- Brocket Hall
Brocket Hall is a
country house inHertfordshire ,England , 22 miles from centralLondon by road. It was built forSir Matthew Lamb, 1st Baronet , in around 1760 to designs by the architectJames Paine . It stands on the site of two predecessors, the first of which was built in 1239. It is a tall red brick neoclassical house in a fine landscape setting with aPalladian bridge. The main staircase is probably the finest of the interiors. A ceiling was painted by Francis Wheatley.Sir Matthew's son became the first
Lord Melbourne and he was often visited at Brocket Hall by the Prince Regent, who had a liaison with Lady Melbourne. The next owner wasWilliam Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne , who served asPrime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1835-1841. On his death, the house passed to his sister, who was to marry Lord Palmerston who also became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and who died at Brocket while still in office.Queen Victoria was another visitor to Brocket.In 1923 the estate was purchased by Sir
Charles Nall-Cain ; he was createdBaron Brocket in 1933. It was amaternity hospital duringWorld War II .In the late 20th century
Charles Nall-Cain, 3rd Baron Brocket , also a convictedfraudster and reality television personality, converted Brocket Hall into a hotel and conference centre. It has two golf courses, a Faldo Golf Institute, and a restaurant called Auberge du Lac which was formerly associated withcelebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli .External links
* [http://www.brocket-hall.co.uk/ Official site]
* [http://www.brockett.info/WordandName/ProperNoun.htm#Waterships Early history]
* [http://www.dicamillocompanion.com/Houses_dbresults.asp DiCamillo companion entry]
*citeweb|url=http://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Brocket%20Hall,%20Welwyn%20Garden%20City,%20Hertfordshire,%20England,%20UK&&heading=18;with+locations+including;Brocket%20Hall,%20Welwyn%20Garden%20City,%20Hertfordshire,%20England,%20UK|title=Films in which Brocket Hall features
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