Ingatestone Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ingatestone Hall |
|
|---|---|
Ingatestone Hall in 2015
|
|
| General information | |
| Type | Country House |
| Architectural style | Tudor |
| Town or city | Ingatestone, Essex |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°39′41.5″N 0°23′25.3″E / 51.661528°N 0.390361°E |
| Construction started | 1539 |
| Completed | 1556 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | English bond brickwork |
| Designations | Grade I listed |
Ingatestone Hall is a grand old house in Essex, England. It was built in the 1500s during the Tudor period. The house is located just outside the village of Ingatestone. It is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) southwest of Chelmsford. It is also about 25 kilometers (15 miles) northeast of London.
Sir William Petre built this amazing house. His family, the Barons Petre, still live there today. Some parts of the house are rented out as offices. The son of the current Lord Petre lives in a private part of the house with his family. Famous people like Queen Elizabeth I have stayed at Ingatestone Hall.
You can visit parts of the hall on certain afternoons. It is open between Easter and September.
Contents
History of Ingatestone Hall
.jpg)
Sir William Petre bought the land for Ingatestone Hall. He bought it after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This was when King Henry VIII closed down many monasteries. William Petre paid about £850 for the land. He then started building the house.
Royal Visits and Guests
In June 1561, Queen Elizabeth I visited Ingatestone Hall. She stayed for several nights during her royal tour. The Petre family made sure she had a wonderful welcome. They provided lots of food and drinks. They also decorated the house beautifully for her visit.
In November 1564, Lady Katherine Gray stayed at the hall. She was under the care of Sir William Petre for two years. She then moved to another house nearby.
Secret Worship at the Hall
The Petre family were recusants. This means they remained loyal to the Roman Catholic Church. This was during a time when England became a Protestant country. Laws were made against Catholic worship. Practicing Catholics could face serious punishments.
Like many Catholic noble families, the Petres worshipped in secret. They held private Catholic services in their chapel at Ingatestone Hall. The hall even has two hidden rooms called "priest holes." These were used to hide Catholic priests. One famous priest, St. John Payne, was hidden there. He was later executed in 1582.
Music and the Petre Family
John Petre, 1st Baron Petre, was a friend of the composer William Byrd. Byrd was also Catholic. In 1589–90, Byrd spent Christmas with the Petre family. He later moved to a nearby village.
Byrd helped the Petre family with their secret Catholic worship. He wrote many pieces of choral music for their private chapels. These works were first heard at Ingatestone Hall. They are now considered some of the best examples of Tudor music.
Later Years of the Hall
In the late 1700s, Robert Petre, 9th Baron Petre moved the family home. He moved to another family property called Thorndon Hall. Ingatestone Hall was then rented out to other people.
In 1876, a fire badly damaged Thorndon Hall. During World War I, Lionel Petre, 16th Baron Petre died in battle. His wife, Lady Rasch, decided to move back to Ingatestone Hall.
During the Second World War, Wanstead High School used the house. In the 1950s, the Essex Record Office used part of the hall. They held yearly exhibitions there until the late 1970s.
In 1952, Ingatestone Hall became a Grade I listed building. This means it is a very important historic building. The gatehouse and other buildings also became listed. The hall also holds the remaining collection of Petre family paintings.
Architecture of the Hall
May2003.jpg)
Ingatestone Hall has three main sections. These are called wings: the north, east, and south wings. They are built around a central courtyard. Sir William Petre built the house between 1539 and 1556. It is made of brick.
The house has many features typical of Tudor buildings. These include stepped gables and tall, fancy chimneys. Inside the courtyard, there is a tall, crenellated tower. This tower holds a spiral staircase.
Changes Over Time
In the late 1700s, the house was changed quite a bit. The west wing, which had the Great Hall, was taken down. This changed the house from a closed square to a U-shape. The north wing was made longer. Other buildings around the outside court were rebuilt. This included an entrance arch with a special clock. This clock has only one hand. It is engraved with the words "Sans dieu rien" ("without God, nothing").
The Long Gallery in the east part of the house was a very important area. It is next to what used to be the family chapel. The chapel was rebuilt in 1860. The two priest holes are in the east wing and the south wing. They are hidden behind a chimney and under a tower.
Restoring the Tudor Look
In the 1900s, Lady Rasch decided to restore the hall. She wanted it to look like its original Tudor design. An architect named W.T. Wood oversaw the work. They replaced later changes with features that looked like the Tudor period. For example, they put back the special windows with vertical bars. The first part of this restoration was finished in 1922.
Ingatestone Hall in Media
Ingatestone Hall has appeared in books and on screen. The 1862 novel Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon was partly set at a place based on Ingatestone Hall.
The outside of the hall was used for filming. It appeared as Bleak House in a 2005 TV show based on Charles Dickens' novel. It was also in an episode of the TV series Lovejoy. Some sketches from the TV shows Horrible Histories and The Fast Show were also filmed at the hall.
See also
- Ingatestone
- John Patrick Lionel Petre, 18th Baron Petre
