Hylands House facts for kids
Hylands House is a beautiful old house located in a large park called Hylands Park. It's found southwest of Chelmsford in Essex, South East England. The house and park cover a huge area, about 232 hectares (which is like 574 acres!). Today, Chelmsford City Council owns and looks after Hylands House and Park.
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A Home for Everyone
Hylands House was once a private home, meaning only one family lived there. The last private owner lived in the house until 1962. By then, the house was in very bad shape. In 1966, Chelmsford Borough Council bought the park so that everyone in Chelmsford could enjoy it. Just 10 days later, Hylands Park opened to the public!
The Council decided that Hylands House should be fixed up and made beautiful again. It had been empty for 20 years. The first part of the restoration work began in 1986. The final stage was finished in September 2005, making the house look amazing once more.
Who Lived at Hylands House?
Over the years, many different people owned Hylands House, and each one added their own touch to it.
Early Owners and Grand Designs
Around 1726, a lawyer named Sir John Comyns bought the land and built Hylands House. It was finished in 1730 and was a lovely red brick building. The gardens were very formal, with neat shapes and a special pleasure garden.
Later, in 1797, Cornelius Kortright bought the house. He hired a famous garden designer, Humphry Repton, to create new plans for the gardens. Kortright also planned to make the house much bigger, adding new sections and covering it in white stucco. He even bought more land to fit his grand ideas! But he moved away before the changes were finished.
In 1814, a banker named Pierre Cesar Labouchere bought the estate. He finished the plans that Repton had started. This is when the house got its classic, balanced look that you can see today. Labouchere also created the beautiful Pleasure Gardens and built the Stable Block and Coachman's Cottage. He loved art and collected sculptures, and you can see copies of them in the house now.
Big Changes and Hard Times
After Labouchere, John Attwood bought Hylands in 1839. He was a very ambitious businessman. He wanted Hylands to be super grand to show off his important position. So, he made the house much larger and redecorated it completely. He also bought a lot more land around Hylands.
However, Attwood eventually faced big money problems and had to sell the house and estate. He later moved to France and sadly lost all his money.
Arthur Pryor, who owned a brewery, bought a smaller Hylands Estate in 1858. He mostly redecorated the house.
Modern Times and Wartime Use
Sir Daniel Gooch first rented Hylands in 1904, then bought it in 1907. He brought the house into modern times by adding electricity and telephones. The Gooch family loved to host parties and events. During World War I, Hylands House was used as a military hospital, treating over 1,500 injured soldiers. Sir Daniel was also an explorer and even went on an expedition towards the South Pole!
In 1922, John Hanbury bought Hylands. Sadly, he died very soon after. His wife, Christine Hanbury, then lived there. She made many changes to the gardens, including a tennis court and special areas to remember her husband and son, who died in a flying accident during Second World War. During World War II, the estate was used as a camp for German prisoners of war, and the house became the headquarters for the SAS, a special military unit.
Christine Hanbury passed away in 1962. The house was then put up for sale again. It was in very poor condition, and parts of it were even knocked down. But luckily, Chelmsford Borough Council bought it in 1966, saving it for everyone to enjoy.
Bringing Hylands Back to Life
Even though the house was falling apart, it was recognized as an important historic building in 1967. In 1985, the Council started a fund to restore it. They got permission to make the house look like it did in the 1800s.
The restoration work began in 1986. By 1996, the outside of the house was finished, and the main entrance hall looked grand again. A group called "Friends of Hylands House" helped raise money to furnish the house.
The final part of the house's restoration was completed in September 2005. They even got a special grant to help finish the house, fix up the Stable Block, and restore the beautiful gardens designed by Humphry Repton.
Restoring the Park
The huge job of bringing Hylands Park back to its 18th-century glory, as designed by Humphry Repton, started in 2004 and finished in 2007. This big project received a grant of £3.4 million to make the park beautiful again.
Hylands House Today
Hylands Park has been a popular spot for big events. From 1996 to 2017, it hosted the yearly V Festival, a huge music event. Later, it hosted the RiZE Festival and then the Creamfields South Festival.
Hylands House has even been a star in movies and TV shows! In the 2004 film Chasing Liberty, Hylands House pretended to be the US White House. In 2019, it was used as the White House again in Season 3 of the Netflix series The Crown.
The park has also welcomed scouts from all over the world. In 2005, it hosted the European Scout Jamboree, and in 2007, it welcomed scouts from over 160 nations for the 21st World Scout Jamboree. This celebrated 100 years of scouting! To remember this event, the One World Garden was created in the park.
Today, the old Stables section of the house is an Arts Quarter, where you can find creative activities and events.
