Howick Hall, a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

in the village of Howick,

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

, England, is the ancestral seat of the

Earls Grey Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

. It was the home of the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Charles, 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845), after whom

Earl Grey tea Earl Grey tea is a Tea blending and additives, tea blend which has been flavoured with Bergamot essential oil, oil of bergamot. The rind's fragrant oil is added to black tea to give Earl Grey its unique taste. However, many, if not most, Earl Gr ...

is named. Howick Hall is the location of the Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum.

Older versions of Howick

Howick has been owned by the Grey family since 1319. A

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...

, which once stood on the site and was demolished in 1780, was described in a survey of 1715 as "a most magnificent freestone edifice in a square figure, flat roofed and embattled" and with "a handsome court and gateway on the front".

1782 version and 1809 expansion

The Hall which stands on the site today was built in 1782 by Newcastle architect, William Newton. The entrance was originally on the south side. The 2nd Earl Grey employed George Wyatt in 1809 to enlarge the house by moving the entrance to the north side, filling out the front hall and the two quadrants linking the house to its wings, and building the first terrace on the south side.

Destruction by fire and rebuilding

A fire destroyed the whole of the interior of the main house in 1926, with all of the contents of the top two floors. It was rebuilt in 1928 to designs by Sir

Herbert Baker Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 – 4 February 1946) was an English architect remembered as the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, and a major designer of some of New Delhi's most notable government structures. He was ...

and George Reavell, who altered the north façade by introducing a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

above the front hall, in order to make the house smaller with an open well in the middle, with a rotunda linking the front and back on the ground floor.

Use since the 1960s

The family moved out of the main house shortly after the death of Charles Grey, 5th Earl Grey in 1963. In 1973 his grandson, Charles Baring, 2nd Baron Howick of Glendale, converted the west wing into a home, where he and his family now live.

References

External links

{{commons category, Howick Hall
Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum website

The Bathing House
Built by the 2nd Earl to allow supervised bathing for his 16 children. 1928 establishments in England Houses completed in 1928 Country houses in Northumberland Gardens in Northumberland Arboreta in England Grade II* listed buildings in Northumberland Grade II* listed houses Prime ministerial homes in the United Kingdom Grey family residences Longhoughton Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Burned buildings and structures in the United Kingdom