Hall Place in Kent

Hall Place is perhaps one of the most unusual places we have been in search of the Regency. It is situated in Bexley in Kent.  During the time I grew up theren the house was not open to the public, but it was a well-known local land mark.

Hall place dates back to before Henry VIII's reformation and around that time fell into the hands of one of London's Lord Mayors, Sir John Champney a self-made man who died of the plague in 1556.

This is a view of the Tudor courtyard built for Champney with its stunning pattern of grey and white stone.  A mark of his wealth and importance. Originally it would have had only one large oriel window looking into the courtyard, as all the other windows also would have done.

Over time, the house was added to and altered by succeeding owners and in 1772, the era in which we are interested it passed into the hands of Sir Francis Dashwood, later Baron Le Despenser.  Apparently there really were Dashwoods around in Jane Austen's time.

The red brick extension, with its two wings and front facing outwards now, was added to what would have been the back of  Tudor buildings as seen here. The extension formed a central enclosed courtyard between the new front and the old tudor great hall, and provided a corridor between the wings.

A view along the side shows where the new was added to the old.  I must say I found it rather odd from this angle, but I cannot contain my respect for those who decided to keep the old Tudor part in tact.



A bell tower was added within the new courtyard with a fashionable prospect room at the top for watching the hunt and for entertaining.  What and interesting looking tower it is.  The rectangular windows follow the ascending stairs to form an unusual asymmetric pattern.  The courtyard at this time would have been the hub of the household. Water was fetched from the pump and arrivals and departures would be observed from the upstairs windows. The archways around the courtyard lead to the new architectural development --- corridors.  It enabled privacy, one room no longer leading directly into the next

At the time Sir Francis inherited the property it was rented out to a Richard Calvert Esquire and then to the Reverend Richard Jeffreys in 1798 who set it up as a School for young gentlemen. And so it remained until the 1860's.

What a wonderful place for boys to go to school. At the time there were coach houses, stables, outhouses, office buildings, boat yards, orchard gardens, shrubberies, a pleasure ground and appurtenances thereto.

What a great setting for a story.


Hall Place today is a mix of original Tudor, Commonwealth and Restoration.

Next time will will take a peek around the interior.  Until then.....




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Fawkham in Kent

Fawkham Green in Kent or Fawkham is not likely a place you have ever heard of.  Indeed, in 17 97 it was described thusly:

 THIS PARISH is a lonely unfrequented place, and contains about one thousand acres of land, of which about two hundred and fifty are wood, having no public high road through it. It lies on high ground, among the hills; the soil is much inclined to chalk, and is very slinty and barren, but though it is poor, yet this, as well as the neighbouring parishes in a like situation, is in some measure recompensed by being exceedingly healthy. There are two hamlets in it called Fawkham-green and Fawkham-street. The church stands near the northern boundary of it. The seat of Pennis is situated in the middle of the parish, adjoining to a large wood, which extends quite across it.

For all that, or perhaps because of it, the Duke of Norfolk built a country home here in 1806.  Now the Brands Hatch hotel, it is a beautiful Georgian Manor and a lovely place to stay.  The red brick mansion comes into view at the end of a tree-lined drive and visitors may enjoy twelve acres of surround gardens and parklandm

I have to admit it is not as quiet as it would have been in the Duke of Norfolk's day as one can easily hear the sound of engines buzzing from the nearby racetrack.  But the grounds are quite lovely, the room elegantly appointed and the dining excellent.




More enticing yet were the glimpses of the Regency still visible inside and outside.

This staircase for example, and the exterior above.

If you like to stay where history meets modern conveniences, this might well be the place for you.

Join me next time as I delve deeper into Kent,

Until then.......

It Happened One Christmas

It is always exciting when a new book comes out. This one~~ three heartwarming series of Regency Christmas novellas from three Harlequin Historical authors~~ is out in print now.
E-books are available for preorder and will be available November 1st. If you didn't check it out already, visit my facebook page for details of the preorder contest.

Four Stars ~ Romantic Times "these three wonderful Regency authors showcase the joy of yuletide that shine with the magic of the season."


 CHRISTMAS EVE PROPOSAL by Carla Kelly 

Christmas gets more interesting when sailing master Ben Muir takes lodgings with Mandy Mathison! Because when her scandalous past is revealed, only he can save her future… 

THE VISCOUNT'S CHRISTMAS KISS by Georgie Lee 

Lily Rutherford is shocked to learn the man who snubbed her years before will be staying for Christmas. Can she forgive the viscount in time for a stolen kiss under the mistletoe? 

WALLFLOWER, WIDOW…WIFE! by Ann Lethbridge 

Penniless widow Cassandra Norton faces Christmas on the run with her two stepdaughters, until Adam Royston sweeps her off her feet and into his country estate!

Find it at Barnes and Noble
Pick it up at Amazon.com
Or go to your favorite bookstore
For preorders of the ebook, also visit
Ibooks
Kobo
and
Harlequin - where you can sign up for points towards other purchases.

Or, for more purchase links, go to my website annlethbridge.com

Until next time, when we will be taking another peek at Hever Castle.

Regency Britain - Hever Castle

This castle is likely one of the most famous in Britain, having been home to two of Britain's Queens.  Ann Boleyn and Ann of Cleves.

It was built as a defensive castle in the 13th Century,
by William de Hever, Sheriff under Edward I.  Even though after going into disrepair for several decades, the defensive nature of it is easily seen.

One can imagine it firing the imagination of little Regency girls and boys playing knights and maidens in distress, or maiden going out to battle the invading armies.

And yes, that is a moat all around the outside. One passes over a bridge to get into the house.

It was in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that Hever Castle was owned by the Bullens, relatives of Ann Boleyn. By this time, the defensive nature was a thing of the past. It was a Tudor home.


These  photo's clearly illustrate that, but although it was Tudor in style during the Regency it was owned by Jane Waldo, the daughter of a knight of the realm, Sir Timothy Waldo, so it could easily be a back drop for a Regency story.

Next time, we go inside the house. Untill then.....


Lulworth Castle 6

 As we finish up our tour of the castle, and I thought you might enjoy this view which seems to show it as it would have been before the fire, we descend into the basement where the kitchens, storage and servants working areas are located.
 I am always interested in these glimpses into the lives of those who lived below stairs.  My guess is that this would have been particularly uncomfortable located as it was in such medieval-looking surroundings with its small high windows for natural light..


 You can an example of how daylight was brought into the space.  On a cloudy day it would not be nearly so bright. I wonder if the odd scullery maid would have climbed up into that window to look out at the day.
 I loved this example of an oven beside the great hearth, which would have been even bigger than it is now in its heyday. 

And another view of the entrance into the kitchen area.


So medieval, yet in use up to 1925.

Until next time.......

Lullworth Castle 5

One of the interesting things about Lullworth is its connection to the Prince of Wales. A slight tenuous it is true.

The Welds, the owners of Lullworth were staunch Roman Catholics and suffered much for their preferred religion, coming under suspicion whenever the issue of Catholicism or when the Stewarts were trying to reclaim the British throne. All Catholics were barred from holding public office.

After a childless first marriage,  Edward Weld's second wife was the beautiful seventeen-year-old Maria Smythe. Regency buffs will know that he died from injuries suffered from fall from his horse one month after his marriage. So very sad.

Maria, and was left destitute, because there was no will - how could her parents not have seen to this I ask myself? She married again - a Mr Fitzherbert.

Yes, she is indeed Maria Fitzherbert, who later illegally married the Prince Regent. Her marriage was never recognized.

And there we have the connection.  I think the Weld family were wrong not to support Edward's widow, don't you?

Until next time.....

Lullworth Castle 4

We continue our tour.
 To give you a feel for the house in its grandeur, here is the door out to the park


This picture shows the grand cantilevered staircase rising to the first floor, built in 1780's and in use during our period of the Regency.
And here it is today.  Gosh, I did so want to explore that arched corridor. Alas, no stairs.

During the Regency, the following events took place at Lullworth.  The owner, Thomas Weld died and his son, also names Thomas, inherited the castle.  He did not live here.

From 1816 to 1826 the castle was let to some illustrious tenants.  The Barings, Robert Peel (of policeforce fame) and the Duke of Gloucester.

During this time Nelson won the battle of Trafalgar and Wellington defeated Napoleon.

There is a gem on this estate that I am keeping as a little secret, until next time.....

Lullworth Castle 3

It is always fascinating to poke around in someone's home, even if those people are long gone.  This was the saloon in the Regency. Originally the Great Hall, a place where visitors would have processed through to reach the Great Chamber and the State Apartments on the first floor. (2nd floor in North America).


 This is how it looks now, but we are kindly given a picture of how it looked before the fire.


While not Regency, it is easy to imagine it looking like this in our period. If you have a character living in a house like this remember that this room was also the route to other rooms in the house.



As usual I am fascinated by the other nooks and crannies in these old places.  These stairs obviously originate back the the more castle-like structure of the house.  No doubt the servants route from one place to another.  The picture is grainy because without the use of a flash it was too dark to be seen, so I have brightened it.

And here we have a view of the house as it was in the time of Humphrey Weld who owned the house after the Howards.

Until next time.......

Lullworth Castle 2

Once a country house in a vast estate, Lullworth Castle is now this.



The castle was destroyed by fire in 1929 and is now an empty shell.

One can only imagine the feeling of loss. Certainly I felt sad when I walked into the building.







Still there is quite a bit to see and some information to garner of use in our period, so we will continue our visit next time.....



Lullworth Castle 1


Our next visit to a Great Country House is to Lullworth Castle near the coast of Dorset.

At first view, this is a magnificent building built in the seventeenth century by Lord Binden as a hunting lodge and later became a country house, is as as tempting as chocolate cake.

Sadly the chocolate is more bitter than sweet. But I get a head of myself.

Here are some of the views we saw on our approach from the car park.  This first one were it not for the paved road could have been just as it ws in the Regency.

The trees are old and the park is vast.
 One can quite imagine ascending these magnificent steps in a regency ball gown.

What comes next is a completely different experience, but these outer views are to be enjoyed in their own right.  I believe I have more later from other angles, but let us start here.

Until next time...…

My latest novel, Captured Countess is still  in stores and can also be found on line at:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon Canada
Barnes and Noble
Chapters Indigo Canada

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Athelhampton Part VI

I am going to leave you with some external views of Athelhampton before we move on in our tour of Britain and some of its great country houses.

 These views show just how worth a visit to this lovely old house is.
And last but not least the River Piddle.

One cannot make this stuff up.

Until next time....

Athelhampton Part V

Athelhampton. I keep thinking how much I love that name. 

Much of the upstairs was changed during renovations in 1863, for example what is now called the library was then three bedrooms in the west wing. I did love these steps which would have brought one into the west wing added in the early 16th century, and would, in our time, have been the entrance to the corridor with the bedrooms leading off.

Here are some other little nooks that caught my fancy as I moved around the house.
 They are presented for atmosphere rather than any particular significance.

The next room we entered is called the King's Room traditionally the place where the manorial court would be held in the name of the king.

It is now a bedroom with lovely linenfold panelling.  The tester bedstead is Charles 1, the oak coffer  from James the first's time and the brass lantern clock  from the late 17th century and made in Dorset.

All of these items could have been found in a Regency dwelling, since they survived until now, but my guess is they would have been thought dreadfully heavy and old fashioned by our fashion-conscious heroes and heroines.

Until Next time.....

Athelhampton Part 4

I cannot believe I have left you hanging around in the King's antechamber since November. Where did those last few weeks go. Thanksgiving and Christmas eating it all up. So let us return to our wanderings around this lovely old house, parts of which I used in Captured Countess.

We have moved on to the Great Chamber or drawing room, used in earlier times as a granery - hard to imagine.  Recall that only things that would have been around in the regency are covered in this blog, so despite the many beautiful artifacts to be found in each house, I focus on only a few.

 Here we have yet another heraldic window commemorating the owners of Athelhampton and their alliances.  If this is your thing, go on line and find out more. For me this would be a way of presenting the backdrop to my characters.


The panelling is seventeenth century and has Elizabethan carved panel over the fireplace in the "Italian" manner.  Something about all the wood makes it quite cosy.

A few pieces of furniture stuck out for me. The George I walnut bureau and desk from around 1720


 and the George II mahogany breakfront bookcase after the style of William Kent. The latter now displaying china. Each side of it leads back to the antechamber


 And this William and Mary japanned cabinet.

Until next time......

My latest novel, Captured Countess is still  in stores and can also be found on line at:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon Canada
Barnes and Noble
Chapters Indigo Canada

Athelhampton - Dorset

Athelhampton House in Dorset is full of lovely surprises and I will reveal them as we go along. Rambling Regency Britain is always a joy, mostly because much of what I discover predates the Regency so I have a chance to enjoy more history rather than less.

 Located in the heart of Thomas Hardy Country, Athelhampton is a privately owned home and has been for 500 years.  And since we are focusing on the Regency we are focusing on the Long family who owned the residence until the mid 1800's

This was my first view of the house on the day of the Queen's Jubilee in 2012. The original gatehouse, removed in the mid 1800's according the the guide book, but the arch is quite similar. The gate house was a two story affair, the arch wide enough for carriages leading into the a courtyardwalled on two sides with the "L" shaped house making up the other two sides of a rough square.




Here you can see the two wings of the building.  The front of the house is the original 15th Century Great Hall and buttery with an attached solar.

In the sixteenth century the west wing, on the left was added to that original building.

It is such a treasure and such a privilege to see inside this wonderful old house





As we get closer we cannot help but be enchanted the the embattled frontage and this wonderful window in the corner of the two wings at the solar end of the Great Hall


First we have to go inside so you will follow me through this ancient door beneath  the tower-like entrance porch. Or you may want to sit awhile on the stone benches and soak up the ambiance, like a lady waiting for her carriage to be brought around from the stables.

Until next time.....






Montacute Continued

I have this odd interest in ice houses, perhaps because these houses are underground to the keep the ice from melting and are always an adventure to find.  The one at Motacute was no different.

This ice house was thought to have been built in the late 18th  or early nineteenth century. So definitely in our period of the Regency.  It was, of course quite far from the house and half way to the ice ponds in the grounds.
 
This is the path we walked along to reach it and yet through that narrow little gap in the wall and then down.
and around. A great deal of thought and effort went into this. Clearly ice was deemed important.

I would not have wanted to be the one delivering or retrieving this ice.

 There is a latin inscription above the entrance Glacies frondeat atque Nives

Freshness springs from the ice and snow.


Ice was carried to the kitchen, washed and used in wine coolers and ice pails to cool drinks. It was also used to make ice desserts. Fish, game and fruit might also be placed directly on the ice to keep them fresh.


 This view on the left looks directly down into the bottom of the circular house. Poor person who had to go down there to chip out the ice on a regular basis.

They would have had a bucket and pulley system to removed the chipped ice, which would have been packed down to form a solid mass.  The ice could sometimes last as long as two years in such a deep house, and well packed with straw.

The second view is of the ceiling which is also circular and domed.

Okay so that is my ice house fix for a while. Hope you enjoyed the adventure too. One day I will find a way to feature an ice house in a book.  Dead body perhaps, frozen for two years. Hmmm. I will have to think about that one.










Montacute House Continued

Our last view of the inside of the house.

 True to its medieval roots the house retains the screen, the wall that separated  the servants preparing the meals and those dining.

We saw it from the other side.
 Opposite the screen was once a smaller buttery with a cellar below it and a passaage on the west side which would have linked the Hall with the kitchen.  This is where the butler would have dispensed the beer and wine. During the Regency it became a Common Parlour, and much later enlarged into the dining room we see today.

Five of the chairs at the dining room table are Cromwellian "farthingale" chairs with leather seats and backs.
The fireplace dates from the renovations done in the Regency era.

Next time we will take a wander in the grounds and  have a closer look at the oriole window mentioned earlier.

Until next time....

Montacute House Part VII


I frequently find myself gazing out of the windows when visiting one of these great houses.  Here is another view showing the garden and at the end of a wall, one of two pavilions which were designed as extra bedrooms.

I would love to have been one of the guests assigned to one of these rooms. Imagine the quiet. Though it would be a hike for breakfast.
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A huge feature of Montacute is its Long Gallery. An important room, used for exercise by the family in inclement weather and I would guess, the odd ball.

It is in a room like this that I imagined Merry playing battledor with Caro's young son Tommy in More than a Mistress, though I had invested that gallery with suits of armor. I needed something for them to tie a string to.

Interestingly enough, several bedrooms lead off this gallery.

I took this picture to show the length of the gallery. These days I would think a gym would be pleased to have such a space for a running track.


At the southern end of the gallery there is an oriel window. It is hard to see it because of the drapery.

But here it is from the outside. Just beautiful


And here is another view. Not all of these gardens are as they were in the Regency owing to the the vagaries of fortune, but they are still beautiful to see.


Until next time....

Montacute House Part VI


It is always fascinating exploring the nooks and crannies of someone elses' house, and Montacute House has a great many.  For a writer it is always handy to have pictures of odd corners. You never know when you might need a spot for your characters to lurk or meet.




  Our next stop, way of stairs and passages,  is the library, once the Great Chamber where the Elizabethan family would have received their most important visitors and dined in state.



 It became a library in 1791.




During the regency and after it became as we see it today, with the original Elizabethan chimney peice and frieze and the stained glass window.





 I particularly like this set of rolling steps which were u8sed to access the higher shelves of the book presses.










This next item, a porch of sorts was added to the library much later. It used to be the entrance to the parlour.
Intended to intimidate wrong doers who appeared before the magistrate, no doubt.

The motto says  "Do This".


Until next time

Montacute House Part V

How about this for a view from one of your windows?

I have to say, they did know about pleasing the eye and that kind of pleasure has not diminished over the centuries.







All right, so you may think I am strange, after seeing this next series of pictures of a staircase. I just loved this staircase and if you are bored please feel free to skip.


Isn't that such an interesting corner?  That door just itches to be opened.

The steps are built of huge slabs of Ham stone.





They flow upwards in short runs, to stop one from getting tired, I assume. And look at the wide  surface of each step and the gentle rise.

One can imagine the elegant and stately progress. An easy glide in a long gown.
  Some interesting dimensions for those who have persevered.

The steps measure seven feet across.

They wind around a central pier that measures five feet by twelve feet, almost the size of a small room.

The walls are pierced by shell-headed niches at intervals. You can see one in the picture directly above this text.

Naturally, you want to see where these stairs go.  Naturally, I am saving that for another  time.

Until then.....