Kirby Hall

Kirby Hall stands in open countryside near Gretton in Northamptonshire. Built in 1570 for Sir Humphrey Stafford, it became one of England’s grand Elizabethan prodigy houses. Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I, bought the house in 1575. Designed from French pattern books, the building expanded in Classical style over decades. Today much of the roof is gone, yet the Great Hall and state rooms remain standing. The gardens feature elaborate cutwork patterns, statues and urns, recently restored. The house and grounds belong to the Earl of Winchilsea. The hall witnessed important events in the 17th century. Anne of Denmark stayed there in 1605 while her husband King James I lodged at Rockingham Castle. James returned nine times between 1608 and 1624, once for three days in August 1616. During a royal progress the Duke of Lennox died at Kirby of spotted ague in 1624. Later the Finch-Hatton family remodelled the interior in 18th-century taste, removing Tudor panelling for wallpaper and pediments. By the late 19th century the house was abandoned and in ruins. Visitors walk through the roofless wings and enter the Great Hall and state rooms still intact. The restored gardens display their intricate cutwork designs with statues and urns. The house has appeared in films and television, including Mansfield Park and a Christmas Carol. Episodes of Civilisation and Antiques Roadshow were also filmed here. The site remains a scheduled monument, cared for by English Heritage.