Patrick Comerford
Charlotte and I were in Lamport Hall last week to mark the opening of celebrations to mark 50 years of the Lamport Hall Preservation Trust, including a new exhibition and special events.
We were there because I had been invited to contribute to the new exhibition catalogue, with a short paper on the Lamport Crucifix, which is on loan to Lamport Hall from Peterborough Cathedral as one of the central exhibits.
We caught the train from Wolverton to Northampton, and then had to take a taxi to Lamport, which is midway between Northampton and Market Harborough. Lamport Hall is a hidden gem nestled in the Northamptonshire countryside, yet only a short drive from the motorway network.
Lamport Hall is Grade I listed building of architectural significance, with an impressive collection of art and furniture, wonderful gardens, and a year-round calendar of events.
Sir Richard Leonard Vere Isham, who spoke at the opening of the exhibition last weekend, succeeded as the 15th baronet in 2021 and represents a long line of Isham baronets whose family have been part of Lamport Halll since the mid-16th century.
For over 400 years, from 1560 to 1976, Lamport Hall was home to the Isham family, one of the oldest families in Northamptonshire. The family surname is pronounced ‘Eye-shum’, and derives from the village of Isham, Northamptonshire.
The fortunes and the trials of each generation of the Isham family have left their mark on the house. As a result, the collections have remained virtually untouched throughout the centuries, providing a snapshot of life in a country house.
Lamport Hall was developed from a Tudor manor house, and the house was architecturally worked on by John Webb, Smith of Warwick and William Burn. It is now notable for its classical frontage, and architecture alterations were made in the 19th century by women who have been called ‘two feisty wives’.
John Isham, a wealthy wool merchant, built a manor house on the Lamport Estate in 1568. His grandson, Sir John Isham (1582-1651), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, became the first baronet in 1627 during the reign of Charles I. He extended the house considerably, although all that remains of his building is a section of the present stable wing.
His only son, the second baronet Sir Justinian Isham (1610-1675), fought as a Royalist in the Civil War and sat as MP for Northamptonshire after the Restoration of Charles II. He built the main existing house in 1655, when he commissioned John Webb, a pupil of Inigo Jones, to design a large two-storey home.
Sir Thomas Isham (1657-1681) was 19 when he succeeded to the family title as the third baronet and to Lamport Hall. Immediately he set off on a ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe with his cousin and tutor, the Revd Zacchaeus Isham. They stayed on the Continent for 2½, spending a large part of their time spent in Italy collecting art works. The treasures he collected on his Grand Tour as a teenage baronet are part of the collections at Lamport Hall.
On his return to England and to Lamport Hall, Sir Thomas became engaged to Mary van de Bempde, daughter of a Dutch merchant. But he died of smallpox on 26 July 1681 before the marriage could take place. He was buried several days later on 9 August in Lamport, and was succeeded by his younger brother Sir Justinian Isham II (1658-1730), the fourth baronet, who was an MP for Northampton and for Northamptonshire.
Sir Justinian Isham III (1687-1737) and Sir Edmund Isham (1690-1772), the fifth and sixth baronets, were brothers and both sat as MPs for Northamptonshire. This Sir Edmund Isham made the next major additions, when the south-west front and the north were completed in 1741.
The main gates date were designed in 1824 by Henry Hakewill for Sir Justinian Isham, the eighth baronet (1773-1845). During his time, the south-east front was rebuilt was completed in 1842.
His son, Sir Charles Vere Isham (1819-1903), the tenth baronet, inherited Lamport Hall at the age of 26 in 1846 when his elder brother Justinian died. He had a particular interest in gardening and his garden featured in many of the journals of the day. Of particular interest at the time was the rockery he created. He is also credited with beginning the tradition of garden gnomes in England when he introduced a number of terracotta figures from Germany in the 1840s.
Later, Sir Charles commissioned a new façade for Lamport Hall, with a porch to the north-west front that is now the distinctive main entrance. This was completed in 1862, and the tower was built about the same time.
A number of rare volumes of Elizabethan prose and poetry were found in an attic in 1887, including first editions bound in sheepskin of John Milton ‘s Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained.
Sir Gyles Isham (1903-1976), the twelfth baronet, was a Shakespearian and Hollywood actor. He was an officer in Libya during World War II when he succeeded to Lamport Hall and the family title in 1941. When he returned to Lamport Hall in 1950, the house had considerably deteriorated and he began major renovation works. He was also High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1958.
The exhibition catalogue recalls how he opened the ground floor to the public 50 year ago in 1974, and was instrumental in setting up the Lamport Hall Preservation Trust. Following a long period of neglect and misfortune, an impressive restoration project was undertaken, returning Lamport Hall to its former glory.
When Sir Gyles died in 1976, he left Lamport Hall and its contents and collections to the Lamport Hall Preservation Trust, which continues to care for the hall and gardens today.
Lamport Hall today includes fine rooms, a wealth of outstanding furniture, books, china, paintings and family portraits.
The High Room with a magnificent ceiling by William Smith. The library includes 16th-century volumes. The Lamport Cross, which is on loan from Peterborough Cathedral, is on display and the early 19th century cabinet room, which takes its name from Neapolitan cabinets that depict mythological paintings on glass. Sir Gyles turned the cabinet room into his private chapel when he became a Roman Catholic.
Lamport Hall also offers a setting for weddings and corporate events. The events throughout the year include antiques fairs, the Festival of Country Life, study days, and a gardening academy. The hall is also home to Lampy, England’s first and only surviving garden gnome imported from Germany in the 19th century.
Lamport Hall was the setting to depict Clarence House in the Netflix series The Crown, and the stables doubled for the stables at Windsor Castle.
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