Cell Park (previously known as Markyate Cell) is a country house in

Markyate Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Geography The name of the village has had several former variants, including ''Markyate Street'', ''Market Street'' and ...

, Hertfordshire near Luton, England. The house dates from the 16th century, has been modified at various times since then and was largely rebuilt in 1908 after a fire. It stands in 79 acres of land and is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...

. The hall is a rectangular brick-built structure with corner turrets, linked by an arcade to service buildings forming a quadrangle. The house was originally built c. 1539 for Humphrey Bouchier on land previously belonging to the suppressed

Markyate Priory Markyate Priory was a Benedictine priory in Bedfordshire, England. It was established in 1145 and disestablished in 1537. History The priory of Markyate was founded in 1145, in a wood which was then part of the parish of Caddington, and belonge ...

. The house was subsequently extended and remodelled in the 17th century for the Ferrers and the Coppin families. It was remodelled again in 1825 to create the present layout by

Robert Lugar Robert Lugar (1773 – 23 June 1855), was a British architect and engineer in the Industrial Revolution. Although born in Colchester, England, Lugar carried out much of his most important work in Scotland and Wales, where he was employed by s ...

for Daniel Goodson Adey. Sir John de Fontblaque Pennefather made further changes in the early 20th century, moving the entrance and creating a ballroom from the arcade. It was on sale in 2014 for £4.5m. The hall is known for being the home of Lady

Katherine Ferrers Katherine Ferrers (4 May 1634 – c. 13 June 1660) was an English gentlewoman and heiress. According to popular legend, she was also the "Wicked Lady", a highwaywoman who terrorised the English county of Hertfordshire before dying from gunsho ...

, reputedly the "Wicked Lady", a 17th-century highwaywoman who operated in Hertfordshire and was eventually shot. The hall had a secret staircase hidden behind the fireplace, and Lady Katherine would allegedly dress in men’s clothes and exit via the staircase to escape into the night.

References

{{Listed buildings in Hertfordshire, G2* Country houses in Hertfordshire Grade II* listed buildings in Hertfordshire Markyate