Luton Hoo, Luton, England
Record Id: 2172
The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.
HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT
Sir Robert Napier bought the Luton Hoo estate in about 1600, enclosing a 150 hectare park in 1623. The Napiers built a medium-sized house during the 17th century.
In 1762 the estate was bought by the third Earl of Bute, who employed Robert Adam (1728-1792) to rebuild the house and Lancelot Brown (1716-1783) to design the park, enlarging it to 600 hectares. Brown produced designs in 1764 (a fragment of a plan exists in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (Stroud 1975)), and continued his work at Luton Hoo until 1774, being paid a total of £10,420 by the Earl.
The house burnt out in 1843, and in the following year the second Marquess of Bute sold the estate to John Shaw Leigh, a lawyer, who rebuilt the house. Sir Julius Wernher, a diamond merchant, bought the estate in 1903, having rented it since 1899, and remodelled it during the early 20th century using Charles Mewès, employing William Romaine-Walker (1854-1940) to build a formal garden on the south front to Mewès' design (CL 1992). The estate remains (1999) in private hands.
Site timeline
1843: The house burnt out in 1843.
1844: The house was re-built under new ownership.
1900 to 1933: The house was remodelled during the early-20th century using Charles Mewès. William Romaine-Walker built a formal garden on the south front to Mewès' design.
People associated with this site
Architect: Robert Adam (born 03/07/1728 died 03/03/1792)
Designer: Lancelot Brown (born 1716 died 06/02/1783)
Architect: Charles Frederic Mewes (born 1860 died 1914)
Architect: William Henry Romaine-Walker (born 1854 died 1940)
Architect: Sydney Smirke (born 14/01/1798 died 08/12/1877)
Architect: Sir Robert Smirke (born 01/10/1780 died 18/04/1867)
Features
finial
Feature created: 1900 to 1933
Stone pillars with ball finials.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
boundary wall
Feature created: 1800 to 1899
Low stone walls with iron railings on top, terminated by stone pillars.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
gate lodge
Feature created: 1800 to 1899
Kennel Lodges, a pair of rendered single-storey lodges in classical style which face each other.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
gate lodge
Feature created: 1800 to 1899
Lady Bute's Lodge, a very small, single-storey, gabled Gothic building with a late Norman round-headed doorway, probably removed from another site.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
gate lodge
Feature created: 1800 to 1899
Warren Hill Lodges, all of which are almost identical to Kennel Lodges and related structures at the south end of Limetree Avenue.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
ornamental bridge
A single-span cast-iron bridge (Barwell and Haggar of Northampton 1830, Listed Grade II) with decorated iron railings.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
stable yard
Feature created: 1760
Creator: Robert Adam (born 03/07/1728 died 03/03/1792)
The stable yard by Robert Adam lies 350 metres south of the house. The main, west block is of two storeys, with colourwashed rendering, enclosing a rectangular courtyard entered through a central carriageway on the west side.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade I
planting
Feature created: 1912
The formal garden on the south front consists of terraced gardens on two levels.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
boat house
Feature created: 1800 to 1899
On the southern shore of the lower, south lake, 1 kilometre east of the house, stands a 19th century brick boathouse. This has a semicircular opening from the lake, the first floor being over the water, with an oriel window over the boat entrance.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
glasshouse
A range of glasshouses is grouped along the inside of the west, north-west and north walls, centred on a large, late 19th century, ornamental glasshouse with projecting gabled porch and petalled glazing bars in the gable.
Designation status: English Heritage Listed Building Designation Grade II
avenue
Lime avenue.
avenue
Mature avenue trees.
river
River Lea.
cascade
balustrade
gate
Wrought-iron carriage gates with a scrolled overthrow.
lake
Two sinuous lakes running along the whole length of the park close to the east boundary.
lawn
The pleasure grounds are laid to rough lawn with mature ornamental trees and shrubs, with an extensive lawn on the east front of the house stretching 250 metres east. The east lawn, flanked to north and south by mature trees, overlooks the park.
gate
The main entrance is approached through ron gates, piers and railings.
plantation
Several mixed plantations occur along the hillside, most notably George Wood and Hardingdell Woods which frame the view east from the house, east lawn and park below.
planting
Feature created: 1900 to 1933
A 1 hectare sunken woodland and rock garden lies 150 metres east of the house, set in a south-facing hollow within the pleasure grounds, from which it is enclosed and screened by mature trees and shrubs
ha-ha
The pleasure grounds lie to the south and east of the house, largely enclosed by a brick ha-ha.
specimen tree
statue
gate lodge
Feature created: 1867 to 1933
Two rendered two-storey lodges, dating to the late 19th/early 20th century, flank the entrance to the drive.
river
River Lea
boundary wall
The boundary is largely defined by a brick wall.
pool
gate lodge
New Lodge (also called London Road Lodge).
drive
The drive curves south through the park, flanked by mown grass verges and adjacent fencing.
tree belt
path
A broad, axial gravel path runs through both garden terraces.
terrace
The east front is bounded by a low stone terrace.
ornamental bridge
Feature created: 1830 to 1839
1830s' cast-iron bridge.
lake
hedge
Clipped yew hedges.
steps
Stone steps
terrace
A stone-flagged and balustraded terrace.
ornamental bridge
drive
The Warren Drive enters 1.4 kilometres east of the house, off the Lower Harpenden Road, flanked by gates, railings and stone walls.
wall
Stone retaining walls.
pool
The lower terrace contains a central ornamental pool with a statue.
garden house
Two temple-style, domed, stone garden houses.
kitchen garden
Feature created: Before 1826
The octagonal kitchen garden lies 600 metres south-west of the house, divided in half from south-west to north-east by a central diaphragm wall.
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