Boughton House facts for kids
Boughton House is a grand country home located in Northamptonshire, England. It is about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Kettering. The house sits on a huge estate that covers 11,000 acres (4,452 hectares).
The current house was mostly built by Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu. He started building it after 1683. He inherited the land from his father. His great-grandfather, Sir Edward Montagu, a top judge, bought the estate in 1528.
The 1st Duke was an ambassador to France in the 1670s. He loved French buildings and gardens, especially the Palace of Versailles. He brought this French style to Boughton House.
Today, Boughton House is owned by Richard Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch. He is a descendant of the builder. The house is famous for its beauty and its amazing collections. It has stayed almost the same since the 1600s. Even though it has an old medieval part, its outside looks like a 17th-century French castle. This is why it is sometimes called The English Versailles.
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A Look Inside Boughton House
The amazing collections at Boughton House come from three important families joining together. These families are the Montagus, the Douglases, and the Scotts. When they married, their estates and treasures came together.
Boughton House has a huge collection of furniture, tapestries, and carpets. It also has beautiful porcelain. The art collection includes many famous paintings. You can see The Adoration of the Shepherds by El Greco. There is also a portrait of Mary Montagu by Thomas Gainsborough. A special series of grey paintings (called grisailles) by Van Dyck is also there.
The armoury was once a servants' hall. It is now home to one of the best private collections of weapons in the country. This historic collection was greatly improved by John, 2nd Duke of Montagu (1690–1749).
Boughton House is also used for special events. These include weddings and group visits. The house opens on certain dates for guided tours.
History of Boughton House
The first building on this spot was a monastery. But Sir Edward Montagu, a chief judge for King Henry VIII, bought it in 1528. This was just before the king closed down the monasteries. Sir Edward began changing it into a large home. Most of the house you see today was built by Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu. He took over the house in 1683.
Ralph Montagu, the 1st Duke, supported many skilled French craftspeople. These craftspeople were part of the Huguenot movement. They helped him create The English Versailles.
Montagu was an English ambassador to France. This is why Boughton House looks so much like French buildings. His son, John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu, did not change the house much. But he made big changes to the gardens and land. He did this after returning from wars in Europe.
After George, the 3rd Duke of Montagu, died in 1790, the house passed to another family. This happened when his daughter Elizabeth married Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch. From the mid-1700s, Boughton House was not used or changed much. But it was always well looked after. Because of this, it has some of the best-preserved baroque state rooms in Britain.
In the late 1900s, Boughton became the home of Mary ("Mollie"), Duchess of Buccleuch. She was the widow of the 8th Duke. She brought the house back to life. A famous diarist, Chips Channon, visited in 1945. He wrote that it was a "dream house" with amazing beauty and treasures. He noted its "curious quiet."
After Duchess Mollie died in 1993, the 9th Duke started opening Boughton for small tours. Now, the house is open to the public for guided tours for a few weeks each year.
The Gardens of Boughton House
The gardens at Boughton House match the French style of the house. They are very grand and formal. They are designed with perfect shapes and lines. Huge areas of grass, calm water, and rows of trees create a peaceful landscape. This design shows the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. It suggests that a garden can be a journey for the mind.
The 2nd Duke, known as John The Planter, removed the old flowerbeds. He planted many avenues of elm and plane trees. He also made the water features a key part of the garden. Later, Charles Bridgeman, who designed gardens at Stowe, is thought to have created the shaped earth mounds.
Restoring the garden began with the 9th Duke. It has continued with the 10th Duke. They made the River Ise its 18th-century width again. This needed two miles of oak boards. In 2009, a designer named Kim Wilkie created a new artwork. It is called Orpheus. This striking landform has a large upside-down pyramid and a spiral stream.
In 2015, The Grand Étang (which means 'large lake' in French) was brought back. This lake is almost 1 acre (0.4 hectares) big. It has a 75-foot (23-meter) tall water jet. It now reflects the front of Boughton House again. This lake is one of the oldest features from the original gardens. It was made in the early 1700s as a reflecting pool. People also used it for ice-skating in winter.
Recent Events at Boughton House
In 2012, unknown music scores from the Italian Baroque music period were found. These included music by Vivaldi. They were discovered in the Montagu Music Collection at Boughton.
Since 2014, Boughton has hosted the Greenbelt festival. This is a festival of arts, faith, and justice. It happens every year in England. Boughton has also been used as a place for filming movies. These include Les Misérables (2012) and Napoleon (2023).
See also
- Montagu House – the 1st Duke of Montagu's London home, and later the first home of the British Museum
- Drumlanrig Castle – also owned by the Duke of Buccleuch
- Dalkeith Palace – also owned by the Duke of Buccleuch
- Bowhill House – also owned by the Duke of Buccleuch
- Treasure Houses of Britain – 1985 TV show partly filmed at Boughton
- Noble Households – 2006 book with Boughton House inventories from 1709, 1718, 1730
