Hedsor House

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page.

Hedsor House is a Georgian style mansion in England in the southern most point of Buckinghamshire in the village of Hedsor. Perched overlooking the River Thames, a Manor house at Hedsor can be dated back to 1166 when the estate was owned by the de Hedsor Family.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

In 1583 Rowland Hynd built a new Tudor Manor House at Hedsor.[1] In 1764 William Irby, 1st Baron Boston, bought the manor house which became the Boston's stately home for the next 160 years.[citation needed]

The house was badly damaged by fire in 1795 and eventually demolished in 1865. At about this time the architect, James Knowles was commissioned by George Irby, 4th Baron Boston to design a new house at Hedsor. It was completed in 1868 and was modelled in an Italian Villa style but with a domed hallway rather than an open courtyard.[1]

King George III and later, Queen Victoria were both frequent visitors with Baron Boston building the Hedsor Folly to commemorate King George’s victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.[2]

[edit] Current

The current house is a "Georganised" version of the Victorian house. The house is at the end of a kilometre- long private drive in an 85 [3]acre estate. The surrounding park is Grade II listed on the English Heritage register.[4]

In the 1960s the house became an international Conference centre before being restored at the beginning of the 2000s[citation needed] and it is now used for exclusive corporate events.[3]

The House has also been used as a film location. Some BBC dramas have featured the house and also film productions including The Golden Compass which used the interior of the house for some sets.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c About Hedsor House. Hedsor House. Retrieved on 2008-04-10.
  2. ^ Brenchley Wheals, Brian (1984). Theirs Were But Human Hearts A Local History of Three Thameside Parishes: Wooburn, Little Marlow and Hedsor. Bourne End, Buckinghamshire: H.S. Publishing, 85. ISBN 0950905305. 
  3. ^ a b "Hedsor House is open for business" (PDF) (February, 2008). Britain Calling: 22. VisitBritain. 
  4. ^ Hedsor House. U.K. Database of Historic Parks and Gardens (2002-01-21). Retrieved on 2008-04-10.
  5. ^ Dark Materials: Design and Locations of The Golden Compass. Visual Hollywood (2007). Retrieved on 2008-04-27.

[edit] External links