Ickworth House

History

Hervey, known as the Earl-Bishop for holding both an earldom and an Irish bishopric, planned the rotunda as a showcase for art and antiquities gathered on his travels through Europe, though much of that collection never reached England. He died in 1803 before the house was finished, and his son, the 1st Marquess of Bristol, completed the build. The Hervey family remained in residence at Ickworth, occupying the east wing on lease from the National Trust, until the mid-1990s.

Architecture

The house is built in neoclassical style around a domed central rotunda, with curved corridors running out to east and west wings. The design is traditionally attributed to the Italian architect Mario Asprucci, with construction overseen by Francis Sandys.

Worth knowing

Frederick Hervey travelled so widely and stayed in so many European hotels that a number of Continental hotels still called 'Bristol' are said to take their name from him.

Gardens & grounds

The estate includes an Italianate garden near the house and wider parkland walks laid out over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.