Ruin Re-Use Project

Ruin Re-use Project

The protected nature of the ruin site. Including Scheduled Ancient Monument record map

Rhiannon Flitcroft- AT Year2- 13433898

Rhiannon Flitcroft- 13433898

As a group project, I and the other group members are to find a ruinous listed building, we are to propose an appropriate re-use for the ruin that we have chosen. We are to show how we will approach the restoration and insertion of new work into the building.

The building we all agreed on is HOUGHTON HOUSE, in Ampthill, Bedfordshire.

Each member has been assigned a separate section of the brief to work on. My objectives are to write a report on the protected nature of the site and the implications for any changes to the existing fabric of the historic buildings. I am to include references to wider conservation legislation where appropriate. For example, an English Heritage SAM entry about the monument. I am to also include a Scheduled Ancient Monument record map that shows the red constraint line.

Houghton House

Within this work, I will incorporate some information on the history and architecture of the site, to give better understanding of why and how it is protected by English Heritage.

Administered as an ancient monument by English Heritage, Houghton House (grade I) is now a ruinous building; however, the remains still stand in great condition. The monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. The monument is accessible to the public for free.

Mary, the Countess of Pembroke and the sister of poet Sir Philip Sidney, had the house built in 1621. Mary, who was well- connected with the court of King James I, was granted the land by him. Once completed, it was honoured by a visit from King James I. It provided inspiration for John Bunyan’s ‘House Beautiful’ in The Pilgrims Progress, which was based on his personal journey between Bedford and Luton. The steeping slope leading to Ampthill was the model for the ‘Hill of Difficulty’. Mary passed away from small pox not long after, which is when the King granted the home and the land to the Bruce family, loyal supporters of the Stuart Kings. The Duke of Bedford acclaimed the house in 1738. http://www.ampthill.info/page11.htm

One visitor that came to the ruins was Thomas Hutchinson, the last loyalist Governor of Massachusetts, and a key figure from the American Revolution. He visited the ruins in 1775. He thought the build to be ‘in good repair’, and Ampthill he thought was ‘a neat small Market Town, pleasantly situated. Several new well-built brick houses, the streets well paved and airy’. http://www.ampthillhistory.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article?id=8 2

As the property changed hands throughout time, they each altered the layouts and room functions, to suit their own needs and aspirations.

The great hall provided the principal entrance to the house. Being the largest room in the house, and would have functioned as a dining room for everyone in the house. Eventually, it was portioned to create a separate, private dining room for the family at the far end.

The great chamber was located above the great hall, which served as a reception room for private dining and entertaining. When the Bedford family, Marquess of Tavistock had ownership of the house from 1764- 67, the great chamber was converted to make a library.

Whilst the family would have occupied the grand apartments, located on the first floor, that overlooked the gardens and hunting park, the servants would have slept on the second floor in the garret rooms.

The service wing would have contained the kitchen, brew-house, scullery and a stillroom. It was attached to the east of the house.

When the 1920s came around, the building was in a very dangerous state, and was covered in ivy. Due to this, local subscriptions were raised in order to save the building for the nation. Now cared for by English Heritage, who has restored it to how you see it today. The park that contained the ruins from the house were later incorporated in with the grounds of Ampthill Park. The former hunting park provide wonderful views for the house that dominates its landscape.

The house was labelled as a noble and magnificent palace, by Daniel Defoe in 1720. It prominently stands on the Greensand ridge, to overlook the vale of Bedford, 1.5 km north of the town Ampthill. There is a principal carriageway to the south and terraces that surround it. The house was originally built on a traditional H-plan, typical of the Jacobean period. It represents late 16th and early 17th century architecture, and periods of Elizabethan and neo- classicism architecture. It is one of the earliest examples of Palladian architecture in England, with the entrance at the north of the house based on the architect Palladio’s Conventa Della Carita. The first known use of rubbed brickwork also features here.

Rhiannon Flitcroft- 13433898

Due to the limited period of occupation, the significance of the structural remains is increased. A clear picture for the setting of the house is provided with evidence of surviving buried and earthwork. Buried within the areas of the courtyards will be paths, surfaces and many other features. The terraces that surround the ruinous building retain evidence of garden borders and other elements of their planting and design, and archaeological evidence retained in the gardens.

The house was originally three storeys, however, in 1794, the Duke of Bedford ordered for the house to be un-roofed and dismantled partially, removing most of the third storey walls as well as the roof. This was after the Duke lost the love for the house after the loss of his son. However, there is a clear impression of its appearance from looking at the elevations. It is constructed of Ampthill brick, and details such as window moulding are constructed of limestone that was quarried nearby. Various parts of the dismantled build were recycled. .

The grand staircase reflected the arrival of the new owners of the house. the Bruce family used this house as their main country seat and it was occupied all year round. Previous to this, the house was only occupied during the summer months. The house needed to be warm in the winter months, and the Bruce family wanted it to reflect their status.

The staircase was located in the corner turrets of the building, when the house was a hunting lodge. The Bruce family required a ceromonial route between the great hall and the chamber above. To do this they insterted a grand staircase in the Stone Hall. It was constructed of carved wood. Still visible today is the decorative plaster work, icluding the niches at the mezzanine level.

The original staircases would have been made private or made as service stairs. The great stair case was moved to The Swan Hotel in Bedford, when the house was dismantled. This can still be seen today.

There is one of two projecting bays still existing today. With its frame and mullions made from limestone, it retains two of the lower oriel windows. Two of four corner turrets still remain at the western corners to second storey level. Before the house became a ruin, the turrets were capped with concaved pyramid roofs. Considered a very unusual feature during this period. On the south elevation is a porch within a tower, which is the main entrance. This is still surviving to just below the roofline. Limestone segmental pediment and triple keyblock are placed on the rectangular door way. On the north and west elevations are the more impressive fronts to the house. The remains of ornamental facades are in the centre here. The brick steps and lower colonnade are the only remaining parts from the northern façade, which previously was two storeys, and three bay loggias. These are decorated with carved friezes, representing the family symbols of Mary Herbert and her mother’s family, the Dudleys. The Herbert coat of arms can be seen here, along with the Dudley bear and staff and flower symbols.

Rhiannon Flitcroft- 13433898

A formal avenue of trees is shown on a plan of the house dates back to 1733. It showed the trees to extend for approximately 160m south of the main entrance. They flanked the carriageway. This map also shows how the rectangular formal gardens were laid out, and the courtyards that surround the house. They were separated by fences/walls, and the map records the names of the component areas. There is a rectangular area that is located between the corner turrets on the south side. A court that extended across the width of the house, and carried along the terrace about 45m, was located on the west side. It descended along the natural sloping nature of the site. There are small rectangular structures marked on the same map, on the northern and southern boundaries of the courtyard. They were located about 35m away from the house. They could well have been wooden buildings such as the temple, which was bought by John Morris during the house demolition, and moved to Avenue House in Ampthill. There is an earthen mound which indicates the position of the southern structure. It is approximately 10m diameter and 1m high. A corresponding level area to the north suggests the second location of the southern structure. Continuing about 10m further west, it was entered by an avenue that was ascending the wooden slope. There is still a slight hollow measuring about 10m across. A sample which is 10m in length is included in the scheduling. The north court which is in front of the northern entrance also extends between the corner towers, continuing along about 34m, towards the terrace. It overlooks the northern slope of the Greensand ridge. A small projection in the centre of the northern boundary is shown on the map. This could have represented a gateway, related to the avenue lined with trees, shown trailing towards the east of Houghton on a map that was dated at the later date of 1765. The ‘well garden’, named in 1733, was the rectangular area that was within the angle of the north and west courts. The ‘best garden’ is the area between the south and west courts and measures about 40m square. This is where the lawns are laid today, that retains the buried features I spoke about earlier. The 1733 map also illustrates a kitchen garden and drying yard, which was located to the north and south of the domestic range. The area was lowered significantly when a new terrace was cut. This was to construct the farmhouse, which is not included in the scheduling.

Internal walls shown in an architect’s plan from 1973 still remain. The floors have been removed. The additional range that was added to the building for additional domestic quarters and service rooms was demolished. This was in the 19th century. It was later replaced with a farmhouse, now Houghton Park House. This building is not included in the scheduling. The connecting passages foundations still remain, and are visible on the eastern side of the building, within the exposed cellars.

All of the fences and its fence posts are not included in the scheduling, together with the gravelled surfaces of the driveways within the ruin. However, the grounds beneath these features are included.

Rhiannon Flitcroft- 13433898

This building represents more advanced concepts in architecture in the early 17th century. The late 16th and early 17th century designs give a typical example from the architect (John Thorpe), who was also the architect responsible for the Montacute in Somerset, Burleigh House in Cambridgeshire, and Kirby Hall in Northamptonshire. The design and layout of the building has a high contrast to the design of the loggias, which one of the most influential architects of the time was responsible for. The architect Inigo Jones’ later work included the Queens house at Greenwich and the Banqueting House at Whitehall. He was credited for becoming the first English classical architect. He was also very much responsible for the introduction and the translation for the designs of the architect Palladio, in the 16th century. As I have said before, Houghton house North entrance is closely based on Palladio’s work in Venice, and is one of the earliest examples of this type of architecture in the country.

Representing an important period between Elizabethan and Jacobean architecture, and the following neo- classicism, Houghton house stands as a very important building in history. The biographical details of Mary, the Dowager Countess, provide an insight into the development of the designs. The past owners and people living in the house have been well documented. The house has no significant alterations since the limited period of occupation. So the significance of the structure that remains is increased.

The ruins are now owned by English Heritage, who aims to preserve them. They aim to preserve the character of this building for future generations.

Rhiannon Flitcroft- 13433898

The site showing the monument is attached with this document. I also have a closer map of the area shown below.

http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle_print.aspx?uid=1013522&showMap=1&showText=1 http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1321465 http://www.hertfordshire.com/pages/entries/show-entry.asp?id=4547

Photos- group photos taken upon visiting the ruin.