Down Hall is a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

and estate near Hatfield Heath in the English county of Essex, close to its border with

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. It is surrounded by of woodland, parkland and landscaped gardens, some of which is protected by the Essex Wildlife Trust.

History

The first Down Hall was a Tudor house, once owned by poet Matthew Prior. Prior was acquainted with

landscaper Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

Charles Bridgeman, who he commissioned to landscape the estate's gardens. After Prior's death in 1721 (just one year after buying the property), the house was passed to his friend Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, who undertook further rebuilding. Twenty years later, and with the house still unfinished, Harley died.

Selwin family

'Leaves from a Hunting Diary in Essex' p

Upon Harley's death in 1741, the house was purchased by William Selwin, a wealthy silk merchant, for £4500. The estate remained in the Selwin family until 1902, where – on the death of Henry Selwin-Ibbetson, 1st Baron Rookwood (who had commissioned its full rebuilding in the late 1860s) – the Selwin and Ibbetson

lineage Lineage may refer to: Science * Lineage (anthropology), a group that can demonstrate its common descent from an apical ancestor or a direct line of descent from an ancestor * Lineage (evolution), a temporal sequence of individuals, populati ...

died out.

World War I

During the First World War, the house was used as a sanatorium for wounded soldiers. The estate was affected by the post-World War I recession, and was subsequently sold at auction.

Modern history

Following its sale, the house was used as a school (Downham School, 1932–c.1967) and an

antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

s business and conference centre (1967–1986). In 1986, the estate was purchased by the Veladail Group, who have operated the site as a four-star hotel, conference centre and wedding venue since. British television personality Jade Goody wed her partner Jack Tweed at Down Hall on 22 February 2009. Series eleven and twelve of '' The Great British Bake Off'' were filmed at Down Hall, where, due to

Covid-19 restrictions Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous coun ...

, all cast and crew quarantined together in a "bubble" during the six weeks of filming.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.downhall.co.uk/
Essex Wildlife Trust website
Country houses in Essex Hotels in Essex Grade II listed parks and gardens in Essex Country house hotels