Uppark & Hinton Ampner – two houses linked by fire – May 2022
Uppark & Hinton Ampner – two houses linked by fire – May 2022
Uppark (National Trust)
Uppark is recorded as having been a deer park, indeed a pair of them, as far back as the 14th century, with the first recorded house being built in 1595 by the Ford family. One of the Ford daughters married Ralph, the 2nd Lord Grey of Warke and it’s their son – Ford Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville – who built Uppark house in 1690.
In the 1740’s the property was purchased by a rich merchant called Fetherstonhaugh who spent the equivalent of £1.8 million transforming the property. At the age of 71, after living a life of parties and gambling, his son Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh noticed and straightway married one of the estate dairy maids who was 51 years younger than he! That maid, Mary Ann, found herself in 1846 the owner of a grand house and a 5,000-acre estate employing hundreds of workers.
The estate then passed to her sister and a number of owners dedicated to sound management and conservation, culminating in Uppark passing to the National Trust in 1954. However, on the afternoon of 30th August 1989, work was nearing completion on the new roof. Uppark had been shrouded in scaffolding for more than a year, and the Trust was looking forward to the big reveal. Fate, however, was to deal a cruel blow with the outbreak of a devastating fire.
Fortunately, what we see today is the house beautifully restored. The image above is of the fire, courtesy The National Trust.
Hinton Ampner (National Trust)
While the Hinton Ampner of today is unashamedly Neo-Georgian in its architecture, if you know where to look there are clues that point to the site’s long and storied history, one that stretches back nearly 500 years.
That story begins with a large Tudor manor, believed to have been constructed in the 1540s. Replacing the Tudor manor in 1790, Henry Dutton built a house from plain yellow brick 60 yards to the south. It was built at a slight angle to capture the sun, although this placed it on a different axis to the surrounding buildings, something that can still be seen today. In the late 1930s the house was remodelled again in the Neo-Georgian style to reflect a grandeur the 1790 building lacked.
However, on Sunday 3rd April 1960, his descendant and last private owner Ralph Dutton took to the woods for a walk. As he returned across the park an hour and a half later, he saw a thin column of smoke rising above the trees. Drawing nearer, the scene that greeted him was one of chaos and devastation. His precious Hinton Ampner was on fire.
Now happily restored as it would have looked in the late 1930’s, The house contains a number of fine paintings, including a set by Jacob de Wit, depicting the four seasons with cherubs painted in a three-dimensional monochrome style.
The Visit
Leaving APMH 08.45
Time available to buy teas/coffees in the Uppark cafe
Guided tour of Uppark grounds and time to visit the house
Sandwich lunch at the Hinton Arms
Free time to visit the house and gardens leaving Hinton c16.15
Cost per person: National Trust members £35 (must show membership card on arrival); non-members must pay the additional NT entry fees on the day
