Moor Park (house)
Encyclopedia
Moor Park is a Grade I listed Palladian mansion set within several hundred acres of parkland in Hertfordshire
, England
. It is called Moor Park Mansion because it is in the old park of the Manor of More. The original house was built in 1678–9 for James, Duke of Monmouth, and inherited by his wife, Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch
after he was beheaded. Before her death in 1732, Benjamin Hoskins Styles, who had made a fortune in the South Sea Company before the notorious Bubble burst, purchased it; the current appearance of the mansion can be traced to him.
The house was remodelled for Styles in the 1720s. The principal architect was Giacomo Leoni
, who was initially assisted by the painter Sir James Thornhill
. Leoni refaced the house with Portland stone
and added its great Corinthian portico
on the south front and Tuscan colonnades
(since removed). Inside, Thornhill was commissioned to paint the Great Hall and the Grand Stair , complete with a dome in imitation of that at St. Peters
, Rome. However, Thornhill quarrelled with Styles and left the project before its completion. The paintings on the Grand Stair date from 1732 and depict the Origin of the Seasons from Ovid's Metamorphoses by Francesco Sleter
, a Venetian artist who studied under Jacopo Amigoni
. All that remains of Styles' work on the Grand Stair is a single panel over a doorway, uncovered during restoration work in 2002. After the fall out with Styles, Amigoni was commissioned to paint the four pictures in the Great Hall - the story of Jupiter and Io, again from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The wall paintings in the erroneously named Thornhill Room are probably by Sleter and Amigoni, while ceiling was painted somewhat earlier by Antonio Verrio
, and depicts Aurora and the Dawn.
In 1752 the house was bought by Admiral Lord Anson
who commissioned Capability Brown
to remake the formal gardens in sweeping "landscape style" with a small lake. Horace Walpole was not impressed: "I was not much struck with it, after all the miracles I had heard Brown had performed there. He has undulated the horizon in so many artificial molehills , that it is full as unnatural as if it was drawn with a rule and compasses. Further owners succeeded at regular intervals until the enlarged estate was sold to the Grosvenor
family in 1828. The Earl Grosvenor, son of the duke of Westminster, built the gateway at Batchworth Heath and planted the pleasure grounds with trees and ornamental shrubs. It is said that the commercial strawberry, a hybrid of the European strawberry and a Chilean species, was first cultivated in the kitchen gardens of Moor Park, as had been the "Moorpark" fuzzless apricot
in an earlier day.
Lord Leverhulme
commissioned golf course designer Harry Colt to lay out the courses that now surround the mansion. These opened in 1923.
During World War II
the mansion was requisitioned, becoming the Headquarters of the 1st Airborne Corps who planned Operation Market Garden - the abortive 'Bridge Too Far' mission at Moor Park. The Operation was planned in a first floor room, now named 'the Arnhem Room' for the mission. Moor Park Golf Club now has its clubhouse in the building, and since buying the freehold of the Mansion, has completely restored and refurbished the building and paintings. The work was supervised by Jon Moore, Chief Executive of Moor Park Golf Club and George Fletcher, Director of Premises. The work on the paintings was carried out over a three year period by IFACS of Bristol.
There are two courses operated from there; the High Course and the West Course. At almost 7000 yards, the High Course is longer and more demanding. The West Course is nevertheless a good test of golf, rewarding accuracy and good positional play. Both courses have fast, undulating greens which test the nerves of even the best putters. Moor Park's courses have hosted a number of professional tournaments including the News of the World Championship, Uniroyal Tournament, Four Stars Championship and the Silver King Championship. Several English Golf Union
events, including the Carris Trophy every year until 2001, and now every 4th year have also been held at Moor Park.
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...
, 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 is called Moor Park Mansion because it is in the old park of the Manor of More. The original house was built in 1678–9 for James, Duke of Monmouth, and inherited by his wife, Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch
Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch
Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch was a wealthy Scottish peeress.Anne was the daughter of Francis Scott, 2nd Earl of Buccleuch. In 1661, she succeeded to her sister's titles of 4th Countess of Buccleuch, 5th Baroness Scott of Buccleuch and 5th Baroness Scott of Whitchester and Eskdaill...
after he was beheaded. Before her death in 1732, Benjamin Hoskins Styles, who had made a fortune in the South Sea Company before the notorious Bubble burst, purchased it; the current appearance of the mansion can be traced to him.
The house was remodelled for Styles in the 1720s. The principal architect was Giacomo Leoni
Giacomo Leoni
Giacomo Leoni , also known as James Leoni, was an Italian architect, born in Venice. He was a devotee of the work of Florentine Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti, who had also been an inspiration for Andrea Palladio. Leoni thus served as a prominent exponent of Palladianism in English...
, who was initially assisted by the painter Sir James Thornhill
James Thornhill
Sir James Thornhill was an English painter of historical subjects, in the Italian baroque tradition.-Life:...
. Leoni refaced the house with Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
and added its great Corinthian portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
on the south front and Tuscan colonnades
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
(since removed). Inside, Thornhill was commissioned to paint the Great Hall and the Grand Stair , complete with a dome in imitation of that at St. Peters
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
, Rome. However, Thornhill quarrelled with Styles and left the project before its completion. The paintings on the Grand Stair date from 1732 and depict the Origin of the Seasons from Ovid's Metamorphoses by Francesco Sleter
Francesco Sleter
Franceso Sleter was an Italian painter, active in England.He was born in Venice. He is believed to have studied under Gregorio Lazzarini. He was in England by 1719 when he designed the stained glass windows for James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos in the chapel at Cannons, these are now in the...
, a Venetian artist who studied under Jacopo Amigoni
Jacopo Amigoni
Jacopo Amigoni , also named Giacomo Amiconi, was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque or Rococo period, who began his career in Venice, but traveled and was prolific throughout Europe, where his sumptuous portraits were much in demand....
. All that remains of Styles' work on the Grand Stair is a single panel over a doorway, uncovered during restoration work in 2002. After the fall out with Styles, Amigoni was commissioned to paint the four pictures in the Great Hall - the story of Jupiter and Io, again from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The wall paintings in the erroneously named Thornhill Room are probably by Sleter and Amigoni, while ceiling was painted somewhat earlier by Antonio Verrio
Antonio Verrio
The Italian-born Antonio Verrio was responsible for introducing Baroque mural painting into England and served the Crown over a thirty year period.-Career:...
, and depicts Aurora and the Dawn.
George Anson, 1st Baron Anson
Admiral of the Fleet George Anson, 1st Baron Anson PC, FRS, RN was a British admiral and a wealthy aristocrat, noted for his circumnavigation of the globe and his role overseeing the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War...
who commissioned Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
to remake the formal gardens in sweeping "landscape style" with a small lake. Horace Walpole was not impressed: "I was not much struck with it, after all the miracles I had heard Brown had performed there. He has undulated the horizon in so many artificial molehills , that it is full as unnatural as if it was drawn with a rule and compasses. Further owners succeeded at regular intervals until the enlarged estate was sold to the Grosvenor
Grosvenor
-Baronets/Marquesses/Dukes of Westminster::*Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet *Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet , son of 1st baronet*Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet , grandson of 2nd baronet...
family in 1828. The Earl Grosvenor, son of the duke of Westminster, built the gateway at Batchworth Heath and planted the pleasure grounds with trees and ornamental shrubs. It is said that the commercial strawberry, a hybrid of the European strawberry and a Chilean species, was first cultivated in the kitchen gardens of Moor Park, as had been the "Moorpark" fuzzless apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
in an earlier day.
Lord Leverhulme
William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme
William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme was an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician....
commissioned golf course designer Harry Colt to lay out the courses that now surround the mansion. These opened in 1923.
During 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...
the mansion was requisitioned, becoming the Headquarters of the 1st Airborne Corps who planned Operation Market Garden - the abortive 'Bridge Too Far' mission at Moor Park. The Operation was planned in a first floor room, now named 'the Arnhem Room' for the mission. Moor Park Golf Club now has its clubhouse in the building, and since buying the freehold of the Mansion, has completely restored and refurbished the building and paintings. The work was supervised by Jon Moore, Chief Executive of Moor Park Golf Club and George Fletcher, Director of Premises. The work on the paintings was carried out over a three year period by IFACS of Bristol.
There are two courses operated from there; the High Course and the West Course. At almost 7000 yards, the High Course is longer and more demanding. The West Course is nevertheless a good test of golf, rewarding accuracy and good positional play. Both courses have fast, undulating greens which test the nerves of even the best putters. Moor Park's courses have hosted a number of professional tournaments including the News of the World Championship, Uniroyal Tournament, Four Stars Championship and the Silver King Championship. Several English Golf Union
English Golf Union
The English Golf Union is the governing body for men's and boys' amateur golf in England. It represents over 1,900 golf clubs with over 740,000 members and is affiliated to The R&A, which is the global governing body of golf outside the United States and Mexico.The English Golf Union was founded in...
events, including the Carris Trophy every year until 2001, and now every 4th year have also been held at Moor Park.