The Temple House at Horton

A garden front view of The Temple House, Horton.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

Devoted Readers will recall the posts about the once-derelict folly known as The Menagerie that was expanded to become a house and presented by The Devoted Classicist in three parts here, here, and here.  Thanks to a notice sent by Andrew Triggs, author of the highly-recommended blog British and Irish Stately Homes, it was learned that another surviving outbuilding at Horton, The Temple House, was for sale.  Well, the majority of the parkland folly, a Listed Grade II house, is available for a price of GBP 875,000.  (See update at end of this essay).


Floor plans of The Temple House, Horton.
(The portico is not indicated)
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

Thought to date from the 1750s as a stone folly, The Temple was renovated and extended with a brick addition in the latter part of the 19th century.  The property was divided into two dwellings in 1990, according to the real estate agents, Jackson-Stops & Staff, Northampton, with The Temple House being to the south and Temple Court (also known as Temple Cottage) to the north.


A map of The Temple House, Horton, property.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

With a garden of about 1.4 acres, the entrance faces the road while the principal front with the portico faces the park.  Entering a vestibule, there is a Powder Room as we would describe it in the U.S.


The Dining Hall at The Temple House, Horton.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

The heated limestone floor continues into the Stair Hall and the Dining Hall with French doors opening to the portico, terrace, and gardens.


The Drawing Room at The Temple House, Horton.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

Beyond, the Drawing Room has walls with applied mouldings to simulate panelling.


The Kitchen at The Temple House, Horton.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

The Kitchen, which also serves as a Breakfast Room, has handmade cabinets with hardwood countertops and a fireplace.  Across the lobby with door to the garden is a Pantry/Utility Room with Carrara marble countertops.  In addtion, there is a small sitting room (not pictured) with hand-blocked Print Room style wallpaper, according to the sales data, this is used as a cinema room.


Upper Stair at The Temple House, Horton.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.



Bedroom One at The Temple House, Horton.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.



Bedroom Two at The Temple House, Horton.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

A Bathroom at The Temple House, Horton.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

Another garden front view of The Temple House.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

Like The Menagerie, the design of The Temple House is attributed to the architect-astronomer, Thomas Wright of Durham.  (Note:  at time of publication of this posting of The Devoted Classicist, this property with ID = 50080 is not available).


A view of Temple Court in the distance.
Image:  Jackson-Stops & Staff.

The Menagerie, Part II

Devoted Readers will recall a recent essay about the home of my late friend Gervase Jackson-Stops, a delightful 18th century folly at Horton Park, Northamptonshire, England.  The Grade II listed building was an eye-catcher from the main house and named the Menagerie because of its location adjacent to a private zoo of Lord Halifax.  The Devoted Classicist post dated February 27, 2012, shows the folly as it appeared during the ownership of Mr. Jackson-Stops.

The principal elevation of The Menagerie.

Thankfully, Toby Worthington submitted additional photos from Gervase's occupancy soon after the essay was published and those were incorporated into that first post. 

The Menagerie as it appeared before restoration
in a 1971 issue of Country Life magazine.

Then good fortune shined again as a whole cache of photos -- and floor plans -- were provided by Tom Barton of Dixie Graphics in Nashville (a good source for architectural signage, plaques and recognition awards).  Although these images date from the sales brochure showing alterations by a subsequent owner, more of the story of this very special residence is revealed.

An arial view of the Menagerie
showing a plowed agricultural field to the north.

In its present incarnation, the folly is treated as the great house of an estate.  The four acres associated with the residence are developed beyond the three allees planted in 1982 with additional features added by Gervase and later owners.  Currently, the surrounding parkland is planted in crops, gone to pasture grazed by a rare breed of cattle, or left as woodland.

The Menagerie from the south
showing additions and alterations by later owners.

The additions behind the screen walls flanking the main block were further expanded and a twin was given to each of the end pavilions.

The new west entrance
with the added pavilion on the right.

A new entrance at the west end opens into an octagonal Hall with a limestone floor and a cupola brings in natural light.  A fitted Kitchen is adjacent and equipped with double ovens, a ceramic hob cooktop, plus an integrated refrigerator, dishwasher, and wine cooler.

The limestone flooring continues into the expanded Dining Room with marble-topped cupboards.

The altered Dining Room of the Menagerie.

The photos of the Saloon show more of the exceptional plaster decoration, half of which was missing at the time of Gervase's purchase.  Father Time, in the center of the ceiling, fills his role as center of the cosmos.  Carrying a scythe as typical, he is also holding a serpent biting its tail, symbolic of the changing seasons.

The Saloon with a glimpse of Father Time
at the center of the ceiling at the top of the image.

Medallions of the signs of the zodiac depicting animals are particularly appropriate for the Menagerie, designed by architect-astronomer Thomas Wright.  Garlands of the season link the medallions:  tulips for Taurus, may blossoms for Gemini, wheat for Virgo, pears for Libra, and grapes for Scorpio.  Summer signs are grouped around the sunburst in the bay, the source of light.  Winter signs are grouped around the fireplace, the source of heat. 

The Saloon, showing the restored plaster decoration
and the recreated plaster urns in the niches.

Festoons of musical instruments flank the bay.  Above the niches containing urns decorated with animals of four continents, there are coordinating trophies representing those parts of the world.  There are ante-rooms, both with doors opening to the south terrace;  one is a Study and the other, a Library with shelving and cupboards disguised by book spines.

The Master Bedroom.

The Master Bedroom, in a space added after Gervase's ownership, has a limestone floor and two pairs of French doors to the south garden.  A fitted Dressing Room overlooks the rose garden to the east.  The ensuite Bathroom (or Shower Room as it would be called in England), has custom cabinetry, a lavatory (hand basin), toilet (w.c.), bidet, and shower;  it is located in a new end pavilion that matches one of the original pair.

The Second Bedroom.

The Second Bedroom has a view to the north and an ensuite bathroom.  This was one of the spaces added by Gervase behind the existing screen wall.

The Bathroom adjoining the Second Bedroom
occupies the original east pavilion.

The Third Bedroom (not pictured), adjacent to the entrance, also has a limestone floor and an ensuite Bathroom (Shower Room);  it overlooks the south garden.

The entrance to the Shell Grotto.

But the most unusual feature added to the historic building is the Shell Grotto completed in the basement in 1995.  Christopher Hobbs, who created some of the missing plasterwork in the Saloon, also helped create the fantastic decor.  Entered down steps from the garden, stepping stones across water represent the River Styx and guest are met with a figure of Charon at the prow of his boat. 

Orpheus in the Shell Grotto.

Orpheus plays to animals under a vault of tufa, shells, and minerals.  And an open fireplace is guarded by Cerberus, the three-headed dog.  This level, which originally contained the kitchen, also has a gym with sauna and shower, and a wine cellar.

A detail in the Shell Grotto.

Except as noted, all images are from the sales brochure produced by Estate Agents Jackson-Stops & Staff.  Photos of the garden and auxiliary buildings will follow in Part III, the next posting of The Devoted Classicist.

Gervase Jackson-Stops' Folly, The Menagerie

As incredible as it was to have the scholarly visits to all the historic sites, an even more valuable experience of my time as an Attingham student was getting to know so many talented historians, curators, and conservators.  Easily at the top of this list is Gervase Jackson-Stops, my architecture tutor.

Gervase Jackson-Stops.

Grandson of the founder of the eponymous up-scale British real estate firm, Gervase was educated at two of Britain's top schools, Harrow (secondary school) and Christ Church, Oxford (a college of the University of Oxford).  He was trained at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1969-71 and was a Research Assistant at the National Trust from 1972-75.  As Architectural Advisor to the National Trust for over 20 years, he was responsible for instituting many policies for the first time.  Canons Ashby, an Elizabethan manor house built from the stone of the Augustinian priory that occupied the Northamptonshire site, was saved using Government funds, a first in Britain.

Head of the National Gallery of Art, J Carter Brown, gives HRH Princess Diana
a tour of The Treasure Houses of Britain exhibit.

Gervase was the curator of many exhibitions, most notably "The Treasure Houses of Britain", held at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC in 1985-6;  a product of six years of preparation, it was an enormous success that contributed to the growing trend of admiration for the stately British country houses, their collections, and their decoration.  (U.S. sales of flowered chintz skyrocketed).  In 1987, Queen Elizabeth II named him Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to the heritage of Great Britain.

Horton House as it was remodeled by Thomas Wright.
The cupolas were removed in a 19th century remodeling.
Image from hortonpark.org.

When Gervase bought the dilapidated folly in Horton Park in 1973, it was being used for agricultural storage.  Horton House, the ancestral home of the Earls of Halfax, built in the 17th century on the site of a medieval village, had been demolished in 1936.  The park, some of the auxiliary buildings, and some alterations to the main house were designed by astronomer Thomas Wright.  Today, thirteen listed buildings remain, including the folly known as the Menagerie.

Horton House as it appeared in a view by J. Storer, July 1812.
Image from hortonpark.org.

The Menagerie, built in the late 1750s, was an eye catcher for the main house.  It was the architectural feature of a private zoo beyond where the animals were kept in cages in an enclosure of approximately two acres surrounded by a circular moat, which may or may not have contained water.  An account by Horace Walpole who visited in 1763 listed storks, racoons, a young tiger, a bear, 'uncommon martins', 'wart hogs with navels on their backs', and 'many basons [sic] of gold fish'.

This drawing of the Menagerie was used as the letterhead of Gervase Jackson-Stops' stationary.

Although the folly was purchased for only GBP 500, the roofs of the end pavilions and the lead dome on the projecting bay had been stripped off and the windows were boarded up (though none of the original sash remained).  The Menagerie's main room, the Saloon, was filled to the cornice with hay.

The Saloon.
The chimneypiece is painted to resemble porphyry.
Photo by Bruno de Hamel for Architectural Digest.

Another view of the Saloon, from the opposite direction.
The urns are copied from the limewood models Rex Whistler made for Samuel Cortauld.
Photo from Country Life magazine, October 12, 1995.

The bay of the Saloon opposite the fireplace.
Photo from Country Life magazine, October 12, 1995.

Originally, the Saloon was used as a banqueting hall with the food prepared in the brick-vaulted kitchen below.  Although the exceptional plasterwork, attributed to Thomas Roberts of Oxford, had been badly damaged and large portions were missing, there were 1945 photographs to provide documentation.  Christopher Hobbs and Leonard Stead and Son of Bradford restored the decoration, improvising where there was no other evidence.   In keeping with Wright's status as a distinguished astronomer, the ceiling had been given a cosmos motif with Father Time in the center and the Four Winds at each corner.  According to the Walpole account, there was a plaster urn, representing the animals of the four parts of the world, painted to resemble bronze in each of the four niches;  these have also been recreated.  Analysis of the paint in protected areas enabled the restoration of the original color scheme.

The rear of the Menagerie showing the additions behind the screen wall.
Photo by Bruno de Hamel for Architectural Digest.

With the help of his mother, an architect, Gervase added a room behind each of the screen walls that had given a visual connection of the two flanking pavilions to the central block.  The arched openings on the stone facade, originally gates to the zoo, were given windows.  The additions on the brick side were designed to appear as glassed-in loggias, adding a dining room and a bedroom.

The added Dining Room.
Photo by Bruno de Hamel for Architectural Digest.

The added Bedroom.
Photo by Bruno de Hamel for Architectural Digest.

Originally, the end pavilions were probably used to store garden equipment and food for the animals.

The Guest Cottage.
Photo from a private collection.

The gardens around the Menagerie began to be further developed in 1992 to a design by Ian Kirby, Gervase's partner.  Two thatched roof Gothick arbors were built in the garden;  one was later converted into a chapel and the other, a guest cottage.

A detail of the shell Grotto.
Photo from a private collection.

A shell grotto was created in the cellar of the Menagerie, substantially completed by 1995.

Sadly, Gervase died in 1995 at the age of 48.  After several years of being leased, Timothy Mowl, the historic landscape author and professor, another of my tutors at Attingham, bought the property and made additional improvements to the folly.  He also added a walled kitchen garden designed by Jinny Blom.  (Post-script:  thanks to information from BISH - BRITISH & IRISH STATELY HOMES who referenced COUNTRY LIFE magazine, Timothy Mowl was not an owner of The Menagerie).

The last known owner, however, was the film-maker Alex Myers.  Around this time last year, the Menagerie with 4.3 acres was offered for sale, soliciting offers in the region of GBP 1,600,000.  As the property no longer appears among the current listings, it is assumed to have been sold.

More information about Horton Park and the surviving features can be seen at the website of The Horton Park Conservation Group.

All the Architectural Digest photos come from the book CHATEAUX AND VILLAS, THE WORLDS OF ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST edited by Paige Rense, published by The Knapp Press, 1982.

Note: As a service to my readers and in addition to a selection of new books at a substantial discount of the published price, The Devoted Classicist Library offers a number of interesting used and out-of-print books for as little as under $1.00 plus shipping and handling, including the title featured in this post.

Addendum February 28, 2012
The Devoted Classicist is grateful to devoted reader Toby Worthington for bringing to light two additional photos of the Saloon from Gervase's time from an article by John Cornforth.  These have been incorporated into a revised version of this post.

Addendum March 1, 2012
The Devoted Classicist is also grateful to devoted reader Mrs. Beverly Hills for letting us know that the grotto is pictured in Hazelle Jackson's book SHELL HOUSES AND GROTTOES, available through The Devoted Classicist Library.