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Ickworth, Suffolk Villages & Towns - History, Genealogy & Trade Directories

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ICKWORTH parish in 1844,  from 3 to 5 miles S.W. by W. of Bury St. Edmund's, contains only 62 souls, and 1257 acres, all in ICKWORTH PARK, which is eleven miles in circumference, and comprises no less than 1,800 a., of which nearly 300a. are in the adjoining parish of Horningsheath. Ickworth formerly belonged to the Abbey of Bury, by the gift of Theodred, Bishop of London. The whole parish has long been converted into a park, in which stands the magnificent residence of the noble family of Hervey, who acquired this estate by marriage with that of Drury. John Hervey was created a peer of the realm, by Queen Anne, in 1703, by the title of Baron Hervey of Ickworth; and in 1714, was raised to the dignity of Earl of Bristol. Frederick William Hervey, F.R.S., the, present and fifth earl, was created Marquis Of Bristol And Earl Jermyn, in 1826. He was born in 1769, and married in 1798, Elizabeth, daughter of Lord Templetown. He is Hereditary High Steward of Bury St Edmund's, and his eldest son, the Rt. Hon. Frederick William Hervey, Earl Jermyn, is one of the parliamentary representatives of that borough, and married a daughter of the Duke of Rutland. Ickworth Park may vie with any in the kingdom, in beauty or extent. It is stocked with about 700 head of fine deer, and its gardens occupy 5 1/2 acres, and have near them a fine sheet of water. The Old Mansion of the noble proprietor, is not remarkable, but not far from it stands the New Mansion, planned upon a very extensive scale, by the late Earl of Bristol, who was also Bishop of Derry, partly for the purpose of depositing in it the various works of art which he had collected during a long residence in Italy. Only the external parts of the grand centre, and the foundations of the wings were completed in 1798, when the late Earl's collections fell into the hands of the French, and he himself was confined by the republicans in the castle of Milan. This event seems to have occasioned him to abandon his design of returning to England, and he continued to reside in Italy, till his death in 1803, when he is said to have left all his personal property to strangers, including such collections as he had made in the last years of his life. His successor, the present noble owner, for some years deliberated on the propriety of pulling down the shell, which his father had erected, rather than incur the immense experience of completing it, and of adding the two extensive wings which formed part of the plan. However, about 15 years ago, he determined to carry out his father's design, and having finished the centre, proceeded with the erection of the wings, which are each more than fifty yards in length, and upon which he still expends large sums yearly. This mansion house, whether from the grandeur of its scale, or the singularity of its design, is one of the most remarkable structures of modern architecture. About 1792, the late Earl laid the foundations of the mansion, on a plan suggested by himself, with the assistance of Francis Sandys, Esq., the architect; but as already noticed, he did not live to see its completion. It is of tile and brick stuccoed, and consists of an oval centre, connected with wings, by extensive corridors, and faced by a portico on the north side. The whole stands upon a basement containing the offices. The extreme length of the building is 625 feet. The centre, crowned with a dome, rises 105 feet, the diameter being 120 feet north and south, and 106 feet east and west. The corridors
are quadrants of circles, and intersect the centre, so as to leave two thirds of its largest diameter in advance on the south or principal front. The centre is composed of two orders - the Ionic and Corinthian, and three-quarter columns support the entablatures. The lower entablature is plain, the space immediately below it being enriched with a series of subjects modelled in relief. The upper entablature has its frieze filled with reliefs. On the summit of the dome is a ballustrade concealing the flues. The portico is supported by four columns, with a pediment of the Ionic order. The south front, with its noble terrace, is full of grandeur. The reliefs, which fire various in their nature, are all modelled after Flaxman's designs, from the Iliad and Odyssey, excepting that in the centre over the entrance within the portico, which was designed by Lady Caroline Wharncliffe. The whole of the reliefs of the lower circle, and part of the upper, were modelled by Carabello and Casimir Donta, two brothers from the Milanese district; and the rest were executed by Coade. The interior is now splendidly furnished, and contains many large and elegant apartments. The Church is a small neat structure, standing in the Park, at a short distance from the two mansions. The benefice is a discharged rectory, valued in K.B. at �7 11s. 5d., and in 1835, at �238, with that of Chedburgh annexed to it. The Marquis of Bristol is patron, and one of his sons, the Rt. Hon. and Rev. Lord Arthur Hervey, is the incumbent. An elegant monumental stone column, 200 feet high, was erected in the park, a few years ago, in memory of Frederick Augustus, the late Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry. In the 12th of James I, Elizabeth Hervey charged her lands here and in Horningsheath with a yearly rent charge of �2, for the poor of Ickworth.
Most Noble Frederick William Hervey, F.R.S., Marquis Of Bristol
Earl Jermyn, and Baron Hervey, Ickworth Park
Rt. Hon. Frederick William Hervey, Earl Jermyn, M. P.
Hon & Rev. Lord Arthur Hervey, rector, Old Mansion
Hon & Rev. Lord Charles Hervey
Anderson William, gardener
Bilson William, park keeper
Howe Mr. James


And Last updated on: Wednesday, 02-Oct-2024 15:00:59 BST