Balls Park in Hertford is a Grade I Listed mid-17th-century house. The estate and house are set in over 63 acres of parkland which is listed Grade II on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. The estate and house has been claimed to have been the inspiration for Netherfield in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice , which is set in Hertfordshire. [1] [2] [3]
Balls Park takes its name from its owner, Simon de Ball, a burgess of Hertford in 1297. By the reign of Elizabeth I, it was owned by William Henmarsh, whose only child, Jane, married Richard Willis, a Cambridgeshire landowner and barrister; their children included Thomas and Richard, each created a baronet for service to King Charles I. Thomas, the eldest son and heir, sold Balls Park to Sir John Harrison, [4] a wealthy financier, and customs official, who constructed the present house between 1637 and 1640, possibly to the designs of Nicholas Stone, the king's master-mason.
The building is designed in the so-called Artisan Mannerist style, similar to several other Hertfordshire houses of the same date but shows purer classical traits which suggest metropolitan influences. Several later phases of remodelling can be traced stylistically to changes initiated by Harrison's son Richard Harrison and his grandson Edward Harrison, who had served in the colonial government of the East India Company. In 1759 the house was left by George Harrison to his niece Etheldreda Townshend whose husband, Charles, was estranged. She became a society hostess of some note. [5]
In this way, the house passed to the family of the marquesses Townshend of Raynham in Norfolk, and so became a secondary home, though favoured by Lord John Townshend, who initiated further changes, possibly roofing over the courtyard as a saloon or atrium in the early 19th century.
In the 1880s, it was let to the Faudel-Phillips family, who purchased it outright in 1901 and made further changes. The estate offices and surviving stable block were built in 1902. In the early 1920s Sir Benjamin Faudel-Phillips commissioned the Scottish architect Sir Robert Lorimer to enlarge the house, by removing a series of service buildings and constructing a new west wing, mirroring the form of the mansion. The coach house was also remodelled at the same time.
In May 1940, Sir Winston Churchill famously said of the nation's art treasures: "Hide them in caves and cellars, but not one picture shall leave this island." By the time war was declared on 3 September 1939, the majority of the Wallace Collection had been carefully packed for transport and was already safely out of London, away from the risk of damage or destruction from German air raids. It would remain so for the duration of the war. The collection's new homes were a closely guarded secrets, with a large portion of the works from the collection being initially stored at Balls Park. [6] When the property's then owner, Sir Lionel Faudel-Phillips, died in 1940 the house was put up for sale. This made it necessary for the Wallace's artworks to be moved to West Wycombe Park. [6]
The estate was sold in 1946 and converted into a teacher training college, and served in an educational capacity for over 50 years, before closure in its final educational incarnation as the Hertford campus of the University of Hertfordshire in 2002.
City & Country acquired Balls Park in 2001 from the University of Hertfordshire. In 2003, planning permission was granted for a comprehensive redevelopment of this highly sensitive site according to English Heritage Enabling Development Guidelines that allowed the minimum new build possible to ensure the repair of the listed buildings and park. The scheme included commercial use for the listed buildings, the demolition of unsightly 1960s college buildings and the development of 132 new homes that were designed to respect the setting and context of the listed buildings and the historic park.
Several years later it was concluded by English Heritage that ‘the optimum viable use’ for this important Carolean country house was into residential apartments. Planning permission was granted in 2010 and The Mansion, Coach House and Stables have been restored and converted into 40 apartments by City & Country.
Balls Park is a cricket ground in the grounds of the Balls Park estate. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1865 between Hertford and a United South of England Eleven. [7] In 1901, the ground hosted its first Minor Counties Championship match which was between Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. From 1901 to present, the ground has hosted 70 Minor Counties Championship matches [8] and 2 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches. [9]
The ground has played host to two List-A matches, the first of which was in the 1999 NatWest Trophy between Hertfordshire and the Sussex Cricket Board. The second was between Hertfordshire and Worcestershire. [10]
In local domestic cricket, Balls Park is the home ground of Hertford Cricket Club [11] who play in the Hertfordshire Cricket League Premier Division.
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Watford, and the county town is Hertford.
Ascott House, sometimes referred to as simply Ascott, is a Grade II* listed building in the hamlet of Ascott near Wing in Buckinghamshire, England. It is set in a 32-acre / 13 hectare estate.
Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, known as The Lord Lynn from 1723 to 1738, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1722 to 1723 when he was elevated to the House of Lords by writ of acceleration.
Devon County Cricket Club is one of 20 minor county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Devon.
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club is one of twenty minor county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Hertfordshire.
Clarence Park is a Victorian park used for sports and leisure in St Albans, England. It is still largely in its original form and has a rich variety of trees and planting. It is close to St Albans City railway station.
Wardown Park is situated on the River Lea in Luton. The park has various sporting facilities, is home to the Wardown Park Museum and contains formal gardens. The park is located between Old Bedford Road and the A6, New Bedford Road and is within walking distance of the town centre.
Thomas Winnington, of Stanford Court, Stanford on Teme. Worcestershire, was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1726 to 1746.
Edward Harrison was a naval officer and official of the East India Company and British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1717 to 1726. He served as the President of Madras from 11 July 1711 to 8 January 1717.
Huntingdonshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the minor counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Huntingdonshire. The club does not currently compete in either the Minor Counties Championship or MCCA Knockout Trophy, but does play informal matches, typically against armed forces teams and county academies.
The Faudel-Phillips Baronetcy, of Grosvenor Gardens in the Parish of St George Hanover Square in the County of London and of Queen's Gardens, West Brighton, in the County of Sussex, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 27 August 1897 for George Faudel-Phillips, Sheriff of London and Middlesex between 1884 and 1885, High Sheriff of the County of London between 1895 and 1896 and Lord Mayor of London between 1896 and 1897. Born George Phillips, he had assumed the additional surname of Faudel, which was that of his maternal uncle. His father Sir Benjamin Samuel Phillips had been Lord Mayor of London between 1865 and 1866. The title became extinct on the death of the 3rd Baronet in 1941. Their families were Jewish emigrants from Germany, Poland, and possibly other countries, and had settled in England in the 1700s and 1800s. The family seat was Balls Park, Hertfordshire. All three holders of the title served as High Sheriff of Hertfordshire.
Digswell Park is a cricket ground in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1866 between The Node and Southgate. In 2000, the ground hosted its only Minor Counties Championship match to date, which was between Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. In 2003, the ground hosted 2 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches. Hertfordshire resumed their usage of Digswell Park and have to date played 4 further MCCA Knockout Trophy matches on the ground.
Hitchin Cricket Club Ground is a cricket ground in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1877, when Hertfordshire played Essex. Hertfordshire played their first Minor Counties Championship match on the ground in 1908 against Cambridgeshire. Hertfordshire used the ground until 1914, and following a 37-year break from the ground, it returned in 1951. From 1914 to 1998, the ground played host to 38 Minor Counties Championship matches and 2 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches.
Hertford Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, located in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire. Cricket records for a Hertford club go back a far as 1825, however the club in its present form has been in existence since 1860.
Sir John Harrison of Balls Park, Hertfordshire was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1669. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War.
Stephen Geoffrey Cordingley is an English cricketer. Cordingley is a right-handed batsman. He was born in Hertford, Hertfordshire.
George Harrison, of Balls Park, near Hertford, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons for 25 years between 1727 and 1759.
Audrey Etheldreda Townshend born Audrey Etheldreda Harrison became Lady Lynn and later Etheldreda, Viscountess Townshend was an English society hostess.