![Ayscoughfee Hall - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Ayscoughfee_Hall_-_geograph.org.uk_-_990096.jpg)
Ayscoughfee Hall is a grade I listed building and modest associated parkland in central
Spalding, Lincolnshire
Spalding () is a market town on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. The town had a population of 31,588 at the 2011 census. The town is the administrative centre of the South Holland District. The town is ...
, England,
and is a
landmark
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
on the fen tour.
History
The
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
, currently a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
, was built for a local wool merchant, traditionally supposed to be Richard Ailwyn (or Aldwyn) in the fifteenth century.
A
dendrological study of the roof timbers reveal that the house was built in one phase, with a completion date of the majority of the present building in 1451.
Richard Ailwyn's son, Sir Nicholas Ailwyn, a member of the Mercers' Company
The Worshipful Company of Mercers is the premier Livery Company of the City of London and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. It is the first of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies. Although of even older origin, the c ...
, became Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...
in 1499.[
The house is substantially unchanged from that period, and would be recognisable to a visitor from the fifteenth century.][
The Hall was reputed to have belonged to the Ayscough (Askew, ]Ainscough
Ainscough is an Old Norse, Scandinavian surname,. also spelled Ayscough, Aiskew, Askew, Ascough and Aynscough.
Origins and variants
It is thought that the name is derived from the Norse words "ask skog", although other sources suggest that Aisk ...
) family in the early part of the 16th century - Fee referring to the Knight's Fee or living from the property. Early records name the house as Ayscough Fee Hall. A grant of land at Spalding was made to Sir William Ayscough (1490–1541) by Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
.[ E. H. Gooch writes about "Ayscoughfee Hall" in his book "The History of Spalding", 1940.][
In the seventeenth century, the Hall passed into the Johnson family. The most notable Johnson was the second Maurice Johnson, known as "the Antiquary" (1688–1755), who founded the ]Spalding Gentlemen's Society
The Spalding Gentlemen's Society is a learned society based in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, concerned with cultural, scientific and antiquarian subjects. It is Britain's oldest such provincial body, founded in 1710 by Maurice Johnson (1688 ...
(the second oldest antiquarian society
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifacts, archaeological and historic si ...
still in existence) in 1710.[
Maurice Johnson was a good friend of the more famous local antiquarian ]William Stukeley
William Stukeley (7 November 1687 – 3 March 1765) was an English antiquarian, physician and Anglican clergyman. A significant influence on the later development of archaeology, he pioneered the scholarly investigation of the prehistoric ...
.[
]
Museum and civic amenity
When the last occupants, the family of Charles Foster Bonner, left in 1896, the Hall and Gardens were bought on behalf of the people of Spalding as a memorial of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, and was handed over to the town "free of debt" on 9 August 1902 in celebration of the coronation of King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
and Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...
.[
Now a museum and civic amenity, the house was also used as a primary school for a number of years during the 20th century.][
Some of the features of the gardens were reputedly laid out by William Sands in the early eighteenth century, and are still visible. The gardens include many fine features, including tall yew hedges, an early ice-house, and a fine ornamental lake. At the end of which sits the ]Spalding War Memorial
Spalding War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the gardens of Ayscoughfee Hall (pronounced ) in Spalding, Lincolnshire, in eastern England. It was designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. The proposal for a memorial to Spalding ...
(opened in 1922) which was designed by Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...
and became Grade I listed in 2015.
Other features include a bowling green, tennis courts, aviary and a café
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
. A rustic bandstand, built to commemorate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May 1937. ...
, was built in 1937 but was destroyed by arsonists in the early 1970s. Th
Friends of Ayscoughfee
still arrange summer concerts on the south lawn during the summer months.
With Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
backing, and commitment from South Holland District Council
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
, the Hall was closed in 2003 for a complete sympathetic restoration. The Hall was officially re-opened to the public as a museum and community facility on Friday 30 June 2006, by Dr Jonathan Clark, of the University of York
, mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £8.0 million
, budget = £403.6 million
, chancellor = Heather Melville
, vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery
, students ...
.[
][Article by Anderson and Glenn, the Project Managers and Conservation Architects for the restoration: http://www.andersonandglenn.com/index.php?page=test2]
The Hall has recently started to develop events, including theatrical performances, craft fairs, etc. and is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies.[
Spoldingo muziejus - vitražas.jpg, Stained glass
Spoldingo muziejus - virtuvė.jpg, Kitchen exhibition
]
References
*
* Has an extensive and useful Bibliography
*
*
External links
Ayscoughfee Hall Website
{{Authority control
Museums in Lincolnshire
Grade I listed buildings in Lincolnshire
Gardens in Lincolnshire
Historic house museums in Lincolnshire
Art museums and galleries in Lincolnshire
Country houses in Lincolnshire
Spalding, Lincolnshire
Grade I listed houses
Grade I listed museum buildings