Haddon Hall - A Mediaeval and Tudor Gem

Haddon Hall is a fortified medieval manor house, its origins going back to the 11th century. The present Haddon Hall can best be described as a mix of mediaeval and Tudor architecture, having been built in various stages between the 13th and 17th centuries. Haddon Hall is Grade I listed; its estate and gardens are separately listed at Grade I as being of Special Historic Interest. With all this history, it's not surprising that Haddon Hall has provided the historical setting for many films.

At Haddon Hall, The Long Gallery looks out on to the gardens on the south side of the house.

The important attraction of Haddon Hall is that it has survived unscathed the various political and religious events such as Cromwell's Puritanism and the change-over from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of England. It has also avoided the changes in style from traditional to the Palladian (e.g. Robert Adam's influence) such as beset London's Osterley Park. Importantly, it also avoided the restoration zeal of the Victorians. In 1703, the 1st Duke of Rutland and his family made Belvoir Castle their main residence, and Haddon Hall remained dormant until the 1920s when the 9th Duke of Rutland realized Haddon Hall's importance and began a programme of carefully executed restoration.

Many generations of the Vernon and Manners families
are represented in this stained glass in the Parlour window.

Haddon Hall lies on the River Wye, about two miles south east of the centre of Bakewell in Derbyshire. (See this Link.) Today, the Hall is one of the seats of the Duke of Rutland and is currently occupied by his brother, Lord Edward Manners, and family. The Hall is part of the group of independent "Historic Houses".

Layout of Haddon Hall

Haddon Hall is built around two courtyards, appropriately called the upper and lower courtyards. Today, as mentioned, relatives of the owners of Haddon Hall live in part of the Hall. The main features which we, as visitors, saw of Haddon Hall, were the following.

• Banqueting Hall, (1370) (in many country houses, known as the Great Hall),
• Long Gallery (first floor),
• Great Chamber (first floor),
• Parlour (1370) (on the ground floor below the Great Chamber),
• Saint Nicholas Chapel (completed in 1427),
• Kitchen (1370) and
• Gardens.


Here you see the basic layout of Haddon Hall.




Entrance

The visitors' entrance to Haddon Hall is from the A6. We pass the sign welcoming us to Haddon Hall; the sign bears the "Arms of Manners, Duke of Rutland". We cross the River Wye over a traditional bridge, all the while enjoying our first view of Haddon Hall. We arrived early, so we enjoy coffee and toast in the restaurant above the old stables and coach house. The doors of the Principal Entrance, beneath one of the north towers, duly open at the stated time of 10:30, and we proceed to the lower courtyard of Haddon Hall. All the while, we admire our mediaeval surroundings.



The "Arms of Manners, Duke of Rutland" welcome us. These arms are also those of the Lady Manners School. They bear an inscription, which translates approximately as "strive to attain" - a worthy motto for Duke and School!




As we cross the old bridge over the River Wye, we have our first view of Haddon Hall.




Gently flows the River Wye.




The Principal (Visitors') Entrance to Haddon Hall ...




... is beneath a north tower sitting atop of a grassy slope and a flight of steps.




As we come into the lower courtyard, there are some more steps.
Here we look towards the Parlour (dining room).




Here we look towards the entrance to the Banqueting Hall (Great Hall).




Here we look towards the originally all-important Kitchen area.




The Banqueting Hall

The first "room" in Haddon Hall which we enter is the Banqueting Hall. In many houses this would be called the "Great Hall" and it was where the master and mistress and their household would congregate and eat their meals in a formal setting. In mediaeval times, before the arrival of dedicated kitchens, there would, in the centre of the "Great Hall", usually be an open fire to provide warmth and often the facility to roast an ox or wild boar. There would also be, as at Haddon Hall, a minstrel gallery to provide the music for those attending the banquet. There would often be an additional room, or solar, to which the master and mistress could retire after the banquet.

At Haddon Hall, the banqueting hall and its minstrels' gallery, the kitchens and the parlour, all date from 1370. At that time, dedicated kitchens were becoming part of manor houses.



After another flight of steps, we reach the entrance to the Banqueting Hall.




And here is the Banqueting Hall. The Vernon family were the forebears of the "Manners" family and the Dukes of Rutland. The French tapestry in the Banqueting Hall bears the coat of arms of Edward IV and was given to the Vernons by Henry VIII. The Vernon family - who originally owned Haddon Hall - made sure to be on the right side of the reigning monarch of the time!




The Kitchen

The kitchen in any country house was usually a hive of industry. It had to be, in order to keep the noble owners of the house, their guests and the servants, well dined and wined! Meat was roasted and bread and pastries were produced. Herbs from the herb garden were required. Vegetables and fruit were also on the menu. Syllabubs and cheeses added dairy produce to what was often a multi-course menu. Much dining and wining!



From the Banqueting Hall a passage between
the pantry and the buttery leads to the Kitchen.




We are in the main kitchen
and note that a "fruity existence" was enjoyed by the diners of old.




In the background on the right, appears to be the all-important hearth for spit-roasting.
What will it be today? Ox or wild boar?




The latest communications technology from the 1910s and 1920s has also gone into history.
This telephone was made by the "Sterling Telephone Co. Ltd, Telephone House, Tottenham Court Road, London". The Sterling Telephone Company was bought out by GEC in 1934.




The Parlour

For less formal occasions, the Parlour would be the dining room instead of the Banqueting Hall. The leaded windows bear two coats of arms represented in colourful stained glass. On the left, the circular shield represents many generations and parts of the Vernon family, including the Vernons themselves, Avenell and Manners. On the right is an example of the old royal coat of arms bearing the lions and the French "fleur-de-lys".



Here is the some of the old brickwork with crenellations, as seen through a doorway.




Here is the parlour with its wood panelling and large leaded window.
Large windows were regarded as a costly luxury in mediaeval times.
Large areas of glass could not be viably produced other than by combining smaller, often diamond-shaped, pieces held together with lead beading.




Leaded windows did, however, offer the opportunity of incorporating colourful stained glass. The colours were created by mixing in with the glass various types of earths and metal ores.




This circular shield represents many generations and parts of the Vernon family,
including the Vernons themselves, Avenell and Manners.




This is an old royal coat of arms bearing the lions and the French "fleur-de-lys". In fact, these are the coat of arms of Henry VIII no less! The Vernons benefitted from the said monarch, so it made sense to incorporate his coat of arms into the parlour window!




These two carved figures are thought to be of
King Henry VII and his wife, Elizabeth of York.




The Great Chamber

The Great Chamber at Haddon Hall was a Solar or Solarium, otherwise known as "an upper chamber of a mediaeval house". The name "Solar" derives from the sun. It was completed between 1540 and 1567 and served as a drawing room. Tapestries, wood beamed ceiling, the bay window and plaster frieze are ingredients for the ascetic enjoyment of this room.



The bay window and the wooden panelling and ceiling characterize this room.




The Long Gallery

The Long Gallery at Haddon Hall was innovative in that its design extended into the Garden. The exterior arches in the Fountain Terrace below were echoed by the balustrades on the interior panelling of the Long Gallery. The Gallery was designed for exercise, especially in inclement weather, as were the long galleries in many country houses. "Long and light" are the descriptions characterizing the Long Gallery at Haddon Hall. The Long Gallery dates from about 1600 and was one of the last rooms to be completed at Haddon Hall.

The coats of arms of the Vernon and Manners families, with boar's head and peacock respectively, cover the panelled walls and appear on the panes of the windows. The three large windows overlook the gardens. At the end of the Long Gallery we found the small wooden doorway leading to the ante-room and the state bedroom (minus bed) and to the gardens.



From the Long Gallery we look over the Gardens. Indeed, the Long Gallery was designed to "extend" into the Gardens, which could thus be enjoyed even in inclement weather.




Flowers climb the centuries-old brickwork.




In another view from the Long Gallery we take in, not only the terraced gardens, but two of the south-facing bay windows of the Long Gallery.




Here we look along the Long Gallery, which by mediaeval and Tudor standards is well lit.
The bay windows on our right look out over the Gardens.




The coats of arms of the Vernon and Manners families, with boar's head and peacock respectively, feature in my photo of the panelling in the north west corner of the Long Gallery.




This is a painting of Haddon Hall in the Landscape




Detail of Haddon Hall in the Landscape


 

The stained glass in the Long Gallery depicts
(on the left) the arms of the Manners-Vernon family and
(on the right) one of their "most advantageous connections" with the Earl of Shrewsbury.




Here are some more of the panelling and carving.
The Manners Peacock stands proudly over the pediment and one of the crests.




Here is a detail of a pattern which repeats in the carving.
The panelling represents many hours of skilled work by the craftsmen of old.
The carvings must be accurate and precise at the first attempt unless glue is available to restore the wrongly carved bits!




Above the fireplace in the state bedroom, we saw the plaster sculpture of Orpheus "charming the beasts". It is believed to date from the mid-16th century.




The Gardens await.




The Gardens

The terraced 17th century gardens can be regarded as an English interpretation of a 16th century Italian garden. From the following Link you can see that the main formal gardens are arranged around the eastern corner of the hall in two terraces which are connected by balustraded steps. The lower terrace contains the fountain, a refreshing aspect for the house's owners in Tudor times. The upper terrace contains a 17th century summer house and the knot garden.



On the Upper Terrace we see topiary work surrounded by flowers - lots of flowers.
We see part of the knot garden with plants that were popular 400 years ago.
Did I use the word "unchanged"? Well, an exception is this "Elizabethan knot garden", which was developed in 2012 on the original Bowling Green Terrace.




Here is the eastern end of the Long Gallery. The sun rises in the east,
so the Gallery would indeed catch the morning sun!




From the upper garden terrace, we look on to
the fountain and the two of the south-facing bow windows of the Long Gallery.




Here we have a similar view from the top of the balustraded steps. From here we can look all the way to the Chapel in the western-most corner of the Hall.




Here is a similar view, in this case emphasizing the roses on the balustrade.




On the lower garden terrace, we see the flowers adorning the doorway leading to the Parlour.




From this doorway we can look back on to the Lower Garden Terrace and beyond.




From near the doorway we can also look back on to
the balustraded steps linking upper and lower garden terraces.
In the centre right of the view we can discern the 17th century garden house.




Here is another view from the Lower Terrace.
The Great Chamber and the Long Gallery are on the left.




Close by, some poppies add colour to the time-honoured brickwork.




The Chapel

This chapel is dedicated to St Nicholas. It was originally Nether Haddon's parish church and somehow became incorporated into Haddon Hall! Wall paintings, the East Window and the screen behind the altar are all from the 15th century. However, parts of the Chapel were already built during the reign of our mutual friend, William the Conqueror. Fast forward now, and we see in the nave, the monument to Lord Haddon, who died aged 9, in 1894.



The 15th century wall paintings escaped Cromwell's puritanical whitewashing!
To the left is part of Lord Haddon's monument.




View towards the altar and the reredos.




A sample of the wall decoration.




Another view towards the altar and the reredos.




One of the crests of the Vernon clan.




Here is a side window, surrounded by wall paintings.
(This child insisted on being in the picture.)




Goodbye

Haddon Hall is worth several re-visits, because one just cannot absorb the wealth of historical and artistic detail in one go. However, here is a last set of pictures which take in again some of the views and items we may have seen earlier. The message certainly is, "Please come again"!



Here once more is the entrance to the Banqueting Hall.




Here is another view of the entrance to the Banqueting Hall.




This is on the upper garden terrace near the 17th century summer house.




This is also on the upper garden terrace near the 17th century summer house.




This is a view from the gardens on to the River Wye.
This is still part of the extensive Haddon Hall estate.




Here we are on the upper terrace looking at part of the Long Gallery.




Here is the 17th century summer house on the upper terrace.
It would be a place to relax and appreciate the floral perfumes of the garden.




Here we are looking westwards from the upper garden terrace.




Still on the upper garden terrace, we are looking at the south east corner of Haddon Hall, namely at the eastern end of the Long Gallery.




In the Banqueting Hall we see a painting of Belvoir Castle, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland. The Castle sits atop the distinctive mound in the landscape; it was restored in Regency and Victorian times, whose hallmarks it bears today.




Here is a last view of the entrance to the Banqueting Hall.




This is the Principal Entrance through which we came at opening time (10:30).




By the Stable Block (the café)
we pass the Head Gardner's Cottage with neatly cut topiary.




Here is our last view of Haddon Hall
as we once more cross the River Wye on our way back.
Today We had an excellent cultural and informative experience!






Thank You

Thank you, Michelle, for suggesting a visit to Haddon Hall, a historical and cultural gem in the heart of England. Thank you indeed for a nice visit. Both of us saw and learnt new things. That's what life is about!