Knebworth House
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Knebworth House is a country house in the parish of Knebworth near Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England.
The home of the Lytton family since 1490, when Thomas Bourchier sold the reversion of the manor to Sir Robert Lytton, Knebworth was originally a genuine red-brick Late Gothic manor house, built round a central court as an open square. In 1813-16 the house was reduced to its west wing,[1] which was remodelled in a Tudor Gothic style by John Biagio Rebecca for Mrs Bulwer-Lytton,[2] and then was transformed in 1843-45 by Henry Edward Kendall, Jr. into the present Tudor Gothic structure.[3] Its most famous resident was Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the Victorian author, dramatist and statesman, who embellished the gardens in a formal Italianate fashion. Much of the interior was redesigned by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who simplified the main parterre. A herb garden in an interlaced quincunx design was drawn by Gertrude Jekyll in 1907 but not planted until 1982. The current residents are Henry Lytton-Cobbold and his family.
The house is open to the public together with its surrounding gardens, grounds, adventure playground, mini railway and dinosaur park.
Local radio station Hertbeat FM broadcasts from the old pump house, which provided water for the house. A deep well is buried beneath the breakfast show presenter's swivel chair[citation needed].
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[edit] Events
Throughout the spring and summer months the grounds host various events including regular classic car rallies. Since 1974 the grounds have become a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts: see Concerts at Knebworth House.
[edit] Filming at Knebworth
Numerous films have been shot at Knebworth, including:
- The Great Muppet Caper - exterior of the Mallory Gallery
- Batman (1989) - exterior scenes of Bruce Wayne's manor
- Agent Cody Banks 2 - some scenes in and around the grounds
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Yule Ball Staircase Scene
[edit] Notes
- ^ 'Parishes: Knebworth', A History of the County of Hertford: volume 3 (1912), pp. 111-18. Date accessed: 27 August 2007].
- ^ Howard Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, 3rd ed. (Yale University Press) 1995, s.v. "John Biagio Rebecca".
- ^ Howard Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, 3rd ed. (Yale University Press) 1995, s.v. "Henry Edward Kendall", note.
