The survey plans of the ground floor show the house, built in about 1599, in the quadrangular form it had before the H-plan additions of Edward Blore (1787-1879) in 1846 and further additions in 1893-4 by Sir Ernest George (1839-1922).

Built originally by Sir Ralph Coningsby, the house remained with the family until 1658 when it was sold to Sir Nicholas Hyde whose grand-daughter Bridget married the eldest son of Earl Danby who was later created Duke of Leeds. In 1685, Bridget suceeded to the estate and a few years later her huband became the second Duke of Leeds. The house remained with this family until the sixth Duke of Leeds sold it ( in 1799) to Henry Browne who was there until 1823 when a succession of owners followed ending with 'Glaxo' in 1992.
(Information from www.brookmans.com and BritishListed Buildings.co)

It may be assumed that the drawings dated 1795 were made for the sixth Duke of Leeds and the later copies dated 1807 and 1808 [2],[5],[6] were presumably made as Soane office record drawings.

P. Dean, Sir John Soane and the country estate, 1999, p.187 has the following account. 'Soane designed numerous outbuildings, including a peachery, dairy, lodge, icehouse and glasshouse, as well as repairs to the existing Elizabethan house, which was redecorated by John Crace (BBA/115-127). The work came to a total of £3,355 3s 8d (L/C/383). The house, which survives was restored by Sir Ernest George c.1893-4 (see Pevsner, Building of England: Hertfordshire, p. 263) when the garden buildings were also reconstructed 'in a style to match the house (see SM archive, letter to DS [Dorothy Stroud] 4 August 1954).

Scheme

Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation

If you have any further information about this object, please contact us: drawings@soane.org.uk