Hazelrigg
house
Little of
importance is known about Hazelrigg house. It was built in Marefair
not far from St Peters church and dates back to 1662. It is the
towns oldest domestic building and its fame is in being one of the
few buildings to survive the Great Fire of 1675 in Northampton.
Although largely untouched by the fire, it did lose two of its five
bays. Legend also has it that Cromwell slept here the night before
his decisive victory at the battle of Naseby in 1645 but the myth
is blown apart from the date of the building.
The house was named after the family who owned it. Robert Hesilrige
was the owner but the Hesilrige claim to fame comes from the
principal, Sir Arthur Heselrige. He was a leading parliamentarian
and a distinguished soldier. Warned of Charles I intent to impeach
him and four other members of parliament, he fled the House of
Commons. He was a powerful figure during Cromwells protectorate but
at the restoration of the Monarchy, his life was spared because he
refused to sign Charles I
death warrant. Instead, he was commited to and according to
records, died shortly afterwards in the Tower of London in 1661.
And it's this story that the myth is based on.
Listed by English Heritage, it has a two-star grading, which puts it in the top four per cent of listed buildings in the country. It is one of the town's only true examples of Elizabethan architecture and is also known as a Cromwell house due to the myth.