Knebworth House
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Knebworth House is a country house near Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England.
The home of the Lytton family, it was originally a red-brick Tudor manor house but was transformed in 1843 into the present Gothic structure. Its most famous resident was Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the Victorian author, dramatist and statesman. Much of the interior was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, and the herb garden was laid out by Gertrude Jekyll.
The current resident is Henry Lytton-Cobbold and his family.
With its park, it is open to the public and has many family-oriented attractions. 30 miles north of London, it is approached directly from junction 7 of the A1(M) motorway.
[edit] Rock concerts
Knebworth House and Park have hosted Rock concerts since 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band attracted 60,000. Since then, it has been the scene of outdoor extravaganzas featuring Pink Floyd (1975, 1990), The Rolling Stones (1976), Genesis (1978, 1992), Frank Zappa (1978), Led Zeppelin (1979, their final two UK shows, playing to record crowds in excess of 200,000 people), Mike Oldfield (1980), The Beach Boys (1980), Cliff Richard (1983, 1990), Deep Purple (1985) and Queen (1986- their final show with Freddie Mercury) .
On 30 June 1990, the park was the location for The Silver Clef Award Winners Concert, a big live show with performance of various artists included Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard & The Shadows, Pink Floyd (with Candy Dulfer), Tears for Fears, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Elton John, Robert Plant, Status Quo and Genesis.
In 1996, The Charlatans, Kula Shaker, Manic Street Preachers, Ocean Colour Scene and The Prodigy supported Oasis at two shows with a combined audience of over 250,000.
In 2003, Robbie Williams performed at Knebworth over a three day period, drawing crowds of over 375,000, and a further 3.5 million who watched live on television and online. A subsequent album, entitled "Robbie Williams – Live At Knebworth", was released, and reached number two in the UK charts. A DVD release followed.
[edit] Trivia
- Exterior scenes of Bruce Wayne's manor in the 1989 film Batman were shot at Knebworth House.
- Scenes from Agent Cody Banks 2 were shot in and around the grounds of Knebworth House.
- The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Yule Ball Staircase Scene was filmed within the House itself.
- Local radio station Hertbeat FM broadcasts from the old "pump house" which provided water for the house. A deep well can be found buried beneath the breakfast show presenter's swivel chair.
