Shining Holdenby House

This month I am visiting one of the loveliest private homes in the county. An old book of Northamptonshire proverbs includes the phrase ‘It shines like Holdenby’. The sun certainly made it shine on the day that I visited, but where does the idea come from?

Christopher Hatton, born in the reign of Henry VIII, was an enterprising and handsome young man with ambitions to become a barrister. Charming and skilled at dancing, he caught the eye of young Queen Elizabeth, and joined her Privy Council. He was knighted soon after, quickly rising to the grand position of Lord Chancellor.

Hatton and Elizabeth had an intimate friendship. She called him her ‘Lyddes’ (her favourite Robert Dudley was her ‘Eyes’). To impress his queen, Sir Christopher built an enormously grand palace in his Northamptonshire home village of Holdenby. At the time it was the largest privately owned house in England. With 123 huge glass windows, it is not surprising that it shone, just as the proverb says. Three storeys high, with two great courtyards, an elegant garden and deer park it was the height of fashion, built to lure the Queen to visit. Elizabeth visited once, but did not stay long, and Sir Christopher died deep in debt afterwards.

Hatton’s heir sold Holdenby to King James I who stayed often, but not for as long as his son, King Charles I. Captured by the Parliamentarians, Charles had an enforced stay of five months, imprisoned in luxury with only 120 servants to look after him. After the Civil Wars, Holdenby was sold at a knock down price. Much of it was demolished, the stone sold, and used to build Coton Manor and a street of houses in Northampton. By the early 18th century what remained was in a romantically ruinous state, but it was bought by the Marlborough family, and has remained within the extended family every since. James Lowther the current owner can trace his ancestry back to the Marlboroughs through the female line. During the Victorian era, the house was rebuilt incorporating the remains of the older mansion. Although it was much smaller, perhaps one eighth of the original palace, the original Elizabethan style was reflected in the rebuild, resulting in a very attractive and comfortable home.

Today the glory of Holdenby House is best seen in the wonderful gardens.
Luckily the Outer Garden escaped the attentions of the landscaping movement of the 18th century, and is considered the best-preserved Elizabethan example in England. A Civil War style wattle and daub cruck cottage lies in a shady nook, its humble appearance making a charming counterpoint to the grandiose architecture of the House.

The Inner Garden comprises several ‘rooms’. When I visited, I was particularly impressed by the occasional modern intervention. The milliner turned sculptor David Shilling has installed several mirrored stainless steel sculptures to reflect the natural beauty of the gardens. I loved the unexpected contrast of the old and the new!

I also enjoyed the old Kitchen Garden. Its old warm red brick walls are filled with herbs, fruit, vegetables, and cutting flowers. I adored the heady fragrances of the herbs and flowers in the reimagined Elizabethan Garden - truly overwhelming the senses.

The Croquet Lawn looks perfect for a game, but I lingered longest in the Pond Garden. Encircled by tall hedges, the pond is filled with pink water lilies, and contains a statue of Hermes looking thoughtful. Perhaps he is sitting pondering what the future might hold for this beautiful shining house, now a beloved family home far from the wild ambitions of its first owner.

For more information and opening times, please visit www.holdenby.com