Castle
Ashby
Standing
at the heart of a 10,000-acre working estate and surrounded by 200
acres of parkland designed by Capability Brown, Castle Ashby is the
ancestral home of the Compton family, the 7th Marquess of
Northampton. Formerly a derelict 13th century castle, the castle
was demolished with the permission of Queen Elizabeth I and
replaced with the magnificent building seen today.
Built in 1574, the house, with its
soaring towers and decorative balustrades was started by Henry, 1st
Lord Compton and was continued by his son, William, who later
became Earl of Northampton.
Did you know ?
The parapet of stone lettering around the top of the house is dated 1624, and its inscription runs as follows:
NISI DOMINUS CUSTOS CUSTODIVERIT DOMUM FRUSTRA
VIGILAT QUI CUSTODIT EAM: NISI DOMINUS AEDIFICAVERIT
DOMUM IN VANUM LABORAVERUNT QUI AEDIFICANT EAM
'Except the Lord build the house they labour but in vain they who build it; Except the Lord keep the house the watchman waketh but in vain.'
Capability Brown, the architect and landscape gardener began work in 1760. He increased the ponds overlooked by the house into ornamental lakes, dug a ha ha, or sunken fence, around the park and built the Dairy and the Temple against the Menagerie. In 1867 the architect, Godwin turned the old kitchen garden into an elaborate 'Italian garden' with breathtaking views across the parkland.
The historic Orangery was built by
Matthew Digby Wyatt in the 1870’s. This fascinating building
was once a temperate house and now houses a frequently updated
selection of plants and flowers.
Castle Ashby is the only Stately Home in England that is not open
to the public, lived in by its owners and can be booked in its
entirety on an exclusive basis for corporate or private
celebrations and weddings.