had fought at Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
as a 16 year old Ensign and later commanded a division of the British army in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. Other notable owners include Admiral Ralph Cator from 1886 and the Vicar of Honingham
Honingham
Honingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, located to the west of Norwich along the A47 trunk road. It covers an area of and had a population of 342 in 145 households as of the 2001 census....
, Henry Stewart Gladstone in the early 20th century. Gladstone made a thousand pounds worth of improvements to the property, but a fire on 8 March 1908 completely destroyed the house, and it had to be demolished. Assisted by an insurance compensation of £10,500, Gladstone rebuilt the second Hazelwood House, similar in appearance to the first, but sited at a different angle to the ornamental grounds.
In 1930, the house was sold to Francis Edwin Fisher, a substantial landowner, farmer, meat wholesaler and businessman who frequently travelled the world with his wife, the explorer and journalist Violet Cressy-Marcks
Violet Cressy-Marcks
-Personal life:Violet Cressy-Marcks was born Violet Olivia Rutley on 9 June 1895, in West Wickham, Greater London, the only daughter of Ernest & Olivia Rutley. On 13 October 1917 she married Maurice Cressy-Marcks, a captain in the North Lancashire regiment with whom she had one son...
. During their absences the house was left empty or rented out. Among the short-term occupants of this period was the Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, an exile from his country after the invasion by Italy in 1936.
From 1939 until 1971 the house went through various uses and often stood empty. Part of the estate was taken over by the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
for aircraft manufacture, later becoming the Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
aircraft factory, and in the 1990s Leavesden Film Studios
Leavesden Film Studios
Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden , is a film and media complex owned by Warner Bros.. The studios and backlot sit on the site of the former Rolls-Royce factory at Leavesden Aerodrome, which was an important centre of aircraft production during World War II...
.
In the 1970s, the cinema industry became interested in the house as a location, and a number of the Hammer House of Horror Productions
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
were filmed there as well as The Executioner directed by Sam Wanamaker
Sam Wanamaker
Samuel Wanamaker was an American film director and actor and is credited as the person most responsible for the modern recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London...
, and The Raging Moon
The Raging Moon
The Raging Moon is a British film from 1971 based on the book by British novelist Peter Marshall and starring Malcolm McDowell and Nanette Newman...
(1971) by director Bryan Forbes
Bryan Forbes
Bryan Forbes, CBE is an English film director, actor and writer.-Career:Bryan Forbes was born John Theobald Clarke on 22 July 1926 in Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, West Ham, Essex , and grew up at 43 Cranmer Road, Forest Gate, West Ham, Essex .Forbes trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of...
. Shortly after this period Paul Edwin Hembler, the owner of several small businesses, bought the house and changed its name to Hunton Park.
The house is now a 61-bedroom venue, part of the De Vere Venues chain. The surrounding park now extends to only 22 acres (8.9 ha).