Deene Park

Right. You want an article. Preferably one that’s already written, so I don’t have to exert myself. Fine. Let’s talk about Deene Park. Don’t expect enthusiasm.

Deene Park

Deene Park stands as a monument to the Brudenell family’s enduring, and frankly, rather tedious, presence. It’s a country manor, nestled a mere five miles northeast of Corby , in that perpetually grey expanse known as Northamptonshire , England . The structure itself, a Grade I listed building, purports to date back to the 14th century, though like most old things, it’s been tinkered with, revised, and generally messed about with over the centuries to arrive at its current, presumably less offensive, state.

The Brudenell lineage is deeply intertwined with this place, having held it as their seat since 1514. Seven of them managed to accumulate the title of Earl of Cardigan . The most infamous, or perhaps the most spectacularly inept, was the 7th Earl . He’s remembered for leading the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava in 1854. A tactical masterstroke, I’m sure. He expired without issue in 1868, which meant the Earldom of Cardigan eventually merged with the Marquessate of Ailesbury . The Deene Park estate, however, took a more circuitous route, eventually landing with the descendants of his second cousin, Ernest Brudenell-Bruce, 3rd Marquess of Ailesbury , after his widow shuffled off this mortal coil in 1915.

The current custodian, Robert Brudenell, inherited this considerable pile in 2014. He’s the progeny of Edmund and Marian Brudenell, who apparently dedicated their lives to polishing this place back into something resembling existence. Their efforts are largely responsible for what you see now. They, in turn, trace their lineage back through Commodore Lord Robert Brudenell-Bruce RN , a son of the aforementioned 3rd Marquess. Lord Robert’s son, George – Edmund’s father – inherited the family seat and whatever scraps of land remained in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. He also bothered to change the family name back to “Brudenell” via Royal Licence. Because why have a perfectly good, slightly more distinguished name when you can revert to the original?

History

The manor of Deene, for reasons that are entirely beyond me, belonged to Westminster Abbey . They were apparently content to receive an annual rent of £18 until 1970. The manor house itself has been gradually expanded, like a particularly stubborn fungus, around its original courtyard. The core, the great hall , still stands, sporting its screen panelling and fireplace from 1571. Fancy.

The early 19th-century Bow Room houses the Brudenell library. A collection started in the 16th century by Sir Thomas Tresham and his son-in-law, Sir Thomas Brudenell, 1st Earl of Cardigan . It’s a shame they no longer possess the manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales or the last copy of Magna Carta ever held privately. Apparently, those proved too tempting to resist selling off. One can hardly blame them.

The house is a rather eclectic mix of furnishings from various eras, interspersed with portraits. You’ll find works by Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough , presumably looking as bored as I am. There are also relics from the Crimean War , including the uniforms of Lord Cardigan, and, for reasons I cannot fathom, the head and tail of his charger , Ronald. A rather morbid souvenir collection, if you ask me.

The gardens, designed by David Nightingale Hicks , are… large. They feature a parterre that overlooks the lake, and a newly planted avenue. I’m sure it’s all very picturesque.

Deene Park is situated in the countryside, not a stone’s throw from the Harringworth Viaduct , and surrounded by villages and hamlets . St Peter’s Church, Deene , which inconveniently sits on the grounds, is where the Brudenells are interred. A fittingly grim final resting place.

For a decade, throughout the 1990s, Deene Park was the annual venue for the August bank holiday Greenbelt Festival . I can only imagine the cultural clash.

Notes

• Deene was acquired by Chief Justice Sir Robert Brudenell . The earlier history of the Manor of Deene within Corby Hundred can be found in John Bridges ’s History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, Volume II. The family’s more recent history is meticulously detailed, thanks to the Brudenell archives, by Joan Wake in The Brudenells of Deene (1953).
• Historic England lists DEENE HALL (1040131) on the National Heritage List for England . Retrieved on 28 October 2016.
• Marian Brudenell’s departure was duly noted by The Daily Telegraph , archived on 7 May 2023.
• Edmund Brudenell’s obituaries also appeared in The Daily Telegraph , archived on 3 June 2023, and published on 13 November 2014.
• Charles Mosley , in his 1999 Burke’s Peerage and Baronetage: 106th Edition, lists the family lineage on page 39.
• The official Deene Park website offers further details, if you’re truly desperate.
• The armorial fireplace, described as “executed in an up-to-date style of French origin,” is illustrated in Nicholas Cooper’s Houses of the Gentry 1480-1680 (1999:267).
• Clara Marburg’s article, “Notes on the Cardigan Chaucer Manuscript,” published in PMLA (Vol. 41, No. 2, June 1926, pp. 229-251), discusses the manuscript. It was sold at Sotheby’s on 7 April 1925 and now resides at the University of Texas .
• A Sotheby’s sale catalogue from December 2007, sadly no longer available via its original link, pertains to the Magna Carta .
• Sotheby’s confirmed the sale of the Magna Carta on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2024.

External links

Wikimedia Commons hosts a collection of media related to Deene Park.

• Official website

Coordinates: 52°31′26″N 0°36′04″W