Finchcocks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Finchcocks |
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View of the rear of the house, from the garden
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| General information | |
| Type | House |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Classification | Grade I listed |
| Address | Finchcocks |
| Town or city | Goudhurst, Kent |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°06′08″N 0°25′38″E / 51.1022°N 0.4273°E |
| Completed | 1725 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 15,387 square feet (1,429.5 m2) |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 9 June 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1318935 |
Finchcocks is a beautiful old house in Goudhurst, Kent, built in the Georgian style. For 45 years, it was home to a popular museum filled with historical keyboard instruments. These included harpsichords, clavichords, fortepianos, and organs. The museum was created and run by Richard and Katrina Burnett, who owned the house.
Today, Finchcocks is owned by Neil and Harriet Nichols. They use it as their family home. It also hosts special piano courses and retreats for people who want to learn and relax. The museum closed in 2017, and the amazing collection of instruments was sold.
Contents
Discovering Finchcocks House
This grand house was built in 1725. It was named after a family who lived on the land way back in the 1200s. Finchcocks is famous for its special brickwork. Its impressive front was likely designed by a famous architect named Thomas Archer.
The house sits on 13 acres (5.3 ha) of land. In front, there's open parkland, and behind the house, you'll find a lovely garden. This garden has wide, green lawns, pretty shrubs, and an orchard where wild flowers grow. From the house, you can see amazing views of the Kent countryside, with its farmland and hop-gardens.
Finchcocks looks very grand from the outside, but it's a bit of a trick! Inside, the rooms connect to each other without long hallways. The house is only 13 meters deep. These rooms have high ceilings and oak wood panels, making them perfect for playing music on old instruments. Famous musicians like Trevor Pinnock and Simon Preston used to record their music here. There was even a jazz club at Finchcocks, which became a top spot for international jazz artists. It was even shown on BBC One television!
The Amazing Instrument Collection
Richard Burnett, who was a fortepianist, bought Finchcocks in 1970. He and Derek Adlam set up a special workshop there called Adlam Burnett. This workshop helped instrument makers learn how to build copies of old keyboard instruments. They could study the original instruments right there in the house.
The house became home to the Katrina and Richard Burnett collection, which had over 100 historical keyboard instruments! About forty of these instruments were carefully fixed so they could be played again. When the house was open to the public, visitors could see and hear these instruments. What made Finchcocks special was that people were even allowed to play some of them!
When the Burnetts retired in 2015, the museum closed. Many of the instruments were sold at an auction to raise money for charity. The auction was very successful, raising a total of £835,462. However, fourteen special instruments were kept. They are now part of the Richard Burnett Heritage Collection and are kept at the Burnetts' home in Tunbridge Wells.
Besides instruments, there was also a collection of musical pictures and prints. There was even an exhibition about London's 18th-century pleasure gardens, like Vauxhall and Ranelagh Gardens.
A Look at Historical Instruments
The Finchcocks collection had many different types of old musical instruments. Here are some of the main kinds:
Clavichords
Clavichords are quiet keyboard instruments that were popular for practicing and playing at home. The collection included examples from the early 1800s.
Harpsichords
Harpsichords are like early pianos, but they pluck the strings instead of hitting them, making a bright, clear sound. The collection had many harpsichords, including single and double manual types, and bentside spinets.
Organs
Organs are large keyboard instruments that make sound by pushing air through pipes. Finchcocks had several types, including chamber organs, harmoniums, and even portable barrel organs.
Pianos
The collection was especially rich in early pianos, also known as fortepianos. These are the ancestors of the pianos we know today. There were many different styles, including grand pianos, square pianos, and upright pianos, from various famous makers.
Other Instruments
Beyond keyboard instruments, the collection also featured other interesting musical items. These included a cylinder musical box, a piano accordion, and a dulcitone.
Images for kids
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View of the Kent countryside from Finchcocks
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Another view from Finchcocks
