Nunnington Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nunnington Hall |
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South elevation
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| General information | |
| Type | Manor house |
| Location | Nunnington, Ryedale, North Yorkshire, England |
| Coordinates | 54°12′20″N 0°58′26″W / 54.205432°N 0.973783°W (grid reference SE6779) |
| Owner | National Trust |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 14 July 1955 |
| Reference no. | 1168075 |
Nunnington Hall is a beautiful old country house in North Yorkshire, England. The River Rye flows right past it, giving its name to the local area, Ryedale. A stone bridge crosses the river, connecting the house grounds to the nearby village of Nunnington.
This historic house has been around since the 1200s and has had many different owners. Some famous past owners include William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, who was Queen Catherine Parr's brother, and Dr. Robert Huicke, a physician to Queen Elizabeth I. Most of the building you see today was built in the 1680s by Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston. Today, the National Trust looks after Nunnington Hall, keeping it open for visitors to explore.
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Discovering Nunnington Hall's Past
Early Days and Royal Connections
In the Middle Ages, the land where Nunnington Hall stands belonged to a rich abbey in York called St Mary's Abbey. The name "Nunnington" comes from a nunnery that was probably on this very spot before the Norman conquest of England. It closed down around the year 1200.
The oldest parts of Nunnington Hall were built by William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton. He was the brother of Queen Catherine Parr, who was one of King Henry VIII's wives. William Parr lost his property in 1553 because he supported Lady Jane Grey becoming queen.
Later, Dr. Robert Huicke leased the manor. He was a doctor to both Queen Catherine Parr and Queen Elizabeth I. Even though he owned the lease, Dr. Huicke never actually lived at Nunnington Hall. Stewards managed the estate for him.
New Owners and Big Changes
Over the years, Nunnington Hall changed hands many times. In 1655, a merchant named Ranald Graham bought the manor. His nephew, Sir Richard Graham, later became Viscount Preston in 1681. He was a very important owner because he built most of the Nunnington Hall we see today in the 1680s.
Richard Graham faced some trouble when he tried to help King James II. He lost his property for a short time but later got it back. After him, his son Edward and then his grandson Charles inherited the Hall. When Charles died in 1739 without children, the title of Viscount Preston ended. The Hall then passed to his aunts.
In 1839, William Rutson bought Nunnington Hall. His great-niece, Margaret Rutson, inherited it in 1920. She and her husband, Ronald D'Arcy Fife, did a lot of work to restore the house in the 1920s. Margaret loved Nunnington Hall so much that when she died in 1952, she left it, along with many of its treasures and gardens, to the National Trust. She also left money to help take care of the property.
Exploring the Gardens and Grounds
Nunnington Hall sits on 8 acres of beautiful, organically managed land. The main walled garden is south of the house. It has lovely lawns, fruit orchards, formal rose beds, and colorful flower borders. There's also a special Tea Garden and an Iris Garden.
The orchards are like wildflower meadows, with flowers like cowslips, primroses, and snake's head fritillaries growing under the fruit trees. Many of these trees are old types of apples and pears from the Ryedale area. You might also spot some peacocks strutting around the gardens!
Inside Nunnington Hall
The Stone Hall: A Grand Welcome
When you visit Nunnington Hall, you enter through a simple entrance into the Stone Hall. This room is in the oldest part of the house, dating back to the 1500s. It feels very grand with its high windows and large, dark wooden furniture.
On the walls, you'll see a fascinating collection of animal skins and heads, like elephant, rhinoceros, and lion. These were hunting trophies belonging to Colonel Fife, a former owner. There are also souvenirs from World War II, such as a German tank crewman's helmet.
As you look around, you'll find an old German table from the 1630s and an English oak cabinet. There's also a long wooden bench made from recycled pieces from the 1600s. This room now serves as the National Trust's welcome area.
The Dining Room: A Glimpse of Edwardian Life
The Dining Room you see today is set up to look like an Edwardian dining room from the early 1900s. The dark turquoise paint on the walls is from the 1920s, when Colonel Fife used this room as his smoking room.
Hundreds of years before, the first Lord Preston used this as his main bedroom. He added a new fireplace, wood panels, and early sash windows.
Art and Treasures in the Dining Room
You'll find several interesting paintings here:
- A portrait of Edward, the 2nd Viscount Preston, and his son Charles, the 3rd Viscount Preston. They both inherited Nunnington Hall but died young.
- A painting of William, 4th Baron Widdrington.
- A "Capriccio with Ruins," which is a painting of imaginary ruins.
The room also displays a collection of mezzotints, which are a type of print from the 1700s. These were given to the National Trust in 1974.
On the dining table, you'll see part of an 18th-century dinner service from China. It has the coat of arms of the Pitt family. There are also fancy candlesticks, knives with pistol grips, and a silver cake basket. A beautiful Meissen coffee set with flower decorations is on a side table.
Look for a sideboard from the late 1700s. One drawer opens to show a special box lined with lead for keeping wine cool. There are also knife boxes with cutlery from different periods. A pair of silver candle snuffers has the crest of the Rutson family, who used to own the Hall.
Lord Preston's Private Space
In the 1600s, a bedroom was often used for entertaining guests. Lord Preston had a smaller room next to his bedroom, which offered more privacy.
Art and History in Lord Preston's Room
The ceiling of this room has beautiful paintings from the late 1600s. They show the family crests of Viscount Preston and his wife, Lady Anne Howard. These paintings include their family mottos and are surrounded by golden angels.
You'll also see a watercolor painting of William Rutson's family crest. He bought Nunnington Hall in 1839. There's an engraving of Richard Graham, the 1st Viscount Preston, and another of King James II. Richard Graham was even imprisoned in the Tower of London for trying to help King James II!
On a side desk, there are old photographs. One shows the west side of the Hall without its courtyard. Another is a drawing by Samuel Buck that might be a plan of Nunnington's 17th-century garden.
Ceramics and Furniture
A beautiful Chinese jar from the early 1700s sits on the fireplace mantel. Against the north wall is a large wooden desk from the mid-1700s. In front of the desk, there's an armchair that's even older.
The Oak Hall: A Grand Remodel
Viscount Preston completely changed this room in the late 1600s. You can still see his work in the wood panels, the carvings on the staircase, and the decorative shapes above the fireplaces and doorways.
The wood panels in this room used to be painted, but they were stripped bare in the 1920s during renovations by the Fife family. This was a popular style at the time.
The carvings above the doorways are very detailed. Above the fireplace, there's a large carved shield with the Viscount Preston family's coat of arms. This amazing carving might have been done by John Etty, a master carpenter from York. The fireplace itself is made of stone and also has a detailed carved design.
The floor of the Oak Hall has a unique pattern of squares and hexagons made from stone flags. This design was inspired by old architectural books from the 1600s.
Paintings in the Oak Hall
- A portrait of Charles, the 3rd Viscount Preston, wearing his noble robes. His early death meant the title ended, and the Hall went to his aunts.
- A painting of Edward Graham (the 2nd Viscount Preston) and his sister Catharine as children. Catharine later married Lord Widdrington, who faced legal trouble but was saved by her pleas.
- Three paintings by John Ferneley from 1820: "A Groom and Two Hunters," "A Grey Hunter," and "William Rutson on a Grey Hunter." William Rutson, who owned Nunnington Hall, is shown in the last painting.
Furniture in the Oak Hall
The Oak Hall has a huge, ten-foot-long oak table from the 1500s. Mrs. Fife, a 20th-century owner, found it in the kitchens and moved it here. Today, it holds two large Chinese bowls from the 1600s.
On the south wall, there's a cabinet from the late 1600s with a display of tea and coffee cups. A tall clock from around 1760 belonged to William Rutson's grandfather. Near the stairs, you'll find a large cupboard made from old wood panels and an Italian walnut chest.
In the stairwell, there's a beautiful tapestry from around 1700. It shows designs inspired by Asian art, which was very popular at the time. A colorful rug from around 1900 sits in front of the fireplace.
The Drawing Room: A Hidden Gem
Upstairs, above the Oak Hall, is the Drawing Room. This room holds a very special discovery!
Housekeepers found a small painting in storage at Nunnington Hall. It's called "Shrimpers at Lyme Regis" and is believed to be by the famous artist Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851).
The painting was found during routine cleaning. A faint message on it read: "Presented to me by JM Turner, 1832. J Harding" and "Lyme Regis. Shrimpers." Experts discovered that "J Harding" was James Duffield Harding, a friend of Turner's. The handwriting matched his. This suggests Turner gave the painting to Harding in 1832.
Today, "Shrimpers at Lyme Regis" hangs in the Drawing Room. The piano in the room was recently restored. There's also a tall clock from the early 1700s. For those who love art and history, a painting called "Grape Harvest in the South of France" shows a glimpse of rural life long ago.
Colonel Fife's Dressing Room: A Soldier's Life
This room was once part of the Drawing Room. It displays items from Colonel Fife's army career. You can see his campaign medals and awards, along with presentation cups from his time in India, where he was successful in polo and horse racing.
Photographs of Colonel Fife also show how much work he put into restoring Nunnington Hall. One small watercolor painting on display is a "View of Philae" by Edward Lear, who is famous for his silly poems about owls and pussycats. The bedspread in this room was made by Fanny Wrather, Mrs. Fife's great-grandmother.
Mrs Fife's Bedroom: Family Portraits
The bed in this room is painted in a Neo-Classical style, which was popular in the early 1900s. Among the family portraits, you'll find a lovely pastel portrait of Mrs. Fife (Margaret Rutson) as a young girl. There's also a pencil drawing of Colonel Fife from 1915.
This room also has another example of Fanny Wrather's needlework: a sampler hanging near her portrait.
Mrs Fife's Dressing Room: Small Wonders
This room is similar to a room downstairs and was part of the same renovations done by the 1st Viscount Preston. It features mezzotint portraits of women from the late 1700s. These are part of a collection given to the National Trust.
You'll also see a tiny walnut-veneered bureau. It might have been a special piece made by an apprentice to show off their skills, or a small display piece for a furniture salesman.
The Oak Bedroom: Oldest Panels
The wood panels in this room are very old, dating back to when the Norcliffe family lived here (1583–1643). However, the corner fireplace was added later by Lord Preston in the late 1600s.
In front of the fireplace is a painted leather screen. It was made from a piece of old leather wall hangings that once decorated a room at Nunnington Hall. The oak bed is an example of an old bed frame that was updated over time with new posts and a canopy.
A side table next to the bed opens up to reveal a tapestry. Above the door to the Bedroom Corridor, there's an early "borrow" light window. This allowed natural light to reach the corridor, which was probably created during Lord Preston's changes. The Bedroom Corridor leads to the Reading Room, where visitors can relax.
The Panelled Bedroom: A Haunted Tale?
The wood panels in this room are also from the Norcliffe family's time. It's believed that the damage around the window was caused by Cromwellian soldiers who stayed at Nunnington during the English Civil War.
The fireplace surround might have been added later by the York carpenter John Etty. This room and its small chapel are said to be haunted by a presence that moves over the bed and through the wall!
On the walls, you'll see various samplers. These show the amazing skill of young girls from a time when good needlework was a sign of a proper upbringing. The bed in this room is an officer's traveling bed, designed to be taken apart and moved with an army.
The Nursery: Children's Playtime
In the 1920s, this room was used by the "odd boy," who ran errands for the household. Now, it's set up as a nursery, filled with children's furniture and toys mostly from the Victorian era onwards.
You'll see "The Baby House," a dollhouse from around 1800–1810. It's decorated in the style of the 1700s and was made for the Rutson family. It was originally kept in the Drawing Room, as it wasn't made as a child's toy.
Servants' Quarters and Exhibitions
The west staircase and mezzanine landings lead to the attic floor. In the 1920s and 1930s, this area was where the servants lived. Mrs. Fife's personal maid had the room that is now the main exhibition room. The cook had a smaller room next door.
The room that now holds the Carlisle Collection of miniature rooms used to be divided. It had a sewing room and other rooms for the housemaids, kitchen staff, and parlor maids.
