Holdenby
house
Once a
palace, Holdenby house was built in 1583 by Sir Christopher Hatton
to entertain Elizabeth I.
When he died in 1591 he had amassed huge debts. He was broke and
pennyless. The palace passed to the Crown to pay off those debts
and became a popular choice for King Charles I
who stayed there on a regular basis. For his successor and son,
James I,
it became a prison after his defeat in the Civil war against
Cromwell. Before the King could escape he was removed by 500 of
Cromwells soldiers and taken to a safer place before being
executed.
Holdenby Palace was the largest private house in England with 123
huge windows but was soon to become just an eigth of its size. The
Palace was sold to a parliamentarian, Adam Baynes, who reduced the
palace down to a single wing.
What can be seen today is the kitchen wing of the former palace.
After a brief return to royal ownership, the house was bought by
the Duke of Marlborough in 1709.
Daniel Defoe:
Near this town is the ancient royal house of Holmby, which was formerly in great esteem, and by its situation is capable of being made a royal palace indeed. But the melancholy reflection of the imprisonment of King Charles the First in this house, and his being violently taken hence again by the mutinous rebels, has cast a kind of odium upon the place, so that it has been, as it were, forsaken and uninhabited. The house and estate has been lately purchas'd by the Dutchess of Marlborough; but we do not see that the house is like to be built or repair'd, as was at first discours'd; on the contrary it goes daily to decay.
It has been passed down the female line
to its present owners, the Lowthers. A huge 20 acre grade 1 listed
Elizabethan and Victorian garden is open to the public and the
house is now the setting of many corporate functions and weddings.
Interestingly, the Lowthers can trace their history back to 940AD
and have produced more members of Parliament than any other family
in England. It's possible they had a member of parliament in the
castle when Northampton castle was home to parliament.
Falconry displays take place on each
Sunday during the summer months. The trainers are knowledgeable and
eager to answer any questions. You can even have your photo taken
holding the birds. It's not often anyone can get the chance to get
this close to birds of prey so it's well worth the visit.
