Holdenby House

Holdenby House is a country house built around 1583 for Sir Christopher Hatton. It was rebuilt between 1873 and 1875 by architects R.H. Carpenter and W. Slater, with further extensions added in 1887 and 1888 by W.E. Mills. The house features squared coursed lias with ashlar dressings and a slate roof, arranged in a U-shaped plan.

The south front has two storeys with an attic and consists of an 8-window range with 2- and 4-light stone mullions and transoms. Windows three, four, and five are remnants from the original Holdenby Palace of 1583, while the two window ranges to the left, which are set back, date from around 1887-1888. The remaining windows are mainly from the 1873-1875 rebuilding. A projecting porch has double pilasters flanking an arched entrance at the ground floor, and at the first floor, it features detached twin columns flanking a 3-light stone mullion window, which is reputedly from Holdenby Palace and re-erected from another location. The house includes ashlar gable parapets and dormers with pediments, as well as tall circular ashlar stacks with linked caps, some of which likely date back to 1583. The right gable has a 16th-century blocked opening with a four-centred head.

The north front, which has projecting wings, is mainly from the 19th century and features a central porch similar to that on the south front. A datestone on the carriage arch indicates the year 1659, and there are walls attached to it.

Inside, the entrance hall at the center of the north front has 19th-century panelling and a marble fireplace, likely part of the original 1583 structure. The billiard room and boudoir to the left of the entrance have 19th-century moulded cornices, and the boudoir features a marble fireplace decorated with musical instruments. The ballroom in the south front has a large marble fireplace adorned with swags of grapes and incorporates part of the original structure. The garden hall on the south front includes a 19th-century staircase with a turned balustrade. The library, dating from around 1583, has original panelling that has been re-set, while the dining room to the left of the library features a late 19th-century moulded cornice and fireplace.

Holdenby Palace was demolished in 1651 by Captain Adam Baynes, except for parts of the offices that were incorporated into the present house during the 1873 rebuilding. Two gate arches also remain to the east. The surrounding site is scheduled as an ancient monument.