The great hall

Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, First Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I and has been the home of the Cecil family ever since. It is currently the home of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury. The house is open to the public. Image File history File links HatfieldHallJosephNashc1840. ... Image File history File links HatfieldHallJosephNashc1840. ... A great hall was the main room of a royal palace, a noblemans castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. ... A country house is a large dwelling, such as a mansion, located on a country estate. ... Arms of the former Hatfield Rural District Council Hatfield, originally Bishops Hatfield, is in the Welwyn Hatfield district of Hertfordshire, in the south of England. ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom and part of the East of England Government Office region. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate... Jacobean - an early phase of English Renaissance architecture and decoration. ... Events June 23 - Henry Hudsons crew maroons him, his son and 7 others in a boat November 1 - At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeares romantic comedy The Tempest is presented for the first time. ... Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury (June 1, 1563 -May 24, 1612), son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and half-brother of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, statesman, spymaster and minister to Elizabeth I of England and James I of England. ... James Stuart (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old. ... The Most Honourable Robert Michael James Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, PC (born September 30, 1946), is a Conservative politician and a former Leader and Shadow Leader of the House of Lords. ...

Early history

An earlier building on the site was the Royal Palace of Hatfield. Only part of this still exists, a short distance from the present house. This palace was the childhood home and favorite residence of Queen Elizabeth I. Built in 1497 by the Bishop of Ely, Henry VII's minister John Cardinal Morton, it comprised four wings in a square surrounding a central courtyard. The palace was seized by Henry VIII with other church properties. Elizabeth I redirects here. ... 1497 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 – April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... This article is about the 15th century English Bishop, for other uses see John Morton (disambiguation). ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland, from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...

Henry VIII's children Edward and Elizabeth spent their youth at Hatfield Palace. In 1548, when she was only 15 years old, Elizabeth was under suspicion of having illegally agreed to marry Thomas Seymour, the House and her servants were seized by Edward VI's agent Robert Tyrwhit, and she was interrogated there. She successfully defended her conduct with wit and defiance. Seymour was executed in 1549 for numerous other crimes against the crown. After her two months of imprisonment in the Tower of London by Queen Mary, Elizabeth returned to Hatfield. The Queen Elizabeth Oak on the grounds of the estate is said to be the location where Elizabeth was told she was Queen. In November 1558, following the death of her sister Mary Tudor, Elizabeth held her first Council of State in the Great Hall. Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) became King of England, King of France (in practice only the town and surrounding district of Calais) and Ireland on 28 January 1547, and crowned on 20 February, at just nine years of age. ... Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 6 July 1553 (de facto) or 19 July 1553 (de jure) until her death. ... Events January 7 - French troops led by Francis, Duke of Guise take Calais, the last continental possession of England July 13 - Battle of Gravelines: In France, Spanish forces led by Count Lamoral of Egmont defeat the French forces of Marshal Paul des Thermes at Gravelines. ... Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 6 July 1553 (de facto) or 19 July 1553 (de jure) until her death. ... The Council of State is the name of an organ of government in many states, and especially in republics. ...

Elizabeth's successor James I did not like the palace much and so traded it to Elizabeth's chief minister (and his own) Robert Cecil, First Earl of Salisbury, in exchange for Theobalds which was the Cecils' family home. Cecil liked to build and so tore down three wings of the Royal Palace (the back and sides of the square) in 1608 and used the bricks to build the present structure. James Stuart (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old. ... Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury (June 1, 1563 -May 24, 1612), son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and half-brother of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, statesman, spymaster and minister to Elizabeth I of England and James I of England. ... The title Marquess of Salisbury is a British title of Peerage, created in 1789 for James Cecil, 7th Earl of Salisbury. ... Theobalds House (also known as Theobalds Palace), located in Theobalds Park, just outside Cheshunt in the English county of Hertfordshire, was a prominent stately home and (later) royal palace of the 16th and early 17th centuries. ...

The Third Marquess of Salisbury was three times Prime Minister during the closing years of Queen Victoria's reign. Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (February 3, 1830–August 22, 1903). ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ...

Hatfield House is a popular tourist attraction because it has so many objects associated with Queen Elizabeth, including some gloves and a pair of silk stockings that are believed to have been the first ones in England. The library displays a 22' long illuminated parchment roll showing the pedigree of Queen Elizabeth with ancestors back to Adam and Eve. The Marble Hall holds the "Ermine Portrait" of Elizabeth by Nicholas Hilliard. Self-portrait, 1577. ...

The State Rooms house many important paintings, furniture, tapestries and armour. The richly carved wooden Grand Staircase and the rare stained glass window in the private chapel are among the house's original Jacobean features.

The north front in 1880

Image File history File linksMetadata Hatfield_Morris_edited. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Hatfield_Morris_edited. ...

Gardens

The Gardens, covering 42 acres (170,000 m²), date from the early 17th Century, and were laid out by John Tradescant the elder. Tradescant visited Europe and brought back trees and plants that had never previously been grown in England. The gardens included orchards, fountains, scented plants, water parterres, terraces, herb gardens and a foot maze. They were neglected in the 18th Century, but restoration began in Victorian times and continues under the present Dowager Marchioness of Salisbury. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... John Tradescant the elder (ca 1570s – 15/16 April, 1638), father of John Tradescant the younger, was an English naturalist, gardener, collector and traveller, probably born in Suffolk, England. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

During World War I, the grounds were used to test the first British tanks. An area was dug with trenches and craters and covered with barbed-wire to represent no-man's land and German trench lines on the Western Front. To commemorate this, the only surviving Mark I tank was sited at Hatfield from 1919 until 1970 before being moved to the Bovington Tank Museum. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Combatants Belgium British Empire Australia[1] Canada[2] India[3] Newfoundland[4] New Zealand[5] South Africa[6] United Kingdom France and French Overseas Empire Portugal[7] United States Germany Commanders No unified command until 1918, then Maréchal Ferdinand Foch Moltke --> Falkenhayn --> Hindenburg and Ludendorff --> Hindenburg and Groener Casualties... A Mark I tank on 26 September 1916 (moving left to right). ... British Mark V; one of the few WWI tanks still in working order. ...

Tours

The State Rooms can be seen in the midweek guided tours, and visitors can look around in their own time at weekends. On Friday, the Garden Connoisseur's Day, the House is open for guided tours and for pre-booked specialist groups. The Park contains the national collection of model soldiers, and five miles of marked trails.

Film credits

• Many interior scenes of the Wayne Manor in the 1989 film Batman and the 1992 sequel Batman Returns were shot at Hatfield House.[1]
• The outside scenes of the Lara Croft movies with Angelina Jolie were shot at Hatfield House.
• It appears in The New World (2005) with Colin Farrell.
• The house will appear in major scenes in the film The Golden Age, to be released in 2007 as a sequel to Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush.
• Hatfield House will be used to portray Chartley Hall, where Mary Queen of Scots, played by Samantha Morton, was kept captive before her execution, in the upcoming film The Golden Age.

The most important aspect in all the movies seems to be the very British atmosphere and architecture, such as the huge size of the manor and its park. Wayne Manor in 1989s Batman. ... // Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia for $20 million. ... Batman was released in U.S. theaters on June 23, 1989 by Warner Bros. ... Batman Returns is a 1992 motion picture based on the Batman character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Angelina Jolie (born June 4, 1975) is an American film actress, a former fashion model and a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. ... The New World is a 2005 Academy Award-nominated film directed by Terrence Malick and starring Colin Farrell. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2005. ... Colin James Farrell (born May 31, 1976) is an Irish actor who has appeared in several high-profile Hollywood films including Daredevil, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth and S.W.A.T.. // Farrell was born prematurely, weighing 1 pound 6 ounces, in Castleknock, Dublin to Rita and Eamon Farrell. ... Golden Age is the movie sequel to the film Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett. ... // Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in 2007. ... Elizabeth is an Academy Award-winning 1998 film based on the early reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. ... Catherine Élise Blanchett (born on May 14, 1969) is an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. ... Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning Australian actor. ... Mary I of Scotland; known as Mary, Queen of Scots Mary I of Scotland (Mary Stuart or Stewart) (December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587), better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, was the ruler of Scotland from December 14, 1542 – July 24, 1567. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Golden Age is the movie sequel to the film Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett. ... Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, a master builder, from αρχι- chiefs, leader , builder, carpenter)[1] is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ...

Further reading

• Cecil, David. The Cecils of Hatfield House: An English Ruling Family. Houghton Mifflin, 1973. [written by the younger son of the 4th Marquess of Salisbury]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Hatfield House

• Official site
• Flickr photos tagged Hatfield House