Exton Hall
Encyclopedia
Exton Hall is an English country house on the western edge of the village of Exton, Rutland
, England
.
It was the family seat of the family of Sir James Harington
and later the Noel family, Earls of Gainsborough
for almost four hundred years. The mansion burnt down in 1810 and is now a ruin which has grand gables and beautiful chimneys like many Elizabethan houses.
The present Exton Hall was built in the 19th century close to the ruins of the original mansion. It contains a Roman Catholic chapel which is still in regular use.
In 1948 the Earl of Gainsborough gave the United Steel Companies
a lease to quarry ironstone
in the Park. Sundew
, the world's largest walking dragline worked the land from 1957 until 1974 when mining ceased. Sundew then slowly walked to Corby
. Material was moved by a narrow-gauge railway with a loop of nine miles and a link to the exchange sidings at what is now Rutland Railway Museum
's site.
The hall is one of the many stately homes in Britain associated with the Legend of the Mistletoe Bough
.
Exton, Rutland
Exton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England.The village includes a tree-planted green overlooked by the Fox & Hounds pub....
, 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...
.
It was the family seat of the family of Sir James Harington
James Harington
James Harington may refer to:* H James Harrington, author, lecturer, consultant, international performance improvement and quality guru, entrepreneur and business man...
and later the Noel family, Earls of Gainsborough
Earl of Gainsborough
Earl of Gainsborough is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation ended in extinction when the sixth Earl died without heirs...
for almost four hundred years. The mansion burnt down in 1810 and is now a ruin which has grand gables and beautiful chimneys like many Elizabethan houses.
The present Exton Hall was built in the 19th century close to the ruins of the original mansion. It contains a Roman Catholic chapel which is still in regular use.
In 1948 the Earl of Gainsborough gave the United Steel Companies
United Steel Companies
The United Steel Companies were a steel making, engineering, coal mining and coal by-product group based in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.-History:...
a lease to quarry ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
in the Park. Sundew
Sundew (dragline)
Sundew was a large electrically powered dragline excavator used in mining operations in Rutland and Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom.Built by Ransomes & Rapier and named after the winning horse of the 1957 Grand National , it began work in a Rutland iron ore quarry belonging to Stewarts &...
, the world's largest walking dragline worked the land from 1957 until 1974 when mining ceased. Sundew then slowly walked to Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
. Material was moved by a narrow-gauge railway with a loop of nine miles and a link to the exchange sidings at what is now Rutland Railway Museum
Rutland Railway Museum
Rutland Railway Museum now trading as Rocks by Rail: The Living Ironstone Museum is a heritage railway on part of a former Midland Railway mineral branch line. It is situated NE of Oakham, in Rutland, England.-Overview:...
's site.
The hall is one of the many stately homes in Britain associated with the Legend of the Mistletoe Bough
Legend of the Mistletoe Bough
The Legend of the Mistletoe Bough is a ghost story which has been associated with many mansions and stately homes in England.The tale tells how a new bride, playing a game of hide-and-seek during her wedding breakfast, hid in a chest in an attic and was unable to escape. She was not discovered by...
.