Hitchin Priory - Local History

Nestled in the heart of the town is Hitchin Priory, a Grade I listed edifice which holds the mantle of being one of the town’s oldest structures. The building commenced its life journey as a Carmelite monastery in 1317, flourishing until it encountered an impasse in 1538 courtesy of Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. The property then passed into the hands of Lancashire landowner’s son, Ralph Radcliffe, who repurposed it as an educational institution. It stayed within the Radcliffe lineage for eleven generations, metamorphosing into the Delmé-Radcliffe family, until its sale to the County Council in 1963. Today, the Priory serves as a Chartridge hotel and conference centre. The building is distinguished by its prominent features: an Adam wing from the 1770s and remnants of the original flint monastery.

The 17th or 18th-century country house contains remnants of the 14th-century Carmelite Priory of St Mary. The house stayed with the Radcliffe family until its transformation into a conference centre in the 20th century. Founded in 1317, the priory was ultimately suppressed in 1538. The present south range, reconstructed in 1775 in Adam’s style, now stands on the site of the erstwhile church. It’s architectural chronology is riddled with snippets of past generations, from the 17th-century north elevation embossed with the Radcliffe coat of arms, to the late 18th-century Palladian design gracing the southern façade of the house. Beautiful gardens surround the house, including a small 18th-century ornamental bridge spanning the River Hiz and a 1770s ice house.

Edward II granted land to the Carmelite Friars in 1317 to establish their abode and a church in Hitchin parish. This development was further bolstered by the land offerings of John de Cobham, leading to the construction of a small convent devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. However, by 1538, the monks surrendered their home to Sir William Coffyn and Henry Crowche, the King’s Commissioners, and the robust structure was reduced to a mere quarry for the local townsfolk. The Priory’s attendant buildings, having faced years of neglect following the Dissolution, were in a sorry state, with many of its once-magnificent gardens morphed into wastelands, and the church sporting the scars of nature’s wrath without the protection of lead, glass, freestone and bells.

Hitchin Priory’s estate was sold in 1546 for £1,541 to two property speculators, Sir Edward Watson and Henry Herdson. The estate later exchanged hands, being sold to Ralph Radcliffe by Edward Pulter in 1553, and then bequeathed by Radcliffe to his eldest son, Ralph, upon his death. Following centuries of ownership by the Radcliffe’s kin, the Priory passed to Hubert Delmé-Radcliffe, and later to his brother, Francis Augustus Delmé-Radcliffe, in 1878. The Delmé-Radcliffe line owned the Priory until 1964.

Today’s Hitchin Priory is a far cry from its original architectural design, though it incorporates minimal elements of its predecessor, the Carmelite Priory. Its appearance is predominantly a reflection of politician and MP John Radcliffe’s vision, who inherited the Priory in 1769 and oversaw a large-scale rebuild in 1770-71. Besides the grandeur of its 18th-century Palladian design, its rooms retain traces of its diverse history, from the early 17th-century panelling in the east wing to the plaster ceiling of a small north room with cable and foliate decoration dating back to the same period.

The property earned a Grade I designation on the Register of Historic England in 1951, recognising the historical significance of not only the main building but also the accessory structures including the Garden Bridge, Coach House and stables.



#localhistory #history #museum #heritage #localhistorymatters #archive #archives #photography #familyhistory #genealogy #s #familytree #travel #museums #historymuseum #conservation #artifacts #haneslleol #historian #architecture #wales #film #historylover #antique #cymru #hanes #filmarchive #cadwraethffilm #canadianhistory #filmconservation
#museumlife #ffilm #librariesofinstagram #fortostellmuseum #fortostell #filmarchives #archifffilm #historynerd #oldstuff #fort #genealogist #knowyourhistory #ponokaalberta #ponoka #alberta #ancestry #pioneers #joioffilm #provincialinsaneasulum #ipswichqld #tourismalberta #vintage #mentalhospital #canadianheritage #museumfromhome #vintagephotograph #lancashire #familyhistoryresearch #explore #throwbackthursday