Kimbolton Castle is a country house in

Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire Kimbolton is a town and civil parish in England. Kimbolton is about west of Huntingdon and north of Bedford. Kimbolton is administered as part of Cambridgeshire; however it is situated within Huntingdonshire, which is an historic county of Eng ...

, England. It was the final home of

King 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 disag ...

's first wife,

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of the Earls and Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950. It now houses

Kimbolton School Kimbolton School is a British HMC co-educational independent day and boarding school in the rural village of Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. There are 1000 students, aged 4 to 18. Boarding and flexi-boarding is available to a limited ...

History

Gatehouse to Kimbolton School - geograph

The castle was built by

Geoffrey Fitz Peter, 1st Earl of Essex Geoffrey Fitz Peter, Earl of Essex (c. 1162–1213) was a prominent member of the government of England during the reigns of Richard I and John. The patronymic is sometimes rendered Fitz Piers, for he was the son of Piers de Lutegareshale (born ...

in the late 12th century. The inner court was rebuilt by

Anne Neville, Duchess of Buckingham Anne Neville (c. 1408 – 20 September 1480) was a daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and his second wife Lady Joan Beaufort. Her first husband was Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, and she was an important English no ...

in the late 15th century. The castle was acquired by

Sir Richard Wingfield Sir Richard Wingfield KG of Kimbolton Castle (c. 1469 – 22 July 1525) was an influential courtier and diplomat in the early years of the Tudor dynasty of England. Life He was born at Letheringham, Suffolk to Sir John Wingfield (c. 1428 &nda ...

in 1522.

was sent here in April 1534 for refusing to give up her status or deny the validity of her marriage. The

fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich Groundwater, ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as ...

land climate damaged her health, and she died in the castle in January 1536. The castle was bought by Sir Henry Montagu, later created 1st Earl of Manchester, in 1615. The 4th Earl of Manchester, who was created 1st Duke of Manchester in 1719, had many works of reconstruction carried out between 1690 and 1720. These works included the rebuilding of the south wing, which had fallen down, to a design by Sir

John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restora ...

. The 4th Duke of Manchester commissioned

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his o ...

to design the gatehouse which was constructed in 1766. Many members of the Montagu family ( Earls and Dukes of Manchester) are buried at St Andrew's Church in Kimbolton. Several Montagu monuments still exist in the South Chapel, while the Montagu vault (extended in 1853) is located beneath the North Chapel. The 10th Duke of Manchester sold the contents in 1949, and the castle and 50 acres were sold to

in 1951.

Warren House

On the grounds of the castle is Warren House, where the warrener (estate rabbit gamekeeper) used to live, converted into a late 18th-century

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

on command of one of the castle's inhabitants to add interest to his horizon, complete with a single decorative facade facing the castle; it is grade II* listed and owned by the

Landmark Trust The Landmark Trust is a British architectural conservation, building conservation charitable organization, charity, founded in 1965 by John Smith (Conservative politician), Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or ...

. The Trust renovated the house, under a design from architect Oliver Caroe, between 2011 and 2012.Landmark Trust: Warren House

References

{{Reflist

External links

Castle history on Kimbolton School's websiteVisitor information from Kimbolton School's websiteWarren House Landmark Trust information page
Country houses in Cambridgeshire John Vanbrugh buildings Tourist attractions in Cambridgeshire Historic house museums in Cambridgeshire Buildings and structures in Huntingdonshire Castles in Cambridgeshire Gardens by Capability Brown Catherine of Aragon

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

History

Warren House

See also

References

External links