Raynham Hall

Michael Ridgdill

RAYNHAM HALL An English Country House Revealed Foreword by John Julius Norwich Principal Photography by Julius Beltrame

CONTENTS

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Foreword

7

Preface

9

Introduction

11

Chapter I: A Modern House for an Ancient Family

23

Chapter II: A King’s Triumphant Return

51

Chapter III: The Arrival of Kent & Ripley

63

Chapter IV: The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall

87

Chapter V: A 21st Century Renaissance

99

Tour of the House

131

Acknowledgements

221

Index

223

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FOREWORD

In all of England there are few lovelier houses than Raynham. Unlike its neighbours Holkham and Houghton, there is nothing palatial about it. Despite its size, it feels quietly comfortable and domestic; a house that was designed to be admired, but to be loved as well. Yet the question remains: who did the designing? Inigo Jones himself has been suggested – in 1621 he had just completed the Prince’s Lodging at Newmarket, only fifty miles away. He may well have had a hand in it; however, in the early seventeenth century, ‘architects’ as we know them today were virtually unknown. My money is on the two men most closely concerned: Sir Roger Townshend who commissioned the house, and the builder William Edge, whom we know to have been responsible for the nearby Hunstanton Hall – tragically damaged by fire in 1951.

As so often for houses in East Anglia, Raynham reminds us that Holland is not far away. (Indeed, until the nineteenth century, the Low Countries were a good deal more easily accessible than London in winter.) Just look at that warm, mellow red brick, and at those big pedimented Dutch gables with their circular windows. When you enter the house, however, two interesting things happen. First, you find yourself in the eighteenth century rather than the seventeenth, and second, you leave Holland behind.

You are now unquestionably in England and, what is more, the England of William Kent.

Kent had been working through most of the 1720s for Sir Robert Walpole at Houghton, only five miles away, so it was hardly surprising that he should come on to Raynham in 1730 at the request of Sir Robert’s Secretary of State Lord ‘Turnip’ Townshend. His is the spectacular Entrance Hall, with its magnificent ceiling, a gigantic Townshend coat of arms at its centre.

It is not for me to give a guided tour, but I cannot resist making brief mention of Raynham’s largest and most opulent room, named – after a portrait of the Emperor Justinian’s great general which, alas, no longer hangs in the house – the Belisarius Room. Seen from the inside, the three central windows give the impression of a huge Venetian window filling the entire wall; but the real tour de force is, once again, the almost unbelievably rich plaster ceiling with its four painted panels. These are the work of Kent himself.

The present Lord Townshend, when he inherited Raynham in 2010, was faced with a literally monumental task. The house was in a deplorable condition, needing several million pounds to be spent on its restoration. He and Lady Townshend have been working with total dedication on it ever since, bit by bit as the money becomes available, and will in all likelihood continue to do so for several more years to come. When, finally, the work is done, and Raynham looks once again as Sir Roger intended, our debt to them will be great indeed.

The gracefulness of the Stone Staircase owes much credit to the skylight from which soft light filters downward.

John Julius Norwich

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PREFACE

Compiling and presenting the information in this book has been a profound honour for me. At a certain point in history, Raynham Hall welcomed the most important people in England, people whose decisions would greatly affect the course of history. While the size and scale of Raynham Hall may disqualify it as a palace, its history and significance qualify it as a house of national importance.

In order to narrate the story of Raynham Hall, it is essential to also narrate the story of the ancient Townshend family who built it, and are still calling it home 400 years later.

I consider myself incredibly privileged to have spent a great deal of time at Raynham Hall since it became occupied by the current Marquess and Marchioness Townshend, and I find it deeply rewarding to see the house undergoing a renaissance at the moment. One aspect of this renaissance is the accumulation and integration of new information that is continuously surfacing from the archives. At the time this book was compiled and written, it was based on the most recent knowledge available, knowledge that will undoubtedly grow as the years pass. Nevertheless, this book serves as the first attempt at a comprehensive survey of Raynham Hall and its evolution, both architecturally and historically. With Raynham Hall making itself publicly accessible for the first time in history, my goal with this book is to cultivate a renewed interest in this very special house, and to recognise it as one of the most important houses in all of England.

Raynham Hall’s southeast façade, at morning..

Michael Ridgdill

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RUNNING HEAD

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A 21ST CENTURY RENAISSANCE

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Outdoor apparal is left behind by family and guests before going upstairs.

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A 21ST CENTURY RENAISSANCE

Furniture sometimes finds its way into the basement.

Following pages: A misty morning view of the lake.

Raynham Hall prepares for a misty night.

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RUNNING HEAD

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“In all of England there are few lovelier houses than Raynham.”

John Julius Norwich

ISBN: 978-1-85149-860-4

ËxHSLIPBy498604zv;:;:!:!:! £30.00/$50.00

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