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Hartwell House 
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England
Circa Date: early 17th century w/18th century alterations and additions
Status: Fully Extant
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England
Circa Date: early 17th century w/18th century alterations and additions
Status: Fully Extant
Special Info / Location/ Date
Special Info
Phonetic Pronunciation of House Name
Location
Country
England
District Today
Buckinghamshire
Historic County
City / Town / Village
Aylesbury
Latitude
51.8051
Longitude
-0.8468
Date
Start Date
Completion Date
Circa Date
early 17th century w/18th century alterations and additions
Images
The Entrance Façade
Click on thumbnail for a larger view
;)
The Entrance Façade
;)
The Rear Façade
;)
The Hall
;)
The Library
;)
The Staircase
;)
The Church
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Architects
| Designed | Landscaping |
| Date | circa 1979 |
| Designed | Bridge; replaced in 1901 with Paine's Kew Bridge of 1783-89 |
| Date | 1780 |
| Designed | Statues and follies |
| Date | 1730s |
| Designed | Restored house for Richard Broyd |
| Date | 1986-89 |
| Designed | Egyptian Well |
| Date | 1851 |
| Designed | Kew Bridge re-erected at Hartwell in 1901; replaced Keene's Bridge of 1780 |
| Date | 1783-89 |
| Designed | Naturalistic Landscaping |
| Date | 1760s |
| Attribution of this work is uncertain. |
| Designed | Completed bridge designed by H. Keene (demolished); designs for offices; probably designed semi-circular vestibule for Sir William Lee, Bt. |
| Date | circa 1780 |
| Designed | Classical recasting for 4th Baronet |
| Date | 1759-63 |
| Designed | Great Hall for 3rd Baronet; follies |
| Date | 1739-40 |
Extant / Listed / References
Extant
Extant Type
Fully Extant
Extant Details
Listed
House Listed As
Grade I
Gardens Listed As
Grade II*
On SAVE Britain's Heritage's List of Buildings at Risk
No
Country House: Yes
References
Vitruvius Britannicus
Vitruvius Scoticus
J.B. Burke (Burke's Visitation of Seats)
Vol. I, p. 12, 1852. 2.S. Vol. II, p. 116, 1855.
Country Life
XXXV, 378, 414, 1914.
J.P. Neale (Neale's Views of Seats)
Access / Ownership / Seat
Access
Open to Public Please note: Houses listed as being open "By Appointment" are usually country house hotels or B&Bs.
By Appointment
Historic Houses Association Member
Phone Number If calling from the U.S., delete the first "0" in British numbers.
01296-747-444
Fax Number
01296-747-450
Email
Website
Awards
Current Ownership
Current Ownership Type
The National Trust
Primary Current Ownership Use
Hotel
Current Ownership Use / Details
Owned by The National Trust and operated by Historic House Hotels Ltd.
Seat ("Seat" is loosely defined
as any family that occupied the house for a period of 2 years or more)
Today Seat of
A Past Seat(s) of
Sir Alexander Hampden, 17th century. Sir Thomas Lee, 3rd Bt., late 17th-18th centuries. King Louis XVIII of France. Leith family.
Possible (Unsure) Seat of
History / Gardens & Park / Movies
History
Earlier House(s) / Building(s)
House Replaced By
Built / Designed For
House & Family History
The North Front of Hartwell is early 17th century, probably enlarged from an earlier house by Sir Alexander Hampden. After Hampden's death in 1617 the House became, through marriage, the property of the Lee family of East Claydon. Sir Thomas Lee laid out elaborate formal gardens in 1690. King Louis XVIII of France, while in exile, lived at Hartwell (from 1809 until 1814). During this time the uncrowned French King issued the famous Declaration of Hartwell, a document which promised -- should he be installed as King of France -- stability, freedom, and peace as part of his acceptance of the post-revolutionary settlement in France. Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, later King Charles X of France, spent time at Hartwell between 1795 and 1813. Post-1938 Hartwell was a school, and badly treated. In 1963 a fire destroyed the first floor, and parts of the Dining Room, Library, and Staircase. In 1986 the House was purchased by Historic House Hotels and restored as a hotel. The Royal Meteorological Society was formed in 1850 by ten gentlemen assembled in the Library at Hartwell.
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.
One of a suite of chairs made circa 1740 for Sir Thomas Lee, 3rd Bt., sold from Hartwell in the 1938 sale, was purchased by The National Trust in 2010 for $37,500 with funds donated by Richard Broyd, who donated Hartwell to The National Trust in 2008, together with Bodysgallen Hall and Middlethorpe Hall.
Comments
Gardens & Park
Garden, Park, Follies and Outbuildings
Hartwell had many follies, few of which exist today. These included: the Doric Column, topped by statue of William III by Henry Cheere; the Ionic Temple; the Obelisk; the Gothic Tower; the Egyptian Well, and the Edwardian Star Lodge, with an Arts and Crafts design. The Bridge of 1780 by Keene was replaced in 1901 by James Paine's Kew Bridge of 1783-89. The House today (2010) is surrounded by 90 acres of gardens and parkland.
Chapel & Church
Movies
Location for Movies / TV
Bibliography
| Author | Holmes, Michael |
| Year Published | 1986 |
| Reference |
| Author | Pevsner, Nikolaus; Williamson, Elizabeth |
| Year Published | 1994 |
| Reference |
| Author | Mansel, Philip |
| Year Published | 2001 |
| Reference | pg. 3 |
| Author | Colvin, Howard |
| Year Published | 1995 |
| Reference | pg. 1115 |
| Author | Benton, William (Publisher) |
| Year Published | 1959 |
| Reference | Vol. 5, pg. 276 |
| Author | NA |
| Year Published | NA |
| Reference | Spring 2010, pg. 25 |
Related Resources
There are no documents associated with this house.
