Holland House
Encyclopedia
Holland House, originally known as Cope Castle, was one of the first great house
s built in Kensington
in London
, and is situated in Holland Park
.
. It presided over a 500 acre (202.3 ha; 0.781250690760893 sq mi) estate that stretched from Holland Park Avenue
to the current site of Earl's Court tube station
, and contained exotic trees imported by John Tradescant the Younger
. Following its completion, Cope entertained the king and queen at it numerous times; in 1608, John Chamberlain
, the noted author of letters, complained that he was "not allowed to touch even a cherry because the queen was expected".
Following the death of King James I
's son Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
in November 1612, he spent the night at Cope Castle, being joined the following day by his son Prince Charles
and granddaughter Princess Elizabeth, and Frederick V, Elector Palatine
.
Cope's son-in-law, Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland
eventually inherited the house. He was later beheaded for his Royalist activities during the Civil War
and the house was then used as an army headquarters, being regularly visited by Oliver Cromwell
. After the war, it was owned by various members of the family and renamed Holland House. In 1719, Joseph Addison
, the English essayist, poet and politician, died in the building.
Holland House passed to the Edwardes family in 1721. Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland
died at Holland House in 1774 and thereafter it was inherited by his descendants until the title became extinct with the death of Henry Edward Fox, 4th Baron Holland in 1859; however, his widow continued to live there for many years, gradually selling off outlying parts of the park for development. In 1874, the estate passed to a distant Fox cousin, Henry Fox-Strangways, 5th Earl of Ilchester
.
and his wife, Lady Holland
, the house became noted as a glittering social, literary and political centre with many celebrated visitors such as Byron
, Thomas Macaulay, the poets Thomas Campbell and Samuel Rogers
, 'Conversation' Sharp
, Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Dickens
and Sir Walter Scott.The figure of the political and historical writer John Allen
was so associated with the house that he was known as Holland House Allen and there is a room in the house named after him.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine described Holland House as having had a "Gilt Chamber", where "the figures over the fireplace were painted in flesh colour wherever bare; the rest was in shaded gold. The lower marbles of the fireplace were black, and the upper ones were Sienna; the capitals and bases of the columns and pilasters were gilt, and the groundwork from which all the glittering decoration rose was white."
The house's dower house
, known as Little Holland House
, became the centre of a Victorian artistic salon
presided over by the Prinsep
s and the painter George Frederic Watts
.
and King George VI
attended the last great ball held at the house a few weeks before the outbreak of World War II
. In September 1940, the building was badly hit during a ten hour bombing raid and largely destroyed. It passed into the ownership, with its grounds, of the local authority. Today the remains form a backdrop for the open air Holland Park Theatre, home of Opera Holland Park
. The YHA (England and Wales) "London Holland Park" youth hostel is now located in the house. The Orangery
is now an exhibition and function space, with the adjoining former Summer Ballroom, The Belvedere, now a restaurant. The former Icehouse is now a gallery space. The grounds provide sporting facilities, including a cricket pitch/football oval and 6 tennis courts.
Great house
A great house is a large and stately residence; the term encompasses different styles of dwelling in different countries. The name refers to the makeup of the household rather than to any particular architectural style...
s built in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and is situated in Holland Park
Holland Park
Holland Park is a district and a public park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London, England.Holland Park has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive large Victorian townhouses, and high-class shopping and restaurants...
.
Origins, in the Civil War, and beyond
Holland House was built in 1605 for Sir Walter CopeWalter Cope
Sir Walter Cope was an English government official of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.-Life:Cope was probably born at Hardwick Manor near Banbury, Oxfordshire, third son of Edward Cope of Hanwell, Oxfordshire and his wife Elizabeth Mohun, daughter of Walter Mohun of Overstone,...
. It presided over a 500 acre (202.3 ha; 0.781250690760893 sq mi) estate that stretched from Holland Park Avenue
Holland Park Avenue
Holland Park Avenue is a street located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London in England. The street runs from Notting Hill Gate in the east to the Holland Park Roundabout in the west, and forms a part of the old west road connecting London with Oxford and the west...
to the current site of Earl's Court tube station
Earl's Court tube station
Earl's Court tube station is a London Underground station in Earls Court. The station is located between Earls Court Road and Warwick Road . It is on the boundary of Travelcard Zone 1 and 2 and is in both zones....
, and contained exotic trees imported by John Tradescant the Younger
John Tradescant the younger
John Tradescant the Younger , son of John Tradescant the elder, was a botanist and gardener, born in Meopham, Kent and educated at The King's School, Canterbury...
. Following its completion, Cope entertained the king and queen at it numerous times; in 1608, John Chamberlain
John Chamberlain (letter writer)
John Chamberlain was the author of a series of letters written in England from 1597 to 1626, notable for their historical value and their literary qualities. In the view of historian Wallace Notestein, Chamberlain's letters "constitute the first considerable body of letters in English history and...
, the noted author of letters, complained that he was "not allowed to touch even a cherry because the queen was expected".
Following the death of King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
's son Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales was the elder son of King James I & VI and Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Frederick II of Denmark. Prince Henry was widely seen as a bright and promising heir to his father's throne...
in November 1612, he spent the night at Cope Castle, being joined the following day by his son Prince Charles
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and granddaughter Princess Elizabeth, and Frederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....
.
Cope's son-in-law, Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland
Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland
Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland was an English aristocrat, courtier and soldier.-Life:He was the son of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick and of Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich, and the younger brother of Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick...
eventually inherited the house. He was later beheaded for his Royalist activities during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and the house was then used as an army headquarters, being regularly visited by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. After the war, it was owned by various members of the family and renamed Holland House. In 1719, Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
, the English essayist, poet and politician, died in the building.
Holland House passed to the Edwardes family in 1721. Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, of Foxley, MP, PC was a leading British politician of the 18th century. He identified primarily with the Whig faction...
died at Holland House in 1774 and thereafter it was inherited by his descendants until the title became extinct with the death of Henry Edward Fox, 4th Baron Holland in 1859; however, his widow continued to live there for many years, gradually selling off outlying parts of the park for development. In 1874, the estate passed to a distant Fox cousin, Henry Fox-Strangways, 5th Earl of Ilchester
Henry Fox-Strangways, 5th Earl of Ilchester
Henry Edward Fox-Strangways, 5th Earl of Ilchester PC , known as Henry Fox-Strangways until 1865, was a British peer and Liberal politician. He served as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms under William Ewart Gladstone between January and February 1874.-Background and...
.
As 19th century social centre
Under the 3rd Lord HollandHenry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland
Henry Richard Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland PC was an English politician and a major figure in Whig politics in the early 19th century...
and his wife, Lady Holland
Elizabeth Fox, Baroness Holland
Elizabeth Vassall Fox, Baroness Holland was an English political hostess and the wife of Whig politician Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland...
, the house became noted as a glittering social, literary and political centre with many celebrated visitors such as Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
, Thomas Macaulay, the poets Thomas Campbell and Samuel Rogers
Samuel Rogers
Samuel Rogers was an English poet, during his lifetime one of the most celebrated, although his fame has long since been eclipsed by his Romantic colleagues and friends Wordsworth, Coleridge and Byron...
, 'Conversation' Sharp
Richard Sharp (politician)
Richard Sharp, FRS, FSA , also known as "Conversation" Sharp, was a hat-maker, banker, merchant, poet, critic, British politician, but above all - doyen of the conversationalists.-Family background:...
, Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
and Sir Walter Scott.The figure of the political and historical writer John Allen
John Allen (historian)
John Allen M.D. was a prominent eighteenth and nineteenth century political and historical writer, and Master of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich .-Early life:...
was so associated with the house that he was known as Holland House Allen and there is a room in the house named after him.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine described Holland House as having had a "Gilt Chamber", where "the figures over the fireplace were painted in flesh colour wherever bare; the rest was in shaded gold. The lower marbles of the fireplace were black, and the upper ones were Sienna; the capitals and bases of the columns and pilasters were gilt, and the groundwork from which all the glittering decoration rose was white."
The house's dower house
Dower house
On an estate, a dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the estate-owner. The widow, often known as the "dowager" usually moves into the dower house from the larger family house on the death of her husband if the heir is married, and upon his marriage if he...
, known as Little Holland House
Little Holland House
Little Holland House was the dower house of Holland House in Kensington, England. Henry Thoby Prinsep, a director of East India Company and member of the Prinsep family, gained a 21-year lease on it from Henry Fox, 4th Baron Holland thanks to the painter George Frederic Watts, a friend of both the...
, became the centre of a Victorian artistic salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
presided over by the Prinsep
Prinsep
Prinsep may mean any of several notable members of the British Prinsep family.The family descended from John Prinsep, an 18th-century merchant who was the son of Rev. John Prinsep, rector of Saundby, Nottinghamshire, and Bicester, Oxfordshire...
s and the painter George Frederic Watts
George Frederic Watts
George Frederic Watts, OM was a popular English Victorian painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical works, such as Hope and Love and Life...
.
20th century and wartime destruction
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen MotherElizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
and King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
attended the last great ball held at the house a few weeks before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In September 1940, the building was badly hit during a ten hour bombing raid and largely destroyed. It passed into the ownership, with its grounds, of the local authority. Today the remains form a backdrop for the open air Holland Park Theatre, home of Opera Holland Park
Opera Holland Park
Opera Holland Park is a summer opera company which produces an annual season of opera performances staged under a temporary canopy in Holland Park, a public park in a wealthy district of west central London of the same name. The venue is fully covered but is open at the sides.The canopy was...
. The YHA (England and Wales) "London Holland Park" youth hostel is now located in the house. The Orangery
Orangery
An orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
is now an exhibition and function space, with the adjoining former Summer Ballroom, The Belvedere, now a restaurant. The former Icehouse is now a gallery space. The grounds provide sporting facilities, including a cricket pitch/football oval and 6 tennis courts.