The site known as Buckden
Towers has a rich history spanning over 900 years. For much of that time, as
Buckden Palace, it had been home to the Bishops of Lincoln. It is listed in the
Domesday Survey of 1086 as a manor belonging to the Bishop of Lincoln, valued at just over
£16, consisting of a church, a mill, a few cottages and a wood a mile square.
The current Church of St Hugh takes its name from the
great Hugh of Avalon who was Bishop of Lincoln from 1186 to 1200. St Hugh was a holy
Bishop and a valiant statesman who was always prepared to make a stand even if his views
brought him into conflict with King Henry II, his successor Richard I or the primate,
Archbishop Hubert.
Another Hugh (Hugh de Wells) built a new house at
Buckden in around 1225. The previous structure had been of timber only. This
new house was intended to be a more permanent building and its development was continued
by Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln from 1235 to 1253, who was responsible for adding
a Great Hall. He was another outstanding Churchman of the Middle Ages.
Although loyal, he did not hesitate to oppose both the King, Henry III, and the Pope,
Innocent IV, when his conscience dictated. He also tried, without success, to
reconcile Henry and Simon de Montfort.
In 1291 a fire destroyed most of the buildings constructed by Hugh de Wells and
Robert Grosseteste so that now only some stone foundations remain.
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However, Williams who
lived lavishly and became the holder of the title "Lord Keeper of the Great
Seal" fell into disfavour with Charles I and Archbishop Laud over his conciliatory
attitude towards the Puritans. In 1637 he was accused of perjury, of revealing
state secrets and of suborning false witness. Fined £10,000 and deprived of his
ecclesiastical revenues by the Star Chamber, he spent some time in the Tower of
London. Although Laud assumed jurisdiction of the See of Lincoln, he could not take
away Williams' title of Bishop of Lincoln unless he resigned, which he refused to
do. A solicitor, Kilvert, was sent by the Star Chamber to administer the Buckden
estate. During the three years he lived there, Kilvert despoiled the Palace, sold
the organ, books and pictures for ridiculously low prices and ruined the park by cutting
down trees and killing deer.
In 1641 Bishop Williams was succeeded by Bishop
Winniffe, who had the misfortune to have the Palace at Buckden and other appurtenances of
his See taken from him by the Parliament during the Civil War. In 1649, the property
was sold for £8,174.82 to Alderman Sir Christopher Pecke, one time Lord Mayor of London.
With the restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, the
Palace was returned to the See of Lincoln to which Bishop Sanderson was appointed in that
year. Although he only lived for three more years, Sanderson undertook the
restoration the Palace with great speed, care and charge. The Great Hall was not,
however, restored to its former glory.
The Palace continued to be used by the Bishops of
Lincoln; Bishop Barlow being known as the "Bishop of Buckden who never saw
Lincoln". The dean made efforts to induce him to show more interest in the
Cathedral City, but Barlow remained loyal to Buckden, and when he died there in 1691 he
was buried in the Parish Church.
The Eighteenth Century saw new methods in the
techniques of road building; travel became easier and with its location on the Great North
Road, the Palace became popular with visitors. Bishop Thomas in 1750 received Count
Zingandorf, the first Bishop of the Moravian Sect in England.
An idea of the state of the Palace can be gleaned from
the diary of the Hon. John Byng, later Viscount Torrington, who visited Buckden in 1790
and stayed at the George: "I had often try'd in vain to see the inside of the
Bishop of Lincoln's Palace at Buckden and now unexpectedly succeeded; its appearance is
castellated and within the walls certain strong turrets with apertures. This ancient
appearance diminishes hourly as much of the moat has been lately filled up and many walls
pulled down. The interior is grave, strong and useful; something to venerate; a good
dining parlour, a neat chapel, tower stair cases and some stained glass in the
windows."
In 1838, with the importance of the Palace diminished,
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners decided that about half of the main buildings and part of
the Gatehouse were to be demolished. The materials and furnishings that were
considered unnecessary were to be removed and sold, the profits being paid into the funds
of the Commissioners at the Bank of England. The materials from the demolished
buildings were sold in February 1838. The sale of furnishings took place in November
1838. It lasted for three days and was attended by nearly 1,000 people.
In 1842 the Palace and Park were conveyed to the Vicar
of Buckden. Part of the main building was used as an elementary school for girls and
infants. In 1870, it appeared that the connection with the Church was to be severed
since it was in that year that the property was sold to Mr James Marshall. He
proceeded to make the place habitable again and, at one stage, it appeared that he was
going to restore and enlarge the old buildings, architectural plans for this purpose
having been drawn up. Eventually, he decided against this plan and even considered
burning down the Great Tower.
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The
Victorian House, now known as Buckden Towers was built on the north side of the inner
courtyard in 1872 by Arthur Wellington Marshall to a design by Robert Edis, (knighted in
1919), the architect of the original Sandringham House. During its construction the
Moat was completely filled in.
During the First World War the house was used as a
convalescent hospital. After the War, in 1919, it was sold to an eccentric historian
from Durham, Dr Robert Holmes Edleston. Although he never lived there, he spent much
time excavating and reconstructing parts of the old Bishop's Palace.
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He rebuilt the northern
half of the Inner Gatehouse, demolished by Marshall, and he was responsible for the
inscription "Napoleon III" above the right hand doorway which was to have been
the entrance to a small museum of the Emperor's relics.
He also planned to rebuild the old chapel of the
Bishops of Lincoln. The foundation stone of this was laid by Canon Wood with holy
water, incense and a dedication formula used in the Fifteenth Century by Archbishop
Chichele. However, only the crypt was built and this survives as the Lady Chapel
between the current Church of St Hugh of Lincoln and the Claret Chapel.
During the Second World War the Towers was home to
evacuees from the London Blitz and in particular from Tollington School and it was
subsequently used a hostel for agricultural workers.
Left to Dr Edleston's sister, who had no use for the
property, The Towers was donated to Bishop Leo Parker of the Catholic Diocese of
Northampton for charitable purposes. In 1956, the Diocese in turn passed it on to
the Claretian Missionaries originally for use as a junior seminary.
The Claretians took possession in 1957 and embarked on
restoration work. The inner courtyard was completed, roofing and flooring of the
Great Tower in which a new spiral staircase had also to constructed, was undertaken and a
new chapel, simple and modern in style yet harmonising well with its surroundings, was
built. It was dedicated to St Hugh of Lincoln by Bishop Parker of Northampton in
1959. A modern parish hall to the north of the Victorian House was built and
named St Stephen's Hall after Fr. Stephen Emaldia, the Provincial Superior of the
Claretians from 1950 to 1962.
In 1974 the St Claret Centre was
opened for conferences and spiritual retreats. In 1988, the
Claretian Missionaries launched an appeal to restore and develop the
whole complex. The Inner Gatehouse, the Great Tower and the
Victorian House were all to be the subject of restoration work.
The Inner Gatehouse has been converted into six fully furnished self-catering
apartments and a teashop. The Tower has now four levels connected
by two spiral staircases. The upper two levels have been converted
into dormitories each level containing about twenty beds, showers,
wash basins and toilets. The lowest level has been converted
into a dining room and fully equipped kitchen and the remaining level
has been converted into a large meeting room complete with period
fireplace. The whole Tower is now centrally heated and has electric
light and running hot and cold water. The Outer Gatehouse once
housed a Book and Souvenir Shop but now house offices.
The Grounds have also been extensively
developed. The National Rivers Authority have dredged the lake;
the park has been replanted, the moat re-excavated and although planted
with Ajuga reptans to simulate the water, the plants did
not survive and the moat has now been returned to grass. Queen Katherine's
Tudor Knot Garden has been constructed and was dedicated and opened
in 1995.
Work continues to improve the facilities and maintain
the fabric of the whole complex. |
