Photo: Kelmarsh Hall by Portable Antiquities Scheme from London, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Kelmarsh Hall is a Grade I listed Palladian house built in 1732 by Francis Smith of Warwick to a design by James Gibbs.
It stands in Northamptonshire, about five miles south of Market Harborough, within its own working estate.
Ronald Tree and Nancy Lancaster leased the Hall from 1929, and Nancy went on to shape the house's celebrated interiors.
The gardens, including a walled garden, sunken garden, and lake, were designed principally by Nancy Lancaster with help from Norah Lindsay and landscape architect Geoffrey Jellicoe, and are known for their dahlia displays in late summer.
The estate is now run as a heritage attraction.
History
Richard Christopher Naylor, a Liverpool banker and racing enthusiast, purchased the estate in 1864 for its hunting. George Granville Lancaster acquired it in 1902 and his son Claude inherited in 1924. Ronald Tree and Nancy Lancaster took a repairing lease from 1929; Tree served as MP for Harborough from 1933 while Nancy shaped the house's celebrated interiors. Nancy later married Claude Lancaster, the estate's owner. Cicely Lancaster inherited in 1977 and founded the Kelmarsh Trust before her death in 1996 to secure the property's future.
Architecture
The house is a Grade I listed Palladian design by James Gibbs, built by Francis Smith of Warwick in 1732. Pevsner called it 'a perfect, extremely reticent design... done in an impeccable taste.'
Worth knowing
Nancy Lancaster, regarded as the doyenne of country house style, first came to Kelmarsh as a tenant with her husband Ronald Tree in 1929 before marrying the estate's owner, Claude Lancaster.
Gardens & grounds
The Grade II listed gardens, including a walled garden, sunken garden, and lake, were designed principally by Nancy Lancaster with help from Norah Lindsay and landscape architect Geoffrey Jellicoe. They are known for their dahlia displays in late summer.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Market Harborough Rail Station (4.9 miles)
Open April to October; check official website for specific dates and opening times.
Nearby properties
Rushton Triangular Lodge
View Rushton Triangular Lodge on heritage mapAll Saints Church, Holdenby
View All Saints Church, Holdenby on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Kelmarsh Hall there are 2 historic properties, including 2 historic houses.
Within 10 miles of Kelmarsh Hall there are 6 historic properties, including 4 historic houses, across Historic Houses, Churches Conservation Trust and English Heritage sites.
Within 20 miles of Kelmarsh Hall there are 32 historic properties, including 16 churchs, 10 historic houses and 4 historic buildings, across Churches Conservation Trust, Historic Houses and English Heritage sites.
Facts
A Palladian house by James Gibbs whose gardens and interiors were shaped by Nancy Lancaster, doyenne of country house style.
- Type
- historic house
- Location
- Northamptonshire, England
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