HAM HOUSE and REGENT'S PARK: London's Finest (10)

[This is the tenth in a series describing some of the most interesting and attractive places in London]

There are several handsome country houses now in the suburbs of London, which were more remote when they were built. One such is Ham House at Richmond, a rare survival of the Stuart style – only Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire is comparable. The English love of gardens and genius for laying out parks is well illustrated by my second site, Regent’s Park in Central London, providing with Hyde Park, Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens, the “lungs” of London allowing Londoners to breathe clean air, escape from the hubbub and enjoy some tranquillity.

Ham House, Garden Side

Ham House, Ham, Richmond is a country house tucked away on the south bank of the River Thames built in 1610 and extended in the 1670s under the architect William Samwell. It was initially designed for James I’s eldest son Frederick, Prince of Wales, but he died in 1618 before succeeding. It was acquired by William Murray, 1^st Earl of Dysart In 1626; he and his wife Catherine embellished the house substantially.  Royalist William in time went into exile but Catherine held on to the house during the Civil War; her trustee was the staunchly Scots Presbyterian and parliamentarian Lord Elgin. The house was almost lost but her daughter Elizabeth married rich Lionel Tollemache and was able to buy it back from Parliament. After Lionel died in 1668, Elizabeth married John Maitland, 1^st Duke of Lauderdale, a prominent Restoration courtier and they lived in high style at Ham.

The Picture Gallery at Ham

Lauderdale was a member of the unadmired CABAL, (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley and Lauderdale) which ran Charles II’s government from 1667-73. Lauderdale was the autocratic ruler of Scotland: his daughter married the 1st Duke of Argyll and 2 further Dukes were born at Ham. On Lauderdale’s death in 1680 Ham House reverted to his widow’s family, the Tollemaches, and 9 Earls of Dysart occupied the house until 1935, although the house did become dilapidated for a period in the late 19th century. The last, rich, if blind, Earl had a staff of 20 and left £4.8m in 1935. The National Trust (in the persuasive form of James Lees Milne) engineered the donation of the house to the nation in 1948.

Unlike more familiar baroque or classical stately homes, Ham is darker – much wood panelling and carved oak staircases. There are splendid Mortlake tapestries and portraits by Lely and Kneller. The front garden has a striking Coade stone figure of Father Thames on a fountain and the gardens are not in the English landscape style but instead rather formal, which would delight the eye of a Louis XIV.

Queen's Bedroom and Tapestries at Ham

The Cherry Garden at Ham

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Regent’s Park in Central London formed part of a grand town planning scheme of John Nash in 1811. He originally proposed a park containing a palace for the Prince Regent, later George IV, with some fine mansions within the park, surrounded by classic stuccoed terraces on the South and West sides. Leaving via Park Crescent, an avenue in the same style would eventually morph into Regent Street and end at the grand edifice of Carlton House. The palace in the Park was dropped and the scheme reduced but much survives enhancing the beauty of the area. In particular the Ionic Nash terraces surrounding the Park provide fine offices and lovely residences for the affluent.

Cumberland Terrace, Regent's Park

           

                                    

Boating and relaxing at Regent's Park

The sylvan setting (410 acres) is a delight in Central London and in the summer hundreds sun themselves on deck chairs or picnic by the lake. For the more energetic there are tennis courts, cycling areas and games pitches. The Regent’s Park Zoo, wholly independent of the taxpayer, has a bumpy ride as public opinion has moved against animal captivity; elephants, rhinos and polar bears have been moved to more spacious Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire. In its prime in 1950, 3m visited to see the polar bear cub, Brumas. The Open Air Theatre is a magical setting for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on a balmy evening, but 2015 will see a varied programme including The Seagull, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, Lord of the Flies and Peter Pan.

The magical Open Air Theatre

My wife and I have simple pleasures. We walk in from York Gate and stroll to one of the cafes. We feed the importunate geese and ducks with surplus bread and the inquisitive squirrels with monkey-nuts, all giving us much innocent joy.

Friendly geese

A welcoming squirrel

 

SMD

13.11.14

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2014