Rushton Hall in Rushton, Northamptonshire, England, was the ancestral home of the Tresham family from 1438, when William Tresham bought the estate. He was Attorney General to King Henry V and Speaker of the House of Commons and was murdered in 1450. Sir Thomas Tresham was MP for Northamptonshire and three times High Sheriff of Northamptonshire.
The latter’s grandson Thomas (1534-1605), also a High Sheriff in 1573, built the Triangular Lodge in the grounds of the hall in 1592. In 1828 the Hall was sold to William Williams Hope, the family of Thomas Hope (1769–1831), a Dutch banker.
After his death in 1854 the estate was sold to Clara Thornhill (later Clarke-Thornhill). The Estate was passed down through the generations to Thomas Tresham, who was knighted in 1530, and then to his grandson Thomas Tresham, who was knighted in 1577. Upon his death the Hall passed to Francis Tresham, son of Thomas in 1605.
He became involved in the famous Gunpowder Plot. After his death his brother, Lewis Tresham, then became the owner of Rushton Hall in 1611.
Rushton is a magnificent structure, built mainly in local stone. It was commenced by Sir John Tresham and his family around 1438 who through generations, owned the hall for nearly 200 years, and was later enlarged and embellished by the Cockayne family around 1630.
The hall’s interior is magnificent. Reformed throughout history, it is of grand style. Huge stone and timber fireplaces adorn virtually every room, whilst ornate plasterwork and wonderful stained glass can be found in the Great Hall, Drawing Room, Dining Room Library, and numerous other rooms.
William Williams Hope from Amsterdam purchased Rushton Hall in 1828 for the princely sum of £140,000 as mentioned before. He spent huge amounts of money on the hall, ‘for the purpose of fitting it up in the French fashion’ and resided at the hall in the shooting seasons only.
After his death in 1854 the estate was sold to Clara Thornhill (later Clarke-Thornhill). Charles Dickens was a great friend of Clara and visited Rushton several times. The fictitious Haversham Hall in Great Expectations was conceived from the Hall.
Charles Dickens became a great friend of Clara Thornhill, and over the years visited Rushton Hall many times. In 1850 it is believed he conceived the idea of The Great Hall in Statis House, where Miss Haversham had her wedding breakfast laid out, in his novel ‘Great Expectations’, whilst he was staying at Rushton.
In 1951 G H Pain became the owner of Rushton Hall after the Second World War. He transferred the ownership of the Triangular Lodge, which was once on the grounds of Rushton Hall, to the guardianship of the ministry, and since 1984 the Triangular Lodge has been in the care of the English Heritage, who has maintained its historical value.
This world that we are living is full of many historical places and lovely sites to see, which cannot be seen not even in a year. I, on the other hand wish i could visit the beautiful Rushton Hall.