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Belvoir Castle 
BEE-vur
Grantham, Lincolnshire, England
Circa Date: rebuilt 1800-25 around 17th century core
Status: Fully Extant
BEE-vur
Grantham, Lincolnshire, England
Circa Date: rebuilt 1800-25 around 17th century core
Status: Fully Extant
Special Info / Location/ Date
Special Info
Phonetic Pronunciation of House Name
BEE-vur
Location
Country
England
District Today
Lincolnshire
Historic County
Leicestershire
City / Town / Village
Grantham
Latitude
52.89451
Longitude
-0.78286
Date
Start Date
Completion Date
Circa Date
rebuilt 1800-25 around 17th century core
Images
Early 20th Century Postcard
Architects
| Designed | Interiors, together with Benjamin Dean Wyatt |
| Date | circa 1820-30 |
| Designed | Rebuilt Castle for 8th Earl of Rutland after damage by Parliamentary forces in 1649 |
| Date | 1655-68 |
| Designed | Gallery between Rosse and Stanton Towers on the South Front of the Castle |
| Date | |
| Attribution of this work is uncertain. |
| Designed | Remodeled House for the 5th Duke of Rutland |
| Date | 1801-13 |
| Designed | Rebuilt after fire |
| Date | 1816 |
| Attribution of this work is uncertain. |
| Designed | Stables for 1st Duke of Rutland |
| Date | |
| Designed | Interior decoration of principal rooms and Romanesque Mausoleum in grounds for 5th Duke of Rutland in collaboration with M.C. Wyatt |
| Date | circa 1820-30 |
Extant / Listed / References
Extant
Extant Type
Fully Extant
Extant Details
Listed
House Listed As
Unknown
Gardens Listed As
Unknown
On SAVE Britain's Heritage's List of Buildings at Risk
No
Country House: Yes
References
Vitruvius Britannicus
C. IVth. pls. 47-50, 1739.
Vitruvius Scoticus
J.B. Burke (Burke's Visitation of Seats)
Vol. II, p. 61, 1853.
Country Life
XCI, 851 [Plate], 1036 [Plate], 1130 [Plate], 1942. CXX, 1284, 1402 plan, 1456, 1500, 1956.
J.P. Neale (Neale's Views of Seats)
Vol. II, 1819.
Access / Ownership / Seat
Access
Open to Public Please note: Houses listed as being open "By Appointment" are usually country house hotels or B&Bs.
Yes
Historic Houses Association Member
Phone Number If calling from the U.S., delete the first "0" in British numbers.
01476-871-002
Fax Number
01476-870-443
Email
Website
Awards
Current Ownership
Current Ownership Type
Individual / Family Trust
Primary Current Ownership Use
Private Home
Current Ownership Use / Details
Seat ("Seat" is loosely defined
as any family that occupied the house for a period of 2 years or more)
Today Seat of
Duke of Rutland; Manners family here since the time of Henry VIII.
A Past Seat(s) of
Possible (Unsure) Seat of
History / Gardens & Park / Movies
History
Earlier House(s) / Building(s)
At least two earlier buildings existed on the site.
House Replaced By
Built / Designed For
House & Family History
The name of the Castle, meaning “beautiful view,” dates back to a famous Norman castle built by Robert de Todeni (Standard Bearer to William the Conqueror) that stood on the site. The castle was partially destroyed by two civil wars and a fire in 1816. The House as seen today is mostly the result of the rebuilding that took place after the 1816 fire. The interiors was done up to the taste of Elizabeth, 5th Duchess of Rutland, with the most notable interior being the famous Elizabeth Saloon, named after the Duchess.
Collections
This field lists art objects that are currently or were previously in the collection of the house.
For information on the history of British currency, click here. To use a chart that allows you to compare the purchasing power of money In Great Britain from 1264 to any other year, including the present, click here. To use a currency conversion to see the current value of the British pound, click here.
For information on the history of British currency, click here. To use a chart that allows you to compare the purchasing power of money In Great Britain from 1264 to any other year, including the present, click here. To use a currency conversion to see the current value of the British pound, click here.
Belvoir contains works by Poussin, Holbein, Rubens, Reynolds, and Govelin. A painting of Cheveley Park (a former seat of the Dukes of Rutland, now demolished) by Jan Siberechts, 1671, is today (2008) in the collection at Belvoir. The collection also includes Mortlake tapestries, Chinese silks, furniture, porcelain, and sculpture. The Rutland Psalter was sold to the British Museum in 1984.
Comments
Gardens & Park
Garden, Park, Follies and Outbuildings
The Statue Gardens were constructed into the hillside below the castle and named after the 17th century sculptures on display. Thomas Barlow designed the stables for 1st Duke of Rutland. The Belvoir Estate today (2007) comprises approximately 15,000 acres.
Chapel & Church
Movies
Location for Movies / TV
"Young Sherlock Holmes" (1985). "A Hazard of Hearts" (1987 - TV movie). "King Ralph" (1991 - the White Room was used as a Buckingham Palace interior). "The Haunting" (1999). "The Golden Bowl" (2000). "Stately Suppers" (2005 - TV documentary, one of 10 half-hour episodes). "The Da Vinci Code" (2006 - as Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's Italian summer residence; exterior helicopter shots only). "The Young Victoria" (2009 - the Elizabeth Saloon was used as an interior of the Duchess of Kent's residence). The Duchess" (2009 - HGTV 6-part docu-soap series on family life at Belvoir Castle narrated by Clive Pearce).
Bibliography
| Author | Colvin, Howard |
| Year Published | 1995 |
| Reference |
| Author | Sayer, Michael |
| Year Published | 1993 |
| Reference |
| Author | Adams, Mark |
| Year Published | 2000 |
| Reference |
| Author | Colvin, Howard |
| Year Published | 1995 |
| Reference | pgs. 979, 1030, 1105, 1119 |
Related Resources
There are no documents associated with this house.
