Hovingham Hall is a country house built in the Palladian style in the village of

Hovingham Hovingham is a large village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the edge of the Howardian Hills and about south of Kirkbymoorside. History The name 'Hovingham' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appe ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England. It has been the seat of the Worsley family and the childhood home of the

Duchess of Kent Duchess of Kent is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, Duchess of Kent ...

. It was built in the 18th century on a site the Worsleys have occupied since the 16th century. It is built of limestone ashlar with Westmoreland slate roofs to an L-shaped floor plan. An attached stable wing forms the main entrance. The hall is

Grade I listed 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 ...

on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

. A Tuscan temple and the ornamental bridge over a waterfall in the grounds of the hall are both listed Grade II. The wall to the north and the east of the hall and a pigeoncote to the north are both also Grade II listed.

History

The Worsley family bought Hovingham manor in 1563. The present house was built between 1750 and 1774 by Thomas Worsley VI (1710–1778), who was Surveyor-General to the Board of Works under George III, and designed the building himself. Unusually, it was developed around the existing stable block, which now forms the main entrance (see picture) and once housed a Riding School where Thomas taught George III to ride. Thomas was Whig MP for Orford from 1761 to 1768 and for Callington from 1768 to 1774. He was succeeded by his son Edward and he in turn in 1830 by his nephew William (1792–1879) who in 1838 was made first Baronet Worsley of Hovingham. In front of the house is a cricket pitch, possibly the oldest private pitch in England. Colonel

Sir William Worsley, 4th Baronet Col. Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Baronet (5 April 1890 – 4 December 1973), was an English landowner and amateur first-class cricketer. Biography Worsley was born at Hovingham Hall, Yorkshire, England, the son of Sir William Henry A ...

, was the captain of

Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club is a professional Cricket club based in Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the County Championship, the top tier of English First-class cricket. Nicknamed "Vikings". Yorkshire also competes in T20 Blast, O ...

in 1928 and 1929. He was also

Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire The post of Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire was created in 1660, at the Restoration. It was abolished on 31 March 1974, and replaced with the office of Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire. From 1782 until 1974, all Lords Lieutenan ...

from 1951 to 1965. He was succeeded by his son

Sir Marcus Worsley, 5th Baronet Sir (William) Marcus John Worsley, 5th Baronet (6 April 1925 – 18 December 2012), was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as a Member of Parliament in four parliaments between 1959 and 1974, and served as High Sheriff and Lor ...

(1925–2012), who was MP for

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford, n ...

and Chelsea, and Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire and

High Sheriff of North Yorkshire The High Sheriff of North Yorkshire is a current High Sheriff title which has existed since 1974. For around 1,000 years the entire area of Yorkshire was covered by a single High Sheriff of Yorkshire. After the Local Government Act 1972 the title ...

for 1982–1983. The 5th Baronet's younger sister was Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, who became The Duchess of Kent. The Hovingham Festival was founded by Canon Hudson in 1887 and held in the Hovingham Hall riding school. Thirteen festivals were held until 1906. The event was revived after 45 years during the 1950s.The Fourteenth Hovingham Festival
, in ''The Musical Times'' Vol. 92, No. 1303 (September 1951), p. 417 The house is presently occupied by Sir William Worsley, 6th Baronet (eldest son of the 5th Baronet), and his wife Marie-Noëlle. The house and gardens are open to the public for a limited time each year, usually four weeks in June.

References

External links

* * {{coord, 54.172318, -0.980869, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Country houses in North Yorkshire Grade I listed houses in North Yorkshire Grade II listed agricultural buildings Grade II listed bridges Grade II listed walls Historic house museums in North Yorkshire Houses completed in 1774 Palladian architecture Hovingham

History

See also

References

External links