Englefield House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Englefield House |
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Englefield House
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| General information | |
| Type | Stately home |
| Architectural style | Elizabethan |
| Location | Englefield, Berkshire, England |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°26′35″N 1°06′22″W / 51.4430°N 1.1060°W |
| Construction started | 1558 |
| Owner | Blasche family |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Floor area | 699.24 |
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Englefield House is a large, historic house in Englefield, England. It was built during the Elizabethan era, which was the time when Queen Elizabeth I ruled. The house is surrounded by a huge piece of land called an estate.
You can visit the beautiful gardens of Englefield House on certain weekdays throughout the year. If you are part of a large group, you might be able to arrange a special visit inside the house.
Englefield House and its nearby courtyard are considered very important historical buildings. They are "listed Grade II*", which means they are protected because of their special history and architecture. The gardens and parkland are also listed, meaning they are important historical landscapes.
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A Look Back: History of Englefield House
The main part of Englefield House was built before the year 1558. Later, in the 1820s, an architect named Thomas Hopper made some big changes to the house.
The Englefield Family and Royal Connections
Englefield House was once the home of the Englefield family. They are thought to have lived there since the time of King Edgar, many centuries ago. One famous member of the family was Sir Thomas Englefield, who was the Speaker of the House of Commons. This role is like the main leader of discussions in the British Parliament.
In 1559, the house was taken away from Sir Francis Englefield, who was the grandson of Thomas Englefield. This happened because Sir Francis was a supporter of the Catholic Queen Mary. When the new Protestant Queen, Elizabeth I, came to power, his house was taken because he was seen as an "enemy" of the new queen.
New Owners and Famous Visitors
Local stories say that Queen Elizabeth I gave Englefield House to her spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham. However, there isn't clear proof of this. After a few different owners, the estate was bought by John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester. He was famous for defending Basing House during the English Civil War. He later moved to Englefield and is buried in the local church.
Over time, the house passed from the Paulet family to the Benyon family through marriage. Many members of the Benyon family have also been important politicians, serving in Parliament.
In 1781, the estate needed money, so the owner at the time, Nathaniel Wrighte, decided to rent out the house. He wanted to find a tenant who would take good care of the house and its character.
A very special event happened at Englefield House on May 20, 2017. Pippa Middleton, who is the sister of Catherine, Princess of Wales, got married at St Mark's Church on the Englefield Estate. A party was held at Englefield House right after the wedding. Many important guests attended, including Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, along with their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Family Name Changes Over Time
Sometimes, families who owned Englefield House changed their names. This happened when people inherited the house or married into the family. For example:
- In 1814, Richard Benyon changed his name to Richard Powlett-Wrighte. He later changed it again to Richard Benyon De Beauvoir in 1822.
- In 1854, Richard Fellowes changed his name to Richard Fellowes Benyon.
- In 1897, James Herbert Fellowes changed his name to James Herbert Benyon.
- In 1964 and 1967, members of the Shelley family changed their names to Benyon.
Englefield House on Screen
Englefield House has been a popular place for movies and TV shows to film! You might have seen it in:
- X-Men: First Class
- The King's Speech
- Great Expectations
- The Go-Between
- Episodes of Black Mirror (like "Playtest")
- Agatha Christie's Marple and Agatha Christie's Poirot
- The Disney TV movies Descendants, Descendants 2, and Descendants 3 (where it was used as Auradon Prep)
- More recently, parts of the house were used as the Sandringham Estate in the Netflix series “The Crown.”
The Englefield Estate
The large area of land around Englefield House, known as the estate, is owned by the Benyon family. The current head of the family is Lord Benyon, who used to be a Member of Parliament for the Conservative party. The Englefield Estate is a family company and covers about 20,000 acres of land, which is a very big area!
