Wormleybury
Wormleybury is an 18th-century house surrounded by a
History
The estate of Wormleybury, originally known as Wormley Bury, was one of several estates which King Harold endowed and granted to the Canons of Waltham Abbey (Waltham Holy Cross). In 1220 the Canons of Waltham constructed a conduit for carrying water from Wormley to the monastery.[1]
A house was built on the site in 1525, just north of the present building. The first house's owner was Edward Sharnebrook. Wormley Bury was in the Abbey's possession until the
From the latter, the manor passed in 1733 by sale to John Deane.. The sixteenth century house was replaced by a new house built in 1734 by John Deane who sold it in 1739 to Alexander Hume (1693–1765).[1][3]
Sir Abraham Hume, 1st Baronet (1703–1772), inherited the estate from his brother Alexander when he died in 1765.[4] Architect, Robert Mylne supervised the house remodel from 1767 to 1769, and from 1781 to 1782, after Abraham's son, Sir Abraham Hume, 2nd Baronet (1749–1838) inherited the estate after his father's death in 1772. The interior decoration of the house was supervised by Robert Adam from 1777 to 1779. Adam also designed the garden buildings for the estate.[5] The drawing room has painted roundels by Angelica Kauffman.[6]
In 1838, after the 2nd baronet died without male issue, the Wormleybury estate passed to the male children of his daughter Sophia, Lady Brownlow, the wife of Brownlow Cust, 1st Baron Brownlow (1744–1807) (Viscount Alford and the Hon. Charles Henry Cust). They sold it in 1853 to Henry John Grant, on whose death it passed to his widow, Mary Grant. In 1880, Under the will of H. J. Grant, the manor passed to his cousin, Henry Jeffreys Bushby, and then to his son, Mr. Henry North Grant Bushby. The late Sir Whittaker Ellis took a lease of the property, and did a good deal! to modernise the house. On his death, this long lease was purchased by Mr. Albert Pam.[7]
The estate then passed through several owners, and is currently divided into flats.
Park and garden
The 2nd baronet and his wife Lady Amelia (1751–1809) were well known among leading horticulturalists during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, both in England and abroad. With the help of their gardener, James Mean, they established many exotic plant species in the gardens and greenhouses at Wormleybury. They introduced into England, between 1785 and 1825, a large collection of rare plants, primarily from India and the Far East.[4][9] In 1793 British botanist James Sowerby made some of his observations of exotic mushrooms in the hothouses and greenhouses of Wormleybury as detailed in his 1796 illustrated book 'Coloured figures of English fungi or mushrooms.'[10] The tropical species Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, commonly known as the plantpot dapperling, was observed growing here and was likely introduced along with these exotic plant species.
Botanist
The Hume's most important introduction, the first Tea Rose from China, 'Hume's Blush Tea Scented China Rose' (Rosa odorata) was planted at Wormleybury in 1810.[11]
Wormleybury is listed Grade II in the
References
- ^ a b c Bolton, A.T. 1915. Wormley Bury, Hertfordshire: the residence of Mr. Alber Pam. Country Life, 37 (943), 30th January: 144-149.
- ^ A New and General Biographical Dictionary. London: W. Strahan, T. Payne and Son. 1784. p. 736.
- ^ a b Blatchley, Nicholas. "Wormleybury: A Historical House in Wormley". Herts Memories. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Wormleybury: Park and Garden". Historic England. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ "Wormleybury: Listed Building". Historic England-house. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ "Wormleybury". British Listed Buildings.
- ^ Bolton, A.T. 1915. Wormley Bury, Hertfordshire: the residence of Mr. Alber Pan. Country Life, 37 (943), 30th January: 144-149.
- ^ Historic England. "Wormleybury (1100541)". National Heritage List for England.
- ISBN 978-1-905313-38-9.
- ^ Sowerby, James (1797). Coloured Figures of English Fungi Or Mushrooms. J. Davis.
- ISBN 978-1-905313-38-9.
- ^ Historic England. "Wormleybury (1000252)". National Heritage List for England.