Knebworth
House is an English country house in the parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire.
It is best known for being a rock concert venue, particularly between the
1970s-1990s. It is a Grade II* listed building. Its gardens are also listed
Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. In its surrounding
park is the medieval St. Mary's Church and the Lytton family mausoleum.
The home of
the Lytton family since 1490, when Thomas Bourchier sold the reversion of the
manor to Sir Robert Lytton, Knebworth House was originally a red-brick Late
Gothic manor house, built round a central court as an open square. In 1813-16
the house was reduced to its west wing, which was remodelled in a Tudor Gothic
style by John Biagio Rebecca for Mrs Bulwer-Lytton, and then was transformed in
1843-45 by Henry Edward Kendall Jr. into the present Tudor Gothic structure.
Knebworth's
most famous resident was Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873), the Victorian
author, dramatist and statesman, who embellished the gardens in a formal
Italianate fashion. The 1st Baron's great-grandson Neville (1879-1951) married
Judith Blunt, a well known horse breeder who inherited Crabbet Arabian Stud in
1917 and devoted her life to it. In 1913-1914 the house was leased for £3,000
per year by Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia and his morganatic wife
Natalia Brasova.
Much of the
interior of Knebworth House was redesigned by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who married
Lady Emily Bulwer-Lytton (1874-1964) - he simplified the main parterre. Lady
Emily was the daughter of The 1st Earl of Lytton, who served as Viceroy of
India between 1876 and 1880. A herb garden, with an interlaced quincunx design,
was drawn by Gertrude Jekyll in 1907, although not planted until 1982.
As of 2019,
its residents are Henry Lytton-Cobbold and his family. He had a career in the
film industry, living for some years in Los Angeles, and so the house and
gardens are frequently used for filming.
They are
also open to the public. The grounds include tourist attractions such as an
adventure playground and dinosaur park and host various events including
classic car rallies. Since 1974, concerts at Knebworth House have featured the
likes of Robbie Williams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin,
Pink Floyd, Queen, Paul McCartney, Genesis, Mike Oldfield, The Beach Boys, Deep
Purple, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Dire Straits, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iron
Maiden and Oasis.
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