67-596: Dunham Massey Hall , usually known simply as Dunham Massey , is an English country house in the parish of Dunham Massey in the district of Trafford , near Altrincham , Greater Manchester . During World War I it was temporarily used as the Stamford Military Hospital . It was designated a Grade I listed building on 5 March 1959. It has been owned by the National Trust since the death of Roger Grey, 10th and last Earl of Stamford in 1976. Dunham Massey
134-415: A Khoekhoe woman, was the daughter of a freed, formerly enslaved, woman. She and the 8th Earl married in 1880. They had two children already, John and Frances, and their third, Mary, was born after they married. Despite their marriage being recognised by South African law at the time, it was not recognised under English law. This meant that at the 8th Earl's death in 1890, his son, John, could not inherit, and
201-525: A personification of Africa , produced by the sculptor Andries Carpentière in c. 1735 after a figure by John van Nost for King William III 's privy garden at Hampton Court . In June 2020, after numerous calls were made for the removal of statues in Britain with links to the slave trade in the wake of the murder of George Floyd , the National Trust said that the decision had been made to move
268-523: A date of 1721. Also south of the hall are the stable buildings, also Grade I listed. They probably date from 1721, but the west side was extended in the 18th century. The Stables Restaurant is located in the upstairs of the South Stables, with an ice-cream parlour below. The oldest surviving building on the Dunham Estate is the watermill, possibly dating back to 1616. Originally built as a corn mill, it
335-428: A fortunate few; it was the centre of its own world, providing employment to hundreds of people in the vicinity of its estate . In previous eras, when state benefits were unheard of, those working on an estate were among the most fortunate, receiving secured employment and rent-free accommodation. At the summit of this category of people was the indoor staff of the country house. Unlike many of their contemporaries prior to
402-524: A mixture of high architecture , often as interpreted by a local architect or surveyor, and determined by practicality as much as by the whims of architectural taste. An example of this is Brympton d'Evercy in Somerset, a house of many periods that is unified architecturally by the continuing use of the same mellow, local Ham Hill stone . The fashionable William Kent redesigned Rousham House only to have it quickly and drastically altered to provide space for
469-595: A nursemaid. Martha was the daughter of a Cape freed slave whom he had met a decade before in Wellington. When his second wife died in 1874, Harry Grey entered into a relationship with Martha which led to the birth of a son, John, in 1879, and a daughter, Frances. He married Martha in 1880 to legitimise the two children. In 1882, the couple had a further daughter, who would become Lady Mary Grey. The middle daughter of Harry Grey and Martha Solomons died of smallpox at an early age, which coincided with Harry Grey becoming Earl. On
536-475: Is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house . This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country. However, the term also encompasses houses that were, and often still are, the full-time residence for the landed gentry who dominated rural Britain until
603-419: Is also one painting is from 1690 by Adrien van Diest showing the earlier Elizabethan mansion. Another significant work in the art collection is an Allegory of Time by Guercino . A life-sized statue of an exoticised black man wearing only a skirt of feathers, in a kneeling position and holding a sundial above his head, was previously situated at the front of the house. It is believed to have originally been
670-463: Is an English country house in the parish of Dunham Massey in the district of Trafford , near Altrincham , Greater Manchester . It was formerly in the ancient parish of Bowdon , Cheshire. 'Old' Sir George Booth, 1st Baronet built the first mansion on the site in the early 17th-century. However, the house remained uncompleted by the time of his death and was only completed after the Civil War in
737-500: Is called a castle, but not all buildings with the name "castle" are fortified (for example Highclere Castle in Hampshire ). The term stately home is subject to debate, and avoided by historians and other academics. As a description of a country house, the term was first used in a poem by Felicia Hemans , "The Homes of England", originally published in Blackwood's Magazine in 1827. In
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#1732844549717804-473: Is politics; they talk politics; and they make politics, quite spontaneously. There are no written terms for distinguishing between vast country palaces and comparatively small country houses; the descriptive terms, which can include castle , manor and court , provide no firm clue and are often only used because of a historical connection with the site of such a building. Therefore, for ease or explanation, Britain's country houses can be categorised according to
871-559: Is the ITV series Downton Abbey . Harry Grey, 8th Earl of Stamford Harry Grey, 8th Earl of Stamford (26 February 1812 – 19 June 1890) was an English peer and Anglican clergyman. Harry Grey was born in England, the son of Revd. Harry Grey (1783–1860) and Frances Elizabeth Ellis. He was educated at Sherborne and at Oxford , well-schooled in the classics, including Latin, Greek, Theology and Philosophy. In 1836, he took Holy Orders in
938-671: The Cape Colony , he stayed in the historic Cape Town suburb of Wynberg , and then worked as a miner in Namaqualand . Later he was, by all accounts, a farm labourer just outside the hamlet of Wellington . His first wife died in Devon in 1869. After siring a child, Emma, with Caroline Collins, he remarried in 1872 in the Cape Colony. Ann McNamara, his second wife, was suffering from tuberculosis and he engaged his future third wife, Martha Solomons , as
1005-624: The Crucifixion by Grinling Gibbons , which hangs in the Library, is the earliest known work by the 17th-century wood carver. It is on this piece of work he was working when he was discovered by John Evelyn in 1671. A group of paintings of the house and estate, known as the Harris Views, showing the 1730s mansion, were described by Simon Jenkins as "the most remarkable topographical survey of any country house and its grounds to remain in situ ." There
1072-506: The National Trust since the death of the 10th and last Earl of Stamford in 1976. Over 439,000 people visited the site in 2020/21, making it one of the National Trust's top ten most popular sites; it was also the only site whose visitor figures increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. 53°22′58″N 2°24′00″W / 53.3827°N 2.4000°W / 53.3827; -2.4000 English country house An English country house
1139-502: The Reform Act 1832 . Frequently, the formal business of the counties was transacted in these country houses, having functional antecedents in manor houses . With large numbers of indoor and outdoor staff, country houses were important as places of employment for many rural communities. In turn, until the agricultural depressions of the 1870s , the estates, of which country houses were the hub, provided their owners with incomes. However,
1206-560: The stables . In the 1730s, John Norris was brought in to redesign the whole mansion by the 2nd Earl of Warrington , with a design of brick façade accentuated by bays and a stone centrepiece. George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington died in 1758, and in a move remarkable for the eighteenth century, ensured that his only child, a daughter, Lady Mary Booth (1704–72), would inherit and control the estate. She married her cousin, Harry Grey, 4th Earl of Stamford (1736–68), whose family properties included his estate of Enville Hall . Lady Mary oversaw
1273-502: The 1850s, with the English economy booming, new mansions were built in one of the many revivalist architectural styles popular throughout the 19th century. The builders of these new houses were able to take advantage of the political unrest in Europe that gave rise to a large trade in architectural salvage. This new wave of country house building is exemplified by the Rothschild properties in
1340-419: The 18th century with houses such as Castle Howard , Kedleston Hall and Holkham Hall . Such building reached its zenith from the late 17th century until the mid-18th century; these houses were often completely built or rebuilt in their entirety by one eminent architect in the most fashionable architectural style of the day and often have a suite of Baroque state apartments, typically in enfilade , reserved for
1407-481: The 20th century, the term was later popularised in a song by Noël Coward , and in modern usage it often implies a country house that is open to visitors at least some of the time. In England, the terms "country house" and "stately home" are sometimes used vaguely and interchangeably; however, many country houses such as Ascott in Buckinghamshire were deliberately designed not to be stately, and to harmonise with
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#17328445497171474-474: The 20th century, they slept in proper beds, wore well-made adequate clothes and received three proper meals a day, plus a small wage. In an era when many still died from malnutrition or lack of medicine, the long working hours were a small price to pay. As a result of the aristocratic habit of only marrying within the aristocracy, and whenever possible to a sole heiress, many owners of country houses owned several country mansions, and would visit each according to
1541-508: The 6th Earl of Stamford and Warrington , inherited the estate and began to introduce modernisations to the house. The 6th Earl died in 1845, and his grandson, George Harry Grey , inherited and became the 7th Earl of Stamford. He married twice, first to Elizabeth (Bessie) King Billage, a shoemaker's daughter from Cambridge; the second to Catherine Cocks, a circus performer. However, the local gentry rejected his choices of wife, which led him to leave Dunham Massey and move to Enville Hall. The house
1608-449: The 9th Earl died in 1910, just as the family was due to move in. Until these modifications, the southern front of the building had 11 three-storey bays; in order to make the building look more 17th-century in style, the third, fourth, eighth, and ninth bays were reduced to two stories with dormers , and a centrepiece of three bays was added, with columns each side of the central bay as well as stone pediments . William Grey died in 1910 and
1675-475: The Church of England. He married in Devon in 1844 to the "lower class" Susan Gaydon, but later developed a serious drink and gambling problem. He was sent to the Cape Colony as a remittance man , leaving his wife behind receiving a monthly stipend. It seems that there was an arrangement between them, and that she was not displeased with this development, having formed an attachment with a more suitable partner. Once in
1742-487: The Stamford Military Hospital from April 1917 to January 1919. It hosted 182 injured soldiers who had suffered injuries and needed medical care, but not life-threatening, ranging from gas poisoning to bullets in the brain. The hospital was run by Sister Catherine Bennett. Lady Stamford's daughter, Lady Jane Grey ( later Turnbull), trained as a nurse at the hospital. From 1 March 2014 until 11 November 2016,
1809-563: The United Kingdom. On his death in 1890, the title of 9th Earl and the traditional parliamentary seat in the House of Lords was disputed. Although John Grey was Harry's son and heir according to the law and custom of the Cape Colony, the claim was deemed invalid as, under English law, the later marriage of parents did not legitimise any child born prior to their legal union. (John's younger sister, Mary, having been born after her parents' marriage,
1876-597: The accidental death of his third cousin, George Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, in 1883, he inherited the titles of Earl of Stamford and Baron Grey of Groby , and the estate (which was the ancient "family seat") at Dunham Massey in Cheshire. In 1885, he gave up 250 acres (1.0 km ) of the land to develop the industrial estate of Broadheath in Altrincham . He and his wife chose to remain in Wynberg, Cape Town, and he never returned to
1943-467: The best-known examples of the showy prodigy house , often built with the intention of attracting the monarch to visit. By the reign of Charles I , Inigo Jones and his form of Palladianism had changed the face of English domestic architecture completely, with the use of turrets and towers as an architectural reference to the earlier castles and fortified houses completely disappearing. The Palladian style, in various forms, interrupted briefly by baroque ,
2010-520: The circumstances of their creation. The great houses are the largest of the country houses; in truth palaces, built by the country's most powerful – these were designed to display their owners' power or ambitions to power. Really large unfortified or barely fortified houses began to take over from the traditional castles of the crown and magnates during the Tudor period, with vast houses such as Hampton Court Palace and Burghley House , and continued until
2077-513: The country saw the building of the first of the unfortified great houses. Henry VIII 's Dissolution of the Monasteries saw many former ecclesiastical properties granted to the King's favourites, who then converted them into private country houses. Woburn Abbey , Forde Abbey and many other mansions with abbey or priory in their name became private houses during this period. Other terms used in
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2144-428: The design of the wing around the next corner. These varying "improvements", often criticised at the time, today are the qualities that make English country houses unique. Wealthy and influential people, often bored with their formal duties, go to the country in order to get out of London, the ugliest and most uncomfortable city in the world; they invented the long week-end to stay away as long as possible. Their métier
2211-427: The early 1970s, hundreds of country houses were demolished . Houses that survived destruction are now mostly Grade I or II listed as buildings of historic interest with restrictions on restoration and re-creation work. However such work is usually very expensive. Several houses have been restored, some over many years. For example at Copped Hall where the restoration started in 1995 continues to this day. Although
2278-514: The gardens housed over 700 plant species, as well as 1,600 trees and shrubs; it hosts the largest winter garden in Britain. The Winter Garden has many snowdrops , daffodils and bluebells . During the Second World War, the eastern part of the estate was requisitioned for use first as a US Army camp and later repurposed as Dunham Massey POW Camp . The stately home was designated a Grade I listed building on 5 March 1959. It has been owned by
2345-473: The home counties and Bletchley Park (rebuilt in several styles, and famous for its code-breaking role in World War II). The slow decline of the English country house coincided with the rise not just of taxation, but also of modern industry, along with the agricultural depression of the 1870s. By 1880, this had led some owners into financial shortfalls as they tried to balance maintenance of their estates with
2412-435: The household. These houses were always an alternative residence to a London house. During the 18th and 19th centuries, for the highest echelons of English society, the country house served as a place for relaxing, hunting and running the country with one's equals at the end of the week, with some houses having their own theatre where performances were staged. The country house, however, was not just an oasis of pleasure for
2479-551: The immediately preceding war then in World War I, were now paying far higher rates of tax, and agricultural incomes had dropped. Thus, the solution for many was to hold contents auctions and then demolish the house and sell its stone, fireplaces , and panelling . This is what happened to many of Britain's finest houses. Despite this slow decline, so necessary was the country house for entertaining and prestige that in 1917 Viscount Lee of Fareham donated his country house Chequers to
2546-438: The income they provided. Some relied on funds from secondary sources such as banking and trade while others, like the severely impoverished Duke of Marlborough , sought to marry American heiresses to save their country houses and lifestyles. The ultimate demise began immediately following World War I . The members of the huge staff required to maintain large houses had either left to fight and never returned, departed to work in
2613-484: The landscape, while some of the great houses such as Kedleston Hall and Holkham Hall were built as "power houses" to dominate the landscape, and were most certainly intended to be "stately" and impressive. In his book Historic Houses: Conversations in Stately Homes , the author and journalist Robert Harling documents nineteen "stately homes"; these range in size from the vast Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard to
2680-415: The late 19th and early 20th centuries were the swansong of the traditional English country house lifestyle. Increased taxation and the effects of World War I led to the demolition of hundreds of houses ; those that remained had to adapt to survive. While a château or a Schloss can be a fortified or unfortified building, a country house, similar to an Ansitz , is usually unfortified. If fortified, it
2747-432: The later 17th century by his grandson, 'Young' George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer . He inherited family debts, and spent a considerable amount of energy investing in the future of Dunham Massey Hall; he planted trees to sell for timber, and worked to recoup unpaid debts. The mansion 's service courtyard dates from c. 1721 . The clock tower is inscribed with that date, suggesting that was when improvements were made to
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2814-540: The latter two are ducal palaces, Montacute, although built by a Master of the Rolls to Queen Elizabeth I, was occupied for the next 400 years by his descendants, who were gentry without a London townhouse , rather than aristocracy. They finally ran out of funds in the early 20th century. However, the vast majority of English country houses, often owned at different times by gentlemen and peers , are an evolution of one or more styles with facades and wings in different styles in
2881-568: The main ward at Stamford Military Hospital (known as "Baghdad"), along with the operating theatre, nurses' station and the recreation room were recreated to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the start of World War I, along with actors playing the role of characters who worked, lived and recovered at the hospital. Dunham Massey contains one of the most significant collections of Huguenot silver , largely collected by George Booth , 2nd Earl of Warrington . During his 64 years at Dunham Massey, he accumulated over 1000 pieces of silver. One sixth of
2948-639: The minuscule Ebberston Hall , and in architecture from the Jacobean Renaissance of Hatfield House to the eccentricities of Sezincote . The book's collection of stately homes also includes George IV's Brighton town palace, the Royal Pavilion . The country houses of England have evolved over the last five hundred years. Before this time, larger houses were usually fortified, reflecting the position of their owners as feudal lords , de facto overlords of their manors . The Tudor period of stability in
3015-416: The most eminent guests, the entertainment of whom was of paramount importance in establishing and maintaining the power of the owner. The common denominator of this category of English country houses is that they were designed to be lived in with a certain degree of ceremony and pomp. It was not unusual for the family to have a small suite of rooms for withdrawing in privacy away from the multitude that lived in
3082-399: The munitions factories, or filled the void left by the fighting men in other workplaces. Of those who returned after the war, many left the countryside for better-paid jobs in towns. The final blow for many country houses came following World War II ; having been requisitioned during the war, they were returned to the owners in poor repair. Many estate owners, having lost their heirs, if not in
3149-468: The names of houses to describe their origin or importance include palace , castle , court , hall , mansion , park , house , manor , and place . It was during the second half of the reign of Elizabeth I , and under her successor, James I , that the first architect-designed mansions, thought of today as epitomising the English country house, began to make their appearance. Burghley House , Longleat House , and Hatfield House are among
3216-450: The nation for the use of a prime minister who might not possess one of his or her own. Chequers still fulfills that need today as do both Chevening House and Dorneywood , donated for sole use of high-ranking ministers of the Crown. Today, many country houses have become hotels, schools, hospitals and museums, while others have survived as conserved ruins, but from the early 20th century until
3283-499: The original plate remains at Dunham Massey, with much of the collection being dispersed by the Countess of Stamford and Warrington (who died in 1905), widow of George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford and Warrington (died 1883). The 10th Earl , Roger Grey , expended much money and effort in returning family heirlooms originally from Dunham Massey. There is a fine collection of oil paintings and watercolours . The relief wood-carving of
3350-468: The owner of a "power house" or a small manor, the inhabitants of the English country house have become collectively referred to as the ruling class, because this is exactly what they did in varying degrees, whether by having high political influence and power in national government, or in the day-to-day running of their own localities or "county" in such offices as lord/deputy lieutenant , magistrates , or occasionally even clergy. The Country house mystery
3417-521: The owner's twelve children. Canons Ashby , home to poet John Dryden 's family, is another example of architectural evolution: a medieval farmhouse enlarged in the Tudor era around a courtyard, given grandiose plaster ceilings in the Stuart period , and then having Georgian façades added in the 18th century. The whole is a glorious mismatch of styles and fashions that seamlessly blend together. These could be called
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#17328445497173484-502: The ownership or management of some houses has been transferred to a private trust , most notably at Chatsworth , other houses have transferred art works and furnishings under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme to ownership by various national or local museums, but retained for display in the building. This enables the former owners to offset tax, the payment of which would otherwise have necessitated
3551-457: The private sale of the art works. For example, tapestries and furniture at Houghton Hall are now owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum . In addition, increasing numbers of country houses hold licences for weddings and civil ceremonies . Another source of income is to use the house as a venue for parties, a film location or a corporate entertainment venue. While many country houses are open to
3618-467: The public and derive income through that means, they remain homes, in some cases inhabited by the descendants of their original owners. The lifestyles of those living and working in a country house in the early 20th century were recreated in a BBC television programme, The Edwardian Country House , filmed at Manderston House in Scotland. Another television programme which features life in country houses
3685-534: The remodelling of the landscape at Dunham Massey, some of which, outside the park wall, that was reputedly undertaken by Lancelot Capability Brown . Their son, George Harry Grey, 5th Earl of Stamford and Warrington , inherited both Dunham Massey and Enville Hall, along with other properties. In the 1780s he commissioned a remodelling of the Great Gallery and the south front of the house by architect John Hope . He died in 1819, and his son, also George Harry Grey, but
3752-459: The season: Grouse shooting in Scotland , pheasant shooting and fox hunting in England. The Earl of Rosebery , for instance, had Dalmeny House in Scotland, Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, and another house near Epsom just for the racing season. For many, this way of life, which began a steady decline in 1914, continued well into the 20th century, and for a few continues to this day. In
3819-444: The second category of Britain's country houses are those that belonged to the squirearchy or landed gentry . These tend either to have evolved from medieval hall houses, with rooms added as required, or were purpose-built by relatively unknown local architects. Smaller, and far greater in number than the "power houses", these were still the epicentre of their own estate, but were often the only residence of their owner. However, whether
3886-409: The statue. The chapel has oak panelling, pews and reredos. The silk wallcoverings in the chapel are a modern recreation, based on the original silk fabric, made in 2015–16. The double courtyard house is built of Flemish bond brick, stone dressings, and a roof of Westmorland and Welsh slate. The Carriage House, south of the kitchen courtyard, is Grade I listed. It has a clock turret , which displays
3953-474: The title passed to William Grey, 9th Earl of Stamford , who was the nephew of the 7th Earl. He inherited the title, but no assets, until the death of the 7th Countess, Catherine Cox, in 1905. With his wife, Penelope Theobald , they led a programme of restoration for the house. The house was modified in 1905–1908 by architect Compton Hall , and by interior designer Percy Macquoid , in preparation for its reoccupation by William Grey, 9th Earl of Stamford. However,
4020-488: The true English country house. Wilton House , one of England's grandest houses, is in a remarkably similar vein; although, while the Drydens, mere squires, at Canons Ashby employed a local architect, at Wilton the mighty Earls of Pembroke employed the finest architects of the day: first Holbein , 150 years later Inigo Jones, and then Wyatt followed by Chambers. Each employed a different style of architecture, seemingly unaware of
4087-511: Was a popular genre of English detective fiction in the 1920s and 1930s; set in the residence of the gentry and often involving a murder in a country house temporarily isolated by a snowstorm or similar with the suspects all at a weekend house party. Following the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, a third category of country houses was built as newly rich industrialists and bankers were eager to display their wealth and taste. By
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#17328445497174154-453: Was later converted to a saw mill. It is Grade II* listed. It has historic formal gardens and a deer park . The park and gardens are listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . The park is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest , based on the significance of its mature timber fauna. The 300 acre deer park at Dunham Massey dates back to medieval times . As of 2012,
4221-469: Was legitimate under English law and therefore known as Lady Mary Grey. However, she could not inherit titles which passed down the male line.) A court case ensued and the title passed to Harry's first cousin, William Grey, 9th Earl of Stamford , who had lived in Barbados for many years. The Stamford lineage died out in 1976 with the death of the 10th Earl. Today, Dunham Massey is a tourist attraction owned by
4288-749: Was managed by Robert Cox, Catherine's nephew, and rented to tenants for periods in the subsequent fifty years. The descendants of Catherine's niece Sarah Letitia Cox, still occupy Enville Hall today. The 7th Earl died in 1883, and his cousin, the Reverend Harry Grey inherited the title of 8th Earl of Stamford, but never lived at Dunham. At the time of his inheritance, he was living in South Africa, having left England due to alcohol and gambling addictions. He married three times: his first wife Susan Gaydon died in 1869; his second wife Annie Macnamara died in 1874. His third wife, Martha Grey, Countess of Stamford ,
4355-427: Was re-built in the early 18th century by George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington . He had inherited an older mansion from his father, which was in a terrible state of repair. There were significant alterations, especially internally, at the start of the 20th century. It has historic formal gardens and a deer park . The park and gardens are listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . Dunham Massey
4422-486: Was succeeded by his son, Roger Grey, 10th Earl of Stamford , who donated the house, its contents, and the 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) estate to the National Trust at his death in 1976. At the time it was the trust's most generous bequest in its history. During World War I , Penelope Grey, Countess of Stamford, wife of the 9th Earl of Stamford, made the house available to the Red Cross as a military hospital, becoming known as
4489-422: Was to predominate until the second half of the 18th century when, influenced by ancient Greek styles, it gradually evolved into the neoclassicism championed by such architects as Robert Adam . Some of the best known of England's country houses were the work of only one architect/designer, built in a relatively short, particular time: Montacute House , Chatsworth House , and Blenheim Palace are examples. While
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