Kirby Hall | |
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![]() Kirby Hall in 2016 | |
General information | |
Type | Country house |
Location | Gretton, Northamptonshire |
Coordinates | 52°31′27″N 0°38′14″W / 52.52417°N 0.63722°W |
Completed | 17th century |
Owner | Earl of Winchilsea, English Heritage |
Kirby Hall is a Grade I listed Elizabethan country house, located near Gretton, Northamptonshire, England. The nearest main town is Corby. One of the great Elizabethan houses of England, Kirby Hall was built in 1570 for Sir Humphrey Stafford of Blatherwick. In 1575, Sir Christopher Hatton of Holdenby purchased the property,[1] Hatton was Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I. It is a leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Construction on the building began in 1570, based on the designs in French architectural pattern books and expanded in the Classical style over the course of the following decades. The house is now in a semi-ruined state with many parts roof-less although the Great Hall and state rooms remain intact. The gardens, with their elaborate "cutwork" design, complete with statues and urns, have been recently restored.