Stanwick Hall, Northamptonshire
Stanwick Hall is a Georgian Grade II* Listed Building located in the western end of the village of Stanwick in East Northamptonshire.[1][2]
History
It was built in 1742-1743 for James Lambe (d.1761)[3][4] by William Smith (1705-1747) at a cost of £750 (about £150,000 in modern terms.[5])
William Smith was an acclaimed Architect and Builder and was the son of Francis Smith of Warwick. William Smith was involved as architect, builder or mason in many major projects, including the Radcliffe Camera, Catton Hall, Kirtlington Park, Thame Park and Stoneleigh Abbey, on which he worked with his father. Stoneleigh Abbey was immortalized by Jane Austen in her novel Mansfield Park, in which Stoneleigh Abbey becomes Sotherton Court.
After the death of James Lambe, his son advertised Stanwick Hall for sale on several occasions. The sale notice showed Stanwick Hall (a modern, stone-built capital mansion), a coach house, two dove houses, two barns, three 3-stall stables, two other stables with convenient outbuildings, a dog kennel and boiling house with constant running water. It included 30 acres of rich pasture in three closes (Nether Close, Dove House Close and Upper Close, called the Cherry Orchard). There were 15 acres at Stanwick Pastures, to the east of the village and a further 97 acres of arable, ley and pasture ground in the open fields around the village.[6]
In 1931, there was a major fire that started in one of the lower rooms. The owners escaped and no one was killed but the building was gutted. The building was placed on the English Heritage "At Risk" Register,[7] with fungus growing on damp walls, roof tiles broken and roof timbers in danger of collapsing at any moment.
The building was purchased in 2007. A major restoration project started by the new owners was the subject of a BBC Restoration Home programme in 2011.[8]
Occupants
Known occupants of Stanwick Hall include:
- 1743: James Lambe. A wealthy landowner who was one of the few individuals who made money from the South Sea Company. He originally came from Hackney in East London but his main home was at Fairford Park in Gloucestershire, where he was the Lord of the Manor.
- 1791: Lord Egmont.[6] John Perceval, 3rd Earl of Egmont, was the brother of Spencer Perceval, who remains the only Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to have been assassinated.
- 1820s: George Gascoyen. Purchased Stanwick Hall and moved from Little Addington to Stanwick. Following the Enclosure Acts, George Gascoyen became one of the five major landowners in Stanwick. After his death in 1841, the land was split between his two sons and Stanwick Hall was eventually sold.
- 1870: Cecil Wetenhall.[9]
- 1882: Thomas and James Somes.[10]
- 1915: Colonel Fawcett.[11]
- 2006-present: The Russell family.
References
- The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire (1961 Nikolaus Pevsner; 1973 revised Bridget Cherry; 2013 with Bruce Bailey) ISBN 978-0-300-18507-2
- A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 (H Colvin) ISBN 0-300-07207-4
- History of Fairford Church: In Gloucestershire, 1763
- An Account of the Parish of Fairford (1791 R & R Bigland)
- Bank of England Archived 2014-02-05 at WebCite
- Northampton Mercury, 17 September 1791
- English Heritage At Risk Entry
- , BBC Restoration Home
- Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, 20 January 1870
- Northampton Mercury, 3 February 1883
- Northampton Mercury, 2 April 1915