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Moggerhanger Park
There has been a house on this site since the 15th century. The Thornton family purchased the property in 1777 and it became the country home of Godfrey Thornton, who was Governor of the Bank of England in 1793-95.
In 1790 - 1816 Moggerhanger was rebuilt to a design by the architect Sir John Soane RA (1753-1837), who had already designed the Bank of England, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and remodelled 10 & 11 Downing St, London. Moggerhanger House is recognised as the most complete, surviving example of his work.
The parkland surrounding the house was designed by the celebrated landscape architect Humphrey Repton.
Godfrey Thornton was a cousin of William Wilberforce and a member of the Clapham Sect, a group of Christians who worked to improve society in 18th Century Britain.
The Thornton family sold the estate in 1857. In 1919 it was acquired by the Bedfordshire County Council as a Sanatorium, first for TB and then as an Orthopaedic Hospital. It was then known as Park Hospital.
The hospital closed in 1987 and was acquired by Twigden Homes as a building site. They planned to build on the kitchen garden but had no use for the main house, which was acquired in 1995 by the Moggerhanger House Preservation Trust. The Trust obtained grants from the Landfill Tax Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the house and grounds. The house finally re-opened to the public in May 2005. The house building plans were shelved and the gardens are now being restored to their former glory.
The estate has been home to a number of Christian charities and other organisations since 1995. The house is now used as a conference centre and for events such as weddings.
Information from the Moggerhanger Park website Link
and the website the-park.net/mhpt/ (now defunct).
In 1790 - 1816 Moggerhanger was rebuilt to a design by the architect Sir John Soane RA (1753-1837), who had already designed the Bank of England, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and remodelled 10 & 11 Downing St, London. Moggerhanger House is recognised as the most complete, surviving example of his work.
The parkland surrounding the house was designed by the celebrated landscape architect Humphrey Repton.
Godfrey Thornton was a cousin of William Wilberforce and a member of the Clapham Sect, a group of Christians who worked to improve society in 18th Century Britain.
The Thornton family sold the estate in 1857. In 1919 it was acquired by the Bedfordshire County Council as a Sanatorium, first for TB and then as an Orthopaedic Hospital. It was then known as Park Hospital.
The hospital closed in 1987 and was acquired by Twigden Homes as a building site. They planned to build on the kitchen garden but had no use for the main house, which was acquired in 1995 by the Moggerhanger House Preservation Trust. The Trust obtained grants from the Landfill Tax Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the house and grounds. The house finally re-opened to the public in May 2005. The house building plans were shelved and the gardens are now being restored to their former glory.
The estate has been home to a number of Christian charities and other organisations since 1995. The house is now used as a conference centre and for events such as weddings.
Information from the Moggerhanger Park website Link
and the website the-park.net/mhpt/ (now defunct).Created: Thu, 23 Dec 2010, Updated: Wed, 14 Dec 2016
10 images use this description: (all images taken in 2010)
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