Carriage Arches, Holdenby House, Northants. - Freestanding Arches on Waymarking.com

Holdenby Palace was built in 1583 for Sir Christopher Hatton, Queen Elizabeth I's 'Dancing Chancellor'. He often entertained her here. Due to financial difficulties the palace was sold to James I by Sir Christopher's heir. James' successor, Charles I, was brought here and spent 5 months as a prisoner in early 1647 after he'd been captured by the Scots and surrendered by them to Parliament for safe keeping. The King plotted to escape but Cromwell sent Cornet Joyce with 500 soldiers to remove him to safer custody and eventual execution.

The palace was built around two courtyards separated by a central block, it was the largest private house in Elizabethan England with 123 huge glass windows around the two courtyards. After the Civil War, the Palace was sold to a Parliamentarian land speculator and demolition contractor, Captain Adam Baynes, who reduced the house to a single wing, in 1651. Some of the stone from the palace was used to build 'Little Holmby', a house in St.Giles Street in Northampton, which survived until 1841. After the Restoration in 1660, the house reverted briefly to royal ownership, then in 1709 it was bought by the Duke of Marlborough, since when it has descended down the female line to the Lowther family.

Holdenby House as you see it today is based around the remaining Kitchen wing of the old Palace. Rebuilt and restored 1873-5 it was further restored and extended 1887-8 by the present owner's great-great-grandmother, Lady Clifden, with help from the Victorian architect Richard Carpenter. It is approximately 1/8th the size of the original palace.

It is the two Carriage Archways into the eastern courtyard of the old palace which are waymarked here. They stand isolated in a field to the east of the present house, in limestone ashlar and squared coursed lias, they both have datestones inscribed 1583, one on each side of each arch. The central archways have stepped voissoirs with a scroll pediment above, surmounted by a square obelisk. There are flanking niches in bottom stage. Large round medallions above the datestones have all been mutilated at some time. They were possibly images of Queen Elizabeth I.

For opening times of the garden and house see: visitor information

Type: Gateway Subtype: Other Location: Holdenby House Park.

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