Private trust, HHA
The Hall was originally a Tudor manor house, and was given its present Classical frontage in the 17th-18th century. It contains a number of fine rooms. The Hall, now owned by a preservation trust, contains a wealth of fine furniture, books and paintings collected by the Isham family. Most were bought during the third Baronet’s Grand Tour of Europe, in the 1670s. They include portraits by Van Dyck, Kneller, Lely and others. Adjacent to the house is the stable yard, a paved square surrounded by a warren of old buildings.
The gardens to one side of the house include a tall Alpine rockery, the earliest Alpine garden in England, and formerly peopled with minature figures, the world’s first garden gnomes. Today the gardens include extensive herbaceous borders and shrubbery walks containing some rare and interesting plants. House and gardens are set in an extensive grassy park.
Along the village lane near the house are some interesting old buildings which were part of the same estate.
When I first visited Lamport there was an antique fair being held in the stable block, and while I didn’t buy anything I did have an excuse to explore all the old buildings around the stable square. The house and gardens were also open to visitors. The house is quite handsome, and the interiors and collections are interesting. The first floor has undergone extensive restoration, having suffered the kind of rampant decay all too common in old buildings, and now contains further exhibits.
The Church, visible from the front lawn, looks interesting but is kept locked.
Note that visitor access is from the A508, while the visitor exit (and trade entrance) is to the High St.
Revisited July 2024.
