Lamport Hall in Lamport, Northamptonshire is a fine example of a Grade I

Listed House 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 I ...

. It was developed from a Tudor Manor but is now notable for its classical frontage. The Hall contains an outstanding collection of books, paintings and furniture. The building includes The High Room with a magnificent ceiling by William Smith. It also has a library with 16th-century volumes and an early 19th-century cabinet room with Neapolitan cabinets which depict mythological paintings on glass. It is open to the public. Lamport Hall was the home of the Isham family from 1560 to 1976.

Sir Charles Isham, 10th Baronet Sir Charles Edmund Isham, 10th Baronet (16 December 1819 – 7 April 1903) was an English landowner and gardener based at Lamport Hall, Northampton. He is credited with beginning the tradition of garden gnomes in the United Kingdom when he int ...

is credited with beginning the tradition of garden gnomes in the United Kingdom when he introduced a number of

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta i ...

figures from (Germany) in the 1840s.

Bruce A. Bailey Bruce Anthony Bailey ALA FSA (born March 1937) is an English author, architectural historian, archivist, librarian, freelance lecturer and photographer. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London on 1 January 2003. He lives n ...

, "Isham, Sir Charles Edmund, tenth baronet (1819–1903)",

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

, Oxford University Press, 2004

History

In 1568 John Isham, a wealthy wool merchant, built a manor house on the Lamport Estate. His grandson, also named John, became the first baronet in 1627 during the reign of Charles I. He extended the house considerably. However, the only remains of this structure is a section of the present stable wing. It was Sir Justinian Isham who built the main existing building. In 1655 he commissioned John Webb, a pupil of Inigo Jones, to design a large two-story home. The next major additions were to the south-west front and the north. These were completed in 1741. The gates on the main road date from 1824 and were designed by Henry Hakewill In 1842 further major rebuilding of the south east front was completed, and later Sir

Charles Isham Sir Charles Edmund Isham, 10th Baronet (16 December 1819 – 7 April 1903) was an English landowner and gardener based at Lamport Hall, Northampton. He is credited with beginning the tradition of garden gnomes in the United Kingdom when he intro ...

commissioned the building of a new façade with porch to the north-west front, which is now the distinctive main entrance to the Hall. This was completed in 1862. The tower was built about the same time. By about 1950 the house had considerably deteriorated, and the then owner Sir Gyles Isham undertook major renovation works and allowed the ground floor to be opened to the public in 1974. When he died in 1976 he left the building and its contents to the Lamport Hall Preservation Trust, who care for the Hall and Gardens today. In 2021 the hall trust caused controversy by advertising for musicians to perform for no fee at a dining event in the garden, although they did offer the musicians a hamper for performing. The hall trust released a
official apology
which was well received by the professional music industry. They have changed their policies and going forward will hopefully be a great example to other venues.

Sir Charles Isham

inherited Lamport Hall at about the age of 26 in 1846 when his elder brother Justinian died. He had a particular interest in gardening and his garden featured in many of the journals of that day. Of particular interest to many of the journalists was the rockery which still exists today. Some of the descriptions of this feature were as follows. In 1872 the ''Journal of Horticulture, Cottage Gardener and Country Gentleman'' made the following comment. In 1897 the ''Gardeners Chronicle'' said This rockery was particularly noted for the gnomes that it housed. The magazine called ''The Garden'' contained the following description of them. Photos of the rockery and gnomes are shown in the gallery below. One of the gnomes in this remarkable rockery survives and is on view at Lamport Hall today. A photo of the replica of this gnome is shown below.

The Library

In 1867 a number of rare volumes of Elizabethan prose and poetry were found in an attic. The story of the discovery was told on its centenary in the words of bookseller, Charles Edmond who observed the discovery would "warm the heart of the most cold-blooded bibliomaniac."Hallam, H.A.N. (1967). "Lamport Hall Revisted."

The Book Collector ''The Book Collector'' is a London based journal that deals with all aspects of the book. It is published quarterly and exists in both paper and digital form. It prints independent opinions on subjects ranging from typography to national heritage ...

16 no 4 (Winter): 439-449. These included first editions bound in sheepskin by

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and polit ...

-- ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674 ...

'' and '' Paradise Regained.''The Times, 27 November 1935; p11; '' The Sale Room Disposal Of Terry Library''

Image gallery: The rockery and gnomes in 1897

File:Rockery 1897.jpg, The rockery in 1897 showing the miniature plants File:Gnomes on strike 1897.jpg, A group of gnomes who represent miners on strike in 1897 File:Gnomes Lamport Hall 1897.jpg, Gnomes on the rockery who are engaged in mining activities in 1897 File:Gnomes Lamport Hall 1898.jpg, Gnomes in the rockery in 1898 with accompanying story written by Sir Charles Isham File:Gnomes Lamport Hall 1898 2.jpg, Gnomes in the rockery in 1898 with accompanying story by Sir Charles Isham File:The "Gnome Rockery" at Lamport Hall - geograph.org.uk - 411190.jpg, The rockery today, which can be seen at Lamport Hall File:lamport-gnome-replica-amoswolfe.jpg, A replica of Lampy the Lamport gnome, which is the only surviving gnome

References

External links

Lamport Hall
{{coord, 52.3632, -0.8872, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Houses completed in 1560 Country houses in Northamptonshire Gardens in Northamptonshire Grade I listed buildings in Northamptonshire Grade I listed houses Historic house museums in Northamptonshire