Kelmarsh Hall
Encyclopedia
Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire
, England is an elegant, 18th century country house about 5 miles (8 km) south of Market Harborough
and 11 miles (18 km) miles north of Northampton
.
The present Palladian hall was built in 1732 for William Hanbury, a famous antiquarian, by Francis Smith of Warwick
, to a James Gibbs
design; the hall is still today surrounded by its working estate, and comprises both parkland and gardens. Pevsner
described the building as, “a perfect, extremely reticent design…done in an impeccable taste."
Hanbury in building the hall was utilising a fortune which had been bolstered by an advantageous marriage to a niece of Viscount Bateman
; he went on to acquire the Shobdon
estate in Herefordshire and one of his grandchildren William Hanbury (III) succeeded to a Bateman baronetcy
.
Richard Christopher Naylor, a Liverpool banker, cotton trader and horse racing enthusiast purchased the estate in 1864 mainly for its hunting potential. In 1902 George Granville Lancaster bought the estate; his son, Claude, inherited on his majority in 1924, and later passed to Claude's elder sister Cicely in 1977; she later established the Kelmarsh Trust to safeguard the estate's future after her death in 1996.
Ronald Tree
and his wife Nancy Lancaster
took a 10-year repairing lease on the Hall in 1927 on the Hall. Tree became the Member of Parliament
for Harborough
in 1933. His wife, who became renowned for her work and taste in interior design, subsequently married the owner of the Hall, Colonel Lancaster.
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England is an elegant, 18th century country house about 5 miles (8 km) south of Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
and 11 miles (18 km) miles north of Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
.
The present Palladian hall was built in 1732 for William Hanbury, a famous antiquarian, by Francis Smith of Warwick
Francis Smith of Warwick
Francis Smith of Warwick was an English master-builder and architect, much involved in the construction of country houses in the Midland counties of England...
, to a James Gibbs
James Gibbs
James Gibbs was one of Britain's most influential architects. Born in Scotland, he trained as an architect in Rome, and practised mainly in England...
design; the hall is still today surrounded by its working estate, and comprises both parkland and gardens. Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
described the building as, “a perfect, extremely reticent design…done in an impeccable taste."
Hanbury in building the hall was utilising a fortune which had been bolstered by an advantageous marriage to a niece of Viscount Bateman
Viscount Bateman
Viscount Bateman was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 July 1725 for William Bateman, previously Member of Parliament for Leominster and the son of Sir James Bateman, Lord Mayor of London from 1716 to 1717. He was made Baron Culmore, in the County of Londonderry, at the same...
; he went on to acquire the Shobdon
Shobdon
Shobdon is a small village in Herefordshire, England situated north of Hereford and west of Leominster. It is also only 2 miles north of the Mortimer's Cross. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the parish of Shobdon was 769, consisting of 386 males and 383 females.- Village places :The...
estate in Herefordshire and one of his grandchildren William Hanbury (III) succeeded to a Bateman baronetcy
Bateman Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for members of the Bateman family, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. The Batemans had their origins in Norfolk but settled at Hartington, Derbyshire in the 16th century....
.
Richard Christopher Naylor, a Liverpool banker, cotton trader and horse racing enthusiast purchased the estate in 1864 mainly for its hunting potential. In 1902 George Granville Lancaster bought the estate; his son, Claude, inherited on his majority in 1924, and later passed to Claude's elder sister Cicely in 1977; she later established the Kelmarsh Trust to safeguard the estate's future after her death in 1996.
Ronald Tree
Ronald Tree
Arthur Ronald Lambert Field Tree , was an American-born British journalist, investor and Conservative Member of Parliament for the Harborough constituency in Leicestershire.-Biography:...
and his wife Nancy Lancaster
Nancy Lancaster
Nancy Lancaster was a 20th-century tastemaker and the owner of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, an influential British decorating firm that codified what is known as the English country-house look.-Biography:...
took a 10-year repairing lease on the Hall in 1927 on the Hall. Tree became the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Harborough
Harborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Harborough is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
in 1933. His wife, who became renowned for her work and taste in interior design, subsequently married the owner of the Hall, Colonel Lancaster.