Buckwell Place (formerly Herstmonceux Rectory) is a country house within the civil parish of Herstmonceux, East Sussex, England. It is a privately owned Grade II* listed building, and is not open to the public.
| Buckwell Place | |
|---|---|
 Buckwell Place (then Herstmonceux Rectory), as illustrated within 'The Story of My Life' by Augustus Hare (1896-1900). | |
| Coordinates | 50°53′05″N 0°18′40″E / 50.8847°N 0.3111°E |
| Built | 1792 |
| Built for | Rev. Robert Hare |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Buckwell Place was the childhood home of the travel-writer and raconteur Augustus Hare, and his uncle, the theologian Julius Charles Hare, who entertained a number of "eminent victorians", namely Thomas Carlyle.[1]
History
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Rev. Robert Hare - of the Hare family who owned nearby Herstmonceux Castle - built the original wing of the house in 1792 as a rectory for himself. His nephew, the theologian Julius Charles Hare later occupied the house and extended it in 1833, by constructing a parlour wing and bedroom above.[2] Julius Hare also constructed a domed conservatory between the original wing and the new parlour wing.[2] It has been written that Julius Hare's library at Buckwell Place was "famous" and he entertained a number of "eminent victorians" including the essayist, historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle.[1] Julius Hare was known to have collected a number of important books and paintings at Buckwell Place, which were later bequeathed to the University of Cambridge, and then subsequently to the Fitzwilliam Museum.[3]
Julius Hare had a nephew, the travel-writer and raconteur Augustus Hare, who was born in 1834, in Rome. Augustus Hare was adopted by his aunt Maria (the widowed sister-in-law of Julius), after his parents renounced all further claim to him.[2] Augustus was then brought up and home-educated by Maria Hare at Julius Hare's house, the newly extended Buckwell Place. Augustus wrote about his childhood at Buckwell Place in his autobiography, The Story of My Life (1896-1900).[4]
After Julius Hare's death in 1855, the house was occupied by the Rev. Henry Wellesley, an illegitimate nephew of the Duke of Wellington. Wellesley constructed a service wing to the west in c.1860. Little is known about the history of Buckwell Place following the death of Wellesley, but it remains a private house today and is no longer a rectory.[5] In 1932, the house was still known as Herstmonceux Rectory,[6] but by 1937, was listed as Buckwell Place.[7]
Architecture
editBuckwell Place consists of the original rectory built by Rev. Robert Hare in 1792, the extensions - including the domed conservatory - by Julius Hare in 1833 and the service wing built by Rev. Henry Wellesley in c.1860. The architect is unknown, and likely to have been a local builder.[8]
The northeast entrance front was constructed in 1792. It has two storeys and four bays. The front door features a Gibbs surround, set within a curved recess. The southeast garden front is similarly of two storeys and four bays. The southwest front exhibits the parlour wing built in 1833 by Julius Hare, which has a canted bay window and balcony above. To the west of the house lies the range constructed in c.1860 by Rev. Henry Wellesley, with a set of tripartite windows to the ground floor. Between the southeast garden front and the southwest parlour wing, Julius Hare constructed a domed conservatory in 1833 for the display of ferns and other tropical plants.[8]
The house retains its original curved staircase, along with the 1833 marble fireplace surround in Julius Hare's library and its bookcases.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Hayes, Holly. "Listed Building Data for Buckwell Place (Herstmonceux, England)". Go Historic. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "Buckwell Place, Herstmonceux - 1043143 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "The King's Candlesticks: Pedigrees Ven Julius Charles HARE [3554]". thekingscandlesticks.com. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ Hare, Augustus J. C. (Augustus John Cuthbert) (1896). The story of my life. University of Michigan. London : George Allen.
- ^ Stuff, Good. "Buckwell Place, Herstmonceux, East Sussex". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "View map: Ordnance Survey, Sussex LVI.10 (Hailsham; Hellingly; Herstmonceux) - Ordnance Survey 25 inch England and Wales, 1841-1952". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "View map: Great Britain. Ordnance Survey, TQ61 - D (includes: Ashburnham; Dallington; Herstmonceux; Warbleton; Wartling) - Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps of Great Britain, 1945-1969". maps.nls.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Buckwell Place, Herstmonceux - 1043143 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
External links
editPhotograph of Buckwell Place's stables from Historic England's archive