“Mary Herbert, the Dowager Countess of Pembroke, was a well-connected member of the royal court. She commissioned the hunting lodge in 1615 on land granted to her by King James I. The architect was probably John Thorpe, a well respected designer, with the famous Inigo Jones contributing some elements. The building was completed by 1621 when King James honoured Mary with a visit to Houghton.
After Mary Herbert’s death, the estate was granted by the king to the Bruce family but it was eventually purchased by the Dukes of Bedford. The fifth Duke of Bedford rented the hunting park to a neighbour. He was subsequently unable to let the house without the park, so he ordered Houghton to be dismantled in 1794. Some of the fittings were used in new building projects such as The Swan Hotel in Bedford where the 1688 staircase can still be seen.” (English Heritage)
So what does Houghton look like today? I went to see and it’s surprisingly impressive 231 years after being unroofed.
“The double-storey loggias on both the north and west fronts, which provide sheltered access to the garden, are thought to have been designed by Inigo Jones. They are important early examples of neoclassical architecture in England, a style that was becoming increasingly fashionable in high circles and was used to display wealth and good taste.
The loggias have friezes with decorative carvings related to the Dowager Countess of Pembroke and her family. They include her coat of arms, flower emblems, and the bear and staff, the emblem of the Dudleys, her maternal ancestors.” (English Heritage)
Walking back to Houghton Conquest for lunch we met a couple walking their black Labrador and chatted about dormice nesting, tree sparrows and Irish Peers. The IPs cropped up because in 1804 the Earl of Upper Ossory bought the park and the ruins of Houghton. Applying methods learnt from Sherlock Holmes it was elementary to identify our new friends. He is the only person I have met who has been on Desert Island Discs.