Ickworth House facts for kids
Ickworth House is a beautiful country house located near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England. It's a neoclassical style building, which means it uses design ideas from ancient Greece and Rome. The house sits in a large park. For many years, it was the home of the Marquesses of Bristol. In 1956, the house was given to the National Trust, an organization that protects historic places.
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A Look into Ickworth's History
Ickworth House was built between 1795 and 1829. It was the main home of the Hervey family, who later became the Marquesses of Bristol. This family had owned the land since 1467. The idea for the house came from Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, who was also a bishop. People often called him the Earl-Bishop.
He asked an Italian architect named Antonio Asprucci to design a grand classical villa. The Earl-Bishop first planned for Ickworth to be a huge art gallery. However, his art collection was taken by Napoleon. The Earl-Bishop passed away in 1803, and his family finished building the house after him.
In 1956, Ickworth House, its park, and money to help care for it were given to the National Trust. This helped to keep the house safe for future generations. As part of this agreement, the Hervey family continued to live in the East Wing of the house for many years. In 1998, the family sold their remaining lease on the East Wing to the National Trust.
Today, the family's former private East Wing is a hotel called The Ickworth Hotel. It is leased from the National Trust. There are also apartments on the grounds in a building called the Dower House.
The West Wing of Ickworth House was not finished for a long time. It was finally completed in 2006. Now, it is used for conferences and special events, like weddings. The first wedding ever held at Ickworth House took place there in 2006.
The Unique Architecture of Ickworth House
Ickworth House is known for its very unusual design. Some people have even said it looks like it came from another planet! However, experts now see it as a very important building. It is one of the few buildings in England that can be compared to the grand designs of famous architects like Boullée and Ledoux.
The design for Ickworth House was inspired by the Italian architect Antonio Asprucci. He was famous for his work at the Villa Borghese in Italy, which the Earl-Bishop had seen. Irish architects Francis Sandys and his brother Joseph Sandys helped to adapt Asprucci's plans and oversaw the building work.
The outside walls of the house are made of brick covered in stucco, which is a type of plaster. The roof is made of slate and lead. The central part of the house is a round building called a rotunda. It is 105 feet tall and has a domed roof with a decorative railing. You enter the building through a large entrance with columns, called an Ionic portico.
The rotunda is decorated with tall, flat columns called pilasters. These pilasters have different styles on the lower and upper floors. The different levels of the building are separated by decorative bands called friezes.
On either side of the rotunda are long, curved wings. These wings connect to two larger buildings at each end. This style is similar to palladian architecture. However, at Ickworth, these end buildings are quite large. The East Wing was designed to be where the family lived every day. This allowed the more formal rooms in the rotunda to be used for parties and showing off art. The West Wing was meant to be a greenhouse for plants (an orangery) and a place to display sculptures. For a long time, it was just an empty shell and was even used for storing farm equipment.
Treasures Inside Ickworth House
Ickworth House is home to many amazing artworks and collections. You can see paintings by famous artists like Velázquez, Titian, Poussin, and Claude Lorrain. There are also many family portraits from the 1700s by artists such as Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Hogarth.
The house also has one of the best collections of beautiful Georgian silver in Britain. You can also find lovely examples of Regency furniture and porcelain. Geraldine Hervey, Marchioness of Bristol used to collect fancy, decorated fans, and these are now on display at the house too.
Ickworth Church
Most members of the Hervey family have been buried at Ickworth Church. This church is located in the park, a short walk from the main house. The church has Norman features, which means it was built a very long time ago. It also has some newer parts.
Inside, you can see a 15th-century wall painting of an angel and a 15th-century font used for baptisms. There are also round pieces of Flemish glass that are as old as the 1300s. Many marble memorials honor different members of the Hervey family throughout history. The church is still owned by the Hervey family and has recently been repaired with help from English Heritage.
Exploring Ickworth Park
Ickworth Park is a huge area, covering more than 1,800 acres. The park is home to some of the oldest and most beautiful trees in the area. One special tree is the Tea Party Oak. It is at least 800 years old and has a trunk that is over 9 meters wide! It is one of the oldest surviving oak trees in the county. Another very old tree, about 600 years old, can be found in Albana Wood. The park is a wonderful place to explore and enjoy nature.
