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Wimpole Hall

Wimpole Hall is a country house located within the Parish of Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, England, about 8½ miles (14 km) southwest of Cambridge. The mansion has been owned by many families, each of which has contributed greatly to the house and its history. In the mid 20th century it was rescued from dereliction.

The house, the largest in Cambridgeshire, was begun in 1640 by Sir Thomas Chicheley. In 1668, Chicheley sold the house and estate to Sir John Cutler, on his death it passed to his son-in-law the earl of Radnor. In 1710, Radnor sold the property to the Duke of Newcastle, who promptly died, leaving the house to his daughter, Henrietta, later Lady Harley. The Harley family sold Wimpole in 1739 to the Lord Chancellor, Lord Hardwick. The house remained a seat of the Earls of Hardwick until 1891, when the 5th Earl of Hardwick was forced to cede Wimpole to his banker and creditor, Lord Robartes (coincidentally a descendent of an earlier owner, Lord Radnor) The Robartes family remained in possession until 1938 when they sold the mansion and its 3,000 acres (12 km²) estate to Captain and Mrs George Bambridge. By this time both house and estate had been suffering a long and slow decline, this was immediately halted by the formidable Mrs George Bambridge. The daughter and heiress of Rudyard Kipling, Elsie Bambridge used her considerable fortune from the royalties on Kipling's books to restore, redecorate refurnish the house. In many cases buying back items long since sold from it. She spent her long widowhood perfecting every aspect of the house and its contents. After her death in 1976, she bequeathed to the house, its contents and estate to the National Trust. Today the house is fully open to the public.

Architecture

The 17th and 18th century house has a facade nearly 300 feet long.

• 
  Wimpole Hall in 1880
• Wimpole garden
  Wimpole garden
• Wimpole side gates
  Wimpole side gates
• 
  Wimpole's Folly, built in the 1700s to resemble Gothic-era ruins
• 
  The lake and Gothic folly in the grounds of Wimpole Hall

Ownership

The owners of the modern estate, in chronological order, have been:

• 1640 Sir Thomas Chicheley (c.1613–1699)
• 1686 Sir John Cutler (d.1693)
• 1693 Charles Robartes, 2nd Earl of Radnor (1660–1723)
• 1710 John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 4th Earl of Clare (d.1711)
• 1711 Henrietta Holles
• 1713 Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer (1689–1741)
• 1740 Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke (1690–1764)
• 1764 Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke (1720–1790)
• 1790 Philip Yorke, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke (1757–1834)
• 1834 Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke (1799–1873)
• 1873 Charles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke ('Champagne Charlie')
• 1894 Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes, 6th Viscount Clifden
• 1919 Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes, 7th Viscount Clifden
• 1938 Captain and Mrs George Bambridge
• 1976 The National Trust

References

• Guardian Unlimited, accessed 05 November 2009.
• John Radcliffe Fast Media, accessed 05 November 2009.

[[:Category:Houses in Cambridgeshire] [[:Category:Gardens in Cambridgeshire] Category:Tourist attractions in Cambridgeshire [[:Category:National Trust properties in Cambridgeshire] [[:Category:James Gibbs buildings] [[:Category:John Soane buildings] [[:Category:Grade I listed buildings in Cambridgeshire]

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