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Summary

Early 19th century country house in Gothic revival style, incorporating remains of medieval College of Bonhommes

Monument Types

• COUNTRY HOUSE (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Events

• Evaluation of land SW of Ashridge House, Berkhamsted, 1999 (Ref: ASC/M/ALG99/3)
• Geophysical survey of the south lawn at Ashridge College, 2010-11
• Evaluation on the south lawn at Ashridge College, 2010
• Evaluation on the south lawn at Ashridge College, 2011

Protected Status

• Registered Park or Garden 24
• Listed Building 1/
• Area of Archaeological Significance 28

Full description

Country house, built 1808-1820 by James Wyatt and his nephew for the 7th Earl of Bridgewater. It incorporates remains of a college of Bonhommes founded in 1283 [4148] which became a royal residence after the dissolution in 1539 until it was sold by Elizabeth in 1575. The present house is one of the finest surviving examples of an early Gothic revival mansion <1, 2>. It was used as a hospital during the First World War <3>.
The estate was bought by Thomas Egerton, Elizabeth's Lord Chancellor in 1604, after the Queen's death <4>. Egerton added a domestic wing at each end of the Great Hall, probably of local flint. His son, John Egerton, purchased an earldom in 1617, assuming the title Bridgewater.
The 6th Earl, and 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (the 'Canal Duke') made a fortune developing waterways for industrial transport. He owned the estate between 1747 and his death in 1803, and in 1759 employed Lancelot 'Capability' Brown to work on the house and part of the gardens, and also the landscaping of the Golden Valley and work to the north and east of the house. The 3rd Duke began the demolition of most of the medieval monastic buildings just before his death in 1803, and his heir, the 7th Earl, created the present Ashridge. Building started in 1808, to a design by James Wyatt, and following his death in 1813, it was completed by his son Benjamin and nephew (Sir) Jeffry Wyatville. Considerable works were carried out on the gardens and pleasure grounds, to designs by Humphrey Repton ('Red Book for Ashridge' (1813)). Though his plans were modified in some areas by Jeffry Wyatville, the gardens to the south of the house are largely as envisaged by Repton.
Following a complicated series of successions to the estate, it was inherited by a minor, the 2nd Earl Brownlow, in 1851. His mother Lady Marian Alford administered the estate and was responsible for much of the present day appearance of Ashridge and the village of Little Gaddesden. She extended the gardens, and the principal rooms of the house were enhanced by Matthew Digby Wyatt. In 1857-8, the Ashridge Water Company was formed to bring water to Ashridge and to some estate villages at a cost of £15,000 (see [5656]), and the medieval well under the chapel [5664] was superseded. The 2nd Earl was succeeded (in 1867) by his brother, who further developed the estate.
In the early 20th century Ashridge park was made available as a training area for the Territorial Army, and in the First World War the house was used as a convalescent home. The estate was sold in 1921, and after a campaign, funds were raised to enable the National Trust to purchase the park. The buildings and gardens were bought and gifted to the Conservative party and used as a training centre for party workers. In the Second World War the building became a branch of the Charing Cross hospital (see [17518]). After WWII, financial problems eventually led to the formation of a management college, which began courses in 1959. It is now Ashridge Business School. Several buildings have been adapted and a new campus built to the west of the mansion, behind woodland.
Geophysical survey and evaluation on the south lawn in 2010-11 revealed the southern perimeter wall as mapped in the mid 18th century <5, 6, 7>. It was of flint, with an inner face of Tudor brick. This may have been the base of a wall of Totternhoe stone. Part of the eastern perimeter wall was also uncovered, of stone on a medieval flint base. Further work in 2011 found evidence of the levelling up of the south lawn in the late 19th century, with the diversion of a path laid out by Repton <8>.

Pevsner, N, & Cherry, B, 1977, Buildings of England: Hertfordshire (2nd edition), - p237-40 (Bibliographic reference). SHT7257.

Coult, D, 1979, Ashridge (Bibliographic reference). SHT2740.

Wainwright, A P, Marshall, G, & Salkeld, G, 2009, Archaeological survey of the Ashridge estate (Buckinghamshire & Hertfordshire) Vol.VIII: The Park (including Park Farm and Frithsden lands) (Bibliographic reference). SHT1903.

<1> Listed Buildings description (Digital archive). SHT6690.

<2> OS Records (Index). SHT8223.

<3> Zeepvat, Bob, 1999, An archaeological evaluation of land to the south-west of Ashridge House, Berkhamsted, Herts, RNO 595 (Report). SHT2428.

<4> Sanecki, K, & Thompson, M, 1998, Ashridge (Bibliographic reference). SHT9997.

<5> Sparks, Brendon, & Wallis, Ken, 2010, Ashridge College: interim report, RNO 2778 (Report). SHT3227.

<6> Sparks, Brendon, & Wallis, Ken, 2010, Ashridge College: second interim report, RNO 2779 (Report). SHT3230.

<7> Sparks, Brendon, & Wallis, Ken, 2011, Ashridge College: third interim report (report on excavation and additional resistivity survey), RNO 2780 (Report). SHT3261.

<8> Sparks, B A, & Wallis, K, 2011, Ashridge College interim report 4, RNO 3145 (Report). SHT7628.

Sources and further reading

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