Springtime at Chenies and Knebworth House
Tue 22 Apr 2025 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM BST
Chenies Manor, WD3 6ER
Description
Enjoy exclusive tours of two contrasting historic houses, each with its own wow factor.
Enjoy a guided tour of exquisite Grade I Chenies Manor, described by Pevsner as “beautifully mellow under the trees by the church, and archaeologically a fascinating puzzle”. The house has a long and rich history. Built in 1460 by Sir John Cheyne, it soon became the seat of the Dukes of Bedford. During this time, it played host to royal visitors. It has spanned many centuries, with its fortunes, like its chimneys twisting and turning, giving it a unique past. After its downfall from Chenies Palace to Chenies Manor, the future of this Tudor house changed when it was lovingly restored and brought back to life by Elizabeth and Alistair Macleod Matthews and today it is still home to the family. The tour will coincide with the annual display of dazzling tulips in the tranquil gardens.
Later discover Grade II* Knebworth House, the seat of the Earl of Lytton from 1490 and now the family home of Lord Cobbold. The house was originally a red-brick late Gothic manor, built around a central court as an open square. In 1813–16 the house was reduced to its west wing, which was remodelled in a Tudor Gothic style by John Biagio Rebecca for Mrs Bulwer-Lytton, and then was transformed in 1843-45 by Henry Edward Kendall Jr. into the present Tudor Gothic structure. Knebworth's most famous resident was Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the Victorian author, dramatist and statesman, who embellished the gardens in a formal Italianate fashion. Much of the interior of Knebworth House was redesigned by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who married Lady Emily Bulwer-Lytton. He also simplified the main parterre and created a herb garden with an interlaced quincunx design, drawn by Gertrude Jekyll in 1907.
Tickets £65 including a two-course lunch in the Garden Terrace Restaurant at Knebworth House. Lunch options to be made available to attendees in March 2025.
Location
Chenies Manor, WD3 6ER