Lyveden
New Bield
This intriguing shell of an Elizabethan
lodge and moated garden was begun in 1595 by Sir Thomas
Tresham to symbolise his Catholic faith. The lodge was to
provide the ideal retreat for Thomas to indulge in his
Catholic faith. Lyveden was built to symbolise the
Passion of Christ and decorated around the outside with
two freizes, one has carved emblems depicting the Passion
and the other, carved sentences from the Vulgate. Like
the Triangular Lodge at Rushton, the building contains
many symbols of religious meaning.
Did you know ?
Lyveden has five sides to each bay, each measuring five feet - the number attributed to both Christ and Mary. Three basement windows divided by three shields, represents the Trinity of Christ. The perimeter of each wing measures 81 feet - that is three times three times three times three, representing the Holy Trinity.
Lyveden, in its cruciform state, remains incomplete and virtually unaltered since work stopped on Sir Thomas's death in 1605. From 1605 to the present day, Lyveden has remained untouched for four centuries; a building with no roof, windows or floors. A garden with moats on three sides, no plants, statues or paths. Mystery surrounds Lyveden. How did it escape the passage of time and human hand and why did future generations never complete the work that Thomas started?
Thomas Tresham was born into a wealthy and respected
Northamptonshire family. His ancestors had come to
Northamptonshire from Gloucestershire and became leading
courtiers under the reign Henry V and VI. Sir Thomas was
knighted in 1575 and converted to the Roman Catholic
faith in 1580. He died in 1605 with a debt of over £11000
leaving his elder son Francis to inherit the estate as
well as the debt. Francis later became embroiled in the
Gunpowder Plot later that year along with his cousins
Catesby and Wintour.
Did you know ?
In 1832 stonemasons working on the former home of the Tresham family at Rushton Hall, discovered bundles of old documents relating to family affairs. These provide a detailed account of expenditure, religion and astute estate management throughout the late Tudor and early Stuart period, including letters which relate to Francis Tresham's involvement in the Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605. In fact it is after this event that the papers were concealed, and remained so for over 200 years.
Imprisoned for his actions, Francis met an early death in the Tower of London December 1605. The estate was passed to his younger brother Lewis who also had spiralling debts and could do nothing to the lodge. Lewis's son William died childless in 1643 and was the last of the main line of the Treshams.
Lyveden, with its fascinating
architectural detail, was eventually donated to the
National Trust in 1922. In the 1990's the Trust began the
gradual process of uncovering the neglect and abandonment
of the hidden garden. Today, Tresham's work is
appreciated as one of the rarest survivals of an
Elizabethan garden.