Houghton House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Houghton House |
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Ruins of Houghton House
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| General information | |
| Type | Manor house |
| Location | Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°02′38″N 0°29′11″W / 52.044°N 0.48626°W |
| Construction started | 1615 |
| Completed | 1621 |
| Demolished | 1794 (roof and interiors only, natural decay thereafter) |
Houghton House is a fascinating old mansion in ruins, located in Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire, England. It sits high up, giving amazing views of the countryside around it. This grand house was built a long time ago, between 1615 and 1621.
Some people believe that Houghton House was the inspiration for "House Beautiful" in John Bunyan's famous book, The Pilgrim's Progress. The house was left empty in 1794. Its owner at the time took out the roof and everything inside to sell them. Today, the ruins are looked after by English Heritage. You can visit them for free during the day.
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Who Lived at Houghton House?
The Herbert Family
King James I of England gave the Houghton estate to Mary Herbert, Dowager Countess of Pembroke. She was a very important lady at court, a writer, and someone who supported other artists. She started building the house around 1615.
Two architects probably designed the house. John Thorpe worked in the Jacobean style, which was popular at the time. Inigo Jones brought the newer Classical style to England. King James I himself visited the Countess of Pembroke at Houghton House in 1621, soon after it was finished. Sadly, she died shortly after that visit. You can still see parts of the old Jacobean-style decorations on the house. They show symbols related to the Sidney and Dudley families, who were important to the Countess.
The Bruce Family Takes Over
After the Countess of Pembroke passed away, the house went back to King James I. In 1624, the King gave the estate to Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin. Houghton House then became the main home for the Bruce family for three generations.
King Charles I of England later gave the Earl of Elgin nearby Houghton Park. This was to help protect animals for royal hunting. However, local families kept hunting there, so the King had to step in.
Near Houghton House, in the churchyard of Maulden Church, is the Ailesbury Mausoleum. This is the earliest stand-alone tomb building in England. It was built in 1656 by Thomas Bruce, 1st Earl of Elgin. He built it to remember his second wife, Lady Diana Cecil. The Bruce family lived in the house until Thomas Bruce, 3rd Earl of Elgin, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury left England in 1696. He went into exile because he was loyal to the old King James II of England, who had lost his throne.
The Russell Family and the House's Decline
Thomas Bruce, 3rd Earl of Elgin, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury never came back to Houghton House. In 1738, he sold the house to John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford. The Duke's main home was Woburn Abbey, which was about seven miles away.
His son, Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock, lived at Houghton from 1764. But he sadly died in a hunting accident in 1767. So, the Duke's lands and titles, including Houghton, went to his grandson, Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford.
The 5th Duke rented out the deer park next to the house. He then found it hard to rent the house without its land. He saw the house as a problem. In 1794, he ordered Houghton House to be taken apart. The furniture was removed, and the roof was taken off to be sold for building materials. The grand staircase from Houghton House can still be seen today in The Swan Hotel in Bedford. The 5th Duke never married, so he had no children to inherit from him. He died in 1802. By then, the house had been open to the weather for a long time and was already falling apart.
Houghton House Today
The ruins of Houghton House were bought by English Heritage. They are open for everyone to visit for free during daylight hours. In 2006, work was done to keep the ruins safe and help visitors understand the site better. New information signs were put up. However, by 2007, some of these signs had been damaged.
Gallery
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Houghton House by the Rev I. D. Parry, published 1827
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Main entrance
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North and west facades
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North facade
