Hutton in the Forest is a

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 ...

country house near the village of Skelton in the historic county of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

, which now forms part of the modern county of

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

, England. It belonged to the Fletcher-Vane family from 1605 until 1931 when it became the property of the Barons Inglewood who were distant relatives of the Fletcher-Vane family. Hutton-in-the-Forest was originally a medieval stronghold and the

Pele tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standing ...

survives. Succeeding generations have altered and added to the house and both the outside and inside show a wide range of decorative styles from the seventeenth century to the present day. The gallery, a rare feature in the North of England, dates from the 1630s and contains early furniture and portraits. The hall, built in 1680, is dominated by the Cupid Staircase, which leads to a suite of mid-18th century rooms, including the Cupid Room. The drawing room dates from about 1830, the library from 1870, and Lady Darlington's Room is decorated in the

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

style. The Walled Garden, built in the 1730s, houses a large collection of herbaceous plants. The terraces were originally laid out in the 17th century. The woodland walk contains a 17th-century dovecote which unusually still contains the potence, an internal rotatable ladder. The 1st Lord Inglewood added a number of new tree species to the grounds and the tree trail guide now lists seventy within the arboretum. In a nearby field the small church of St James is located, recorded as far back as 1291 as the ''Church in the Green Field''. The architect

Anthony Salvin Anthony Salvin (17 October 1799 – 17 December 1881) was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on Middle Ages, medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations, such as those of the ...

in Victorian times carried out extensive renovations. A fragment of a Norman Cross is preserved within the church, and many memorials act as reminders of the influence of the Fletchers and Vanes over the centuries. The house is open to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from April to October.

References

External links

Cumbria County History Trust: Hutton in the Forest
(nb: provisional research only – see Talk page)
Hutton in the Forest estate
– official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutton In The Forest Houses completed in the 17th century Country houses in Cumbria Peel towers in Cumbria Anthony Salvin buildings Gothic Revival architecture in Cumbria Historic house museums in Cumbria Gardens in Cumbria Tourist attractions in Cumbria Vane family Grade I listed buildings in Cumbria Inglewood Forest Skelton, Cumbria

See also

References

External links