Hovingham Hall is a country house built in the Palladian style in the village of

Hovingham Hovingham is a large village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the edge of the Howardian Hills and about south of Kirkbymoorside. History The name 'Hovingham' is first attested in the Domesday Boo ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England. It has been the seat of the

Worsley family Worsley () is a village in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which in 2014 had a population of 10,090. It lies along Worsley Brook, west of Manchester. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there is evi ...

and the childhood home of the

Duchess of Kent Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, the wife of Prince Edward. He inherited the dukedom ...

. It was built in the 18th century on a site the Worsleys have occupied since the 16th century. It is built of limestone ashlar with Westmoreland slate roofs to an L-shaped floor plan. An attached stable wing forms the main entrance. The hall is

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, an ...

. A Tuscan temple and the ornamental bridge over a waterfall in the grounds of the hall are both listed Grade II. The wall to the north and the east of the hall and a pigeoncote to the north are both also Grade II listed.

History

The Worsley family bought Hovingham manor in 1563. The present house was built between 1750 and 1774 by Thomas Worsley VI (1710–1778), who was Surveyor-General to the Board of Works under George III, and designed the building himself. Unusually, it was developed around the existing stable block, which now forms the main entrance (see picture) and once housed a Riding School where Thomas taught George III to ride. Thomas was Whig MP for Orford from 1761 to 1768 and for

Callington Callington ( kw, Kelliwik) is a civil parish and town in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom about north of Saltash and south of Launceston. Callington parish had a population of 4,783 in 2001, according to the 2001 census. This had inc ...

from 1768 to 1774. He was succeeded by his son Edward and he in turn in 1830 by his nephew William (1792–1879) who in 1838 was made first Baronet Worsley of Hovingham. In front of the house is a cricket pitch, possibly the oldest private pitch in England. Colonel Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Baronet was the captain of

Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club is one of 18 first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Yorkshire. Yorkshire are the most successful team in English cricketing hi ...

in 1928 and 1929. He was also

Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire The post of Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire was created in 1660, at the Restoration, and was abolished on 31 March 1974. From 1782 until 1974, all Lords Lieutenant were also Custos Rotulorum of the North Riding of Yorkshire. Lo ...

from 1951 to 1965. He was succeeded by his son Sir (William) Marcus John Worsley, 5th Baronet (1925–2012), who was MP for

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...

and

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire The position of Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire was created on 1 April 1974. Since 1996 the position has included the areas south of the River Tees in the former county of Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a ...

and

High Sheriff of North Yorkshire The High Sheriff of North Yorkshire is a current High Sheriff title which has existed since 1974. For around 1,000 years the entire area of Yorkshire was covered by a single High Sheriff of Yorkshire. After the Local Government Act 1972 the title ...

for 1982–83. The 5th Baronet's younger sister was Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, who became The Duchess of Kent. The Hovingham Festival was founded by Canon Hudson in 1887 and held at Hovingham Hall. Thirteen festivals were held until 1906. The event was revived after 45 years during the 1950s.The Fourteenth Hovingham Festival
, in ''The Musical Times'' Vol. 92, No. 1303 (September 1951), p. 417 The house is presently occupied by Sir William Ralph Worsley, 6th Baronet (eldest son of the 5th Baronet) and his wife Marie-Noelle. The house and gardens are open to the public for a limited time each year, usually four weeks in June.

References

External links

* * {{coord, 54.172318, -0.980869, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Country houses in North Yorkshire Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire Grade I listed houses Grade II listed agricultural buildings Grade II listed bridges Grade II listed walls Historic house museums in North Yorkshire Houses completed in 1774 Palladian architecture Hovingham

History

See also

References

External links