Added: 05/06/2006 |
Kentwell Hall - the Past and the PresentThe city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. It is situated approximately 50 miles (80 km) north-northeast of London and is surrounded by a number of smaller towns and villages. Cambridge is known for the world-famous University of Cambridge, which includes the renowned Cavendish Laboratory, the King's College Chapel, and the Cambridge University Library.
Except being the city of famous University, Cambridge is surrounded by the great number of ancient architectural buildings that are especially interesting both for connoisseur of art and usual tourists.
Within a radius of nearly 35 miles you will have an opportunity to take pleasure in visiting such architectural masterpieces as:
- Anglesey Abbey Gardens & Lode Mill (a restored 16th century house, set in 98 acres of glorious landscaped gardens),
- Audley End House & Gardens (an elegant Jacobean mansion set in parkland designed by 'Capability' Brown),
- Burghley House & Park (the fine example of late Elizabethan architecture set in parkland landscaped by 'Capability' Brown),
- Elton Hall (impressive chest of treasures, furniture & paintings from the 15th century),
- Hinchingbrooke House (a former Benedictine nunnery, and home to the Cromwell family),
- Moggerhanger Park (Moggerhanger Park is a Georgian Grade I listed Historic House set in the middle of the Bedfordshire countryside),
- Oliver Cromwell's House (the 17th century family home of Oliver Cromwell, and its famous haunted bedroom),
- Peckover House & Garden (an attractive Georgian town house built c.1722), the Manor (built c.1130, the Manor is one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in England),
- Kimbolton Castle (favourite place of Henry VIII's first wife Katherine of Aragon) and of course Kentwell Hall (an impressive Tudor mansion set in the heart of Suffolk).
Being the pearl of Suffolk, Kentwell Hall has a great past and present. Kentwell Hall is a superlative Tudor manor with a moat, built in the early 16th century by the Clopton family. The Clopton family came to the Manor of Kentwell Hall in 1385 when William (the first of several Williams) Clopton married then the Kentwell heiress. Here the family remained for some 300 years. The wealth of the Clopton family was the result of the wood trade. One can easily evaluate the extent of the Clopton family having look at build nearby Long Melford church, one of the most extravagant medieval "wool churches" in all of England.
Successive members built the present Hall between about 1500 and 1550, gradually over perhaps 5 or 6 phases to create what is to be seen today. The last Clopton descendant died at Kentwell in 1661. Then Kentwell Hall was sold to the lawyer, Sir Thomas Robinson. He was the first to 'improve' the Tudor House, though not significantly. In 30 years Kentwell was sold (due to gaming debts of the Robinson family) to the heirs of Sir John Moore, a rich merchant and sometime Lord Mayor of London.
The heirs were obliged to take Moore's name and were at Kentwell for 120 years until about 1820. The last of their line, Richard Moore, also 'improved' the House significantly. Since the 1820s the House had received little significant attention. Accordingly when in 1970 the question arose about the selling of the House it turned out that it suffered two major handicaps: first - poor condition and under developed state; second - scanty market for grand large country houses irrespective of condition.
Despite of these facts Kentwell was bought by Patrick Phillips, a young lawyer in his late 20s, for whom the house appeared less a burden than an opportunity. In 1971 he signed a contract and the House was his. Kentwell Hil was in awful condition: the leak of roof, which is bringing ceilings down; no electricity and heating. The only thing that worked was drains.
The real work started in 1972 and have continued without interruption ever since and continues still today. Most of the works have been directed by Patrick & Judith Phillips with their own small team of craftsmen, aided only occasionally by contractors. But soon having realized that by their own upkeep it's impossible to reconstruct such a huge building, they decided to open Kentwell to the public. This they did in 1976.
Although, there was very little visitors, but year after year the total number of guests and visitors increased. Over 30 years non stop progression of works make Kentwell unlike any other Historic House in the country. Nowadays Kenwell Hill welcomes hundred of tourists annually and it's hardly been said that that House was almost ruined.
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