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Hunsdon House is a historic
When Henry VIII retook possession in 1525 after Thomas Howard's death, he set about expanding the house into a palatial estate in the Tudor style, complete with royal apartments and even a
The manor stayed in the Carey family for over 100 years, after which it passed to the Bluck family and then the Calvert family. Much of Henry VIII's expansions were torn down in the early 17th century, and the moat was filled some time in the 18th century. The house was rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century, but 1860 renovations by Nicolson Calvert changed much of the architecture to an
Hunsdon House is a historic 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 ...
in Hunsdon, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, England, northwest of Harlow
Harlow is a large town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire and London, Harlow occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upp ...
. Originally constructed in the 15th century, it was most notably the estate of Henry VIII of England. It has been rebuilt several times since then, and is no longer as grand as it was in the Tudor era. It is a Grade I listed building.
Early history
It was originally constructed ofbrick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
in 1447 by Sir William Oldhall in the shape of a tower, but as Oldhall supported the House of York
The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, ...
during the Wars of the Roses, he was stripped of the property by the Lancastrian Henry VI. Upon the Yorkist Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
's accession to the throne in 1471, the land was returned to the Oldhall family. John Oldhall then died in the Battle of Bosworth and with the Lancastrians back in power, the estate was taken over by Henry VII. Henry traded it to his mother Margaret Beaufort for Old Soar Manor in Kent in 1503. After the death of Margaret in 1509, her grandson 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 ...
gave it to Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk in 1514. Howard's son reduced the height of the tower for safety reasons in 1524.
Tudor era
When Henry VIII retook possession in 1525 after Thomas Howard's death, he set about expanding the house into a palatial estate in the Tudor style, complete with royal apartments and even a moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
. Although he visited frequently and enjoyed hunting in the deerpark, the house was mainly used for his children, especially Mary, who lived there until her accession to the throne. She even inherited the house after the death of her father and kept it until her death. Prince Edward notably spent much time at Hunsdon, most famously in 1546 when his portrait was painted with the house in the background. made her cousin Henry Carey Henry Carey may refer to:
*Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon (1526–1596), politician, general, and potential illegitimate son of Henry VIII
*Henry Carey, 1st Earl of Dover (1580–1666), English peer
*Henry Carey, 2nd Earl of Monmouth (1596–1661), ...
the first Baron Hunsdon, after granting the house to him in 1559.
Recent centuries
The manor stayed in the Carey family for over 100 years, after which it passed to the Bluck family and then the Calvert family. Much of Henry VIII's expansions were torn down in the early 17th century, and the moat was filled some time in the 18th century. The house was rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century, but 1860 renovations by Nicolson Calvert changed much of the architecture to an Elizabethan
The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...
style. One last renovation in 1983 revealed some of the 15th-century brickwork. The current house is less than a quarter of its size under Henry VIII.
Today the building 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 ...
, privately owned and not open to the public. It is possible to view the exterior from public footpaths when walking the area.
See also
* Tudor architecture * Tudor EnglandReferences
{{coord, 51.79536, N, 0.056364, E, display=title Tudor architecture Country houses in Hertfordshire Grade I listed buildings in Hertfordshire Grade I listed houses