Wimpole Hall is always said to the the finest and "most majestic" of Cambridgeshire houses and when the original house was built in the late 1630’s it was strategically close to two Roman roads giving its owners easy access to London.
Over the years it, like many houses of its genre, has seen a great deal of changes since its original design as a four-gabled manor house, which was then surrounded by a rectangular moat. So a total overhaul over the generations emanating from the absolute demolishment of that original dwelling.
I’ve viewed many a "stately home" and I always find the social history attached to them of real interest and the Wimpole estate had laid in the ownership of the Chicheley family for 250 years. They’d acquired other estates and properties over the generations and it was Thomas Chiceley who built somewhat extravagantly in the new style. In fact he spent so much on the development that he was forced to sell out to Sir John Cutler.
Sir John was unable to stamp his mark on the estate and his son-in-law spent a huge £20,000 (in the early 1700’s) on the construction of the orangery and, to retain the symmetry a service wing on the eastern side. But he to hit financial hardship and the house was sold on to the Cavendish-Holles family Once again major changes were made and once again funds ran out and the house entered the ownership of Lord Harwicke. It remained in this family’s ownership from the 1730’s until 1930.
The move from the Hardwicke family was again the result of finances but this time it was about the debauched life style of the last Lord who I was reliably told liked his drink and his gambling. Too much it turned out and in 1930 the house was becoming run down and was finally rented out to generate some income. Rudyard Kipling’s daughter, Mrs Elsie Bambridge was a tenant in 1930 and it turned out that she became the saviour of the Wimpole Estate. When her famous father died Elsie purchased the estate and set about restoring it to its former glory.
To top it all she furnished it beautifully and then, on her death, in 1976, bequeathed Wimpole, alongside
Batemans to the National Trust.
Hopefully it no longer hit hard times and will be open for the public for many, many years to come. It certainly deserves to be viewed and cared for.
Quick Tips:
Being members of the National Trust we were able to enter the grounds and the Hall for free. The usual admission charge is £12.60 a head and we’d paid our joint annual membership, at its renewal date in June, of £75. Already we’d clawed back £25 and I’ve no doubt that over the year we’ll visit some new sites and the membership will pay for itself, yet again. If you’re a visitor to the UK it really is worth considering annual membership – you can sign up at any National Trust site and you don’t need to be strong on maths to work out that visits to four of the National Trust Properties will more than recoup your initial payment. If you live in America then you can sign up before you visit because the National Trust because the National Trust and
Royal Oak Foundation are affiliated to one another.
On a clear day then I’d strongly recommend that you take along the makings for a picnic, as there would be nothing better than sitting in the parklands of the Wimpole estate enjoying a leisurely lunch. The café on the estate does tend to get busy and it really doesn’t have great ambiance. It’s alright for a drink and a snack but not the best place to enjoy lunch. Shopping for food outside of the trust property will give a far wider choice and just imagine a glass of wine with some locally made bread, fine cheeses, pickles and ham – a classic ploughman’s lunch in the serenity of the Cambridgeshire countryside.
Best Way To Get Around:
The most efficient way of getting to and from Wimpole and other Trust properties is "on wheels". Car would be my firm recommendation as if you’re a visitor to the UK these are easy to hire and much safer than motorbikes. We have friends who just love taking their bikes around the country dropping off to see a Trust Property on route, but you do need to be travelling light, be a confident biker and preferably guarantee the better weather. With this summer in mind the latter is, it has to be said, unlikely. Indeed as I’, writing this journal, on a mid-morning in July the raining is beating down on my study window. That’s a British summer for you! So take my advice and hire a car and if the weather’s anything like this year save a pound or two by hiring one without air-conditioning – the chances are you won’t need it!!
Of course if you’re basing yourself in an area that is prolific with trust properties you could look to a combination of public transport (this is not a problem in many counties, although you will have to perfect your reading of the bus and train timetables to ensure your journey is feasible). You should remember in your planning that transport is not co-ordinated in the UK so you’ll need to build in to your journey time any delays or possible cancellations. Indeed such contingencies could seriously scupper your visits so I’d still reckon on the car being your best option. Indeed checking over the route to Wimpole I’m fairly sure that you can’t get a bus to there and the nearest railway station with a taxi service is at Royston – a fair drive away from the Wimpole Estate.
Parking around trust properties is normally not a problem – after all they are reliant on visitors most of whom will come by car or coach. The additional feature at Wimpole is that the car park is interspersed with smaller "informal bays" where many people would set up their picnic tables and chairs. Mind you when we visited the weather, to be polite, was "somewhat inclement".
Energetic? Try a cycling holiday. Not my cup of tea so I won’t dwell on this as an option!
Finding your way around the Trust’s properties is extremely straightforward as you can be guaranteed that they’ll be plenty of experts on hand, some well illustrated maps of the house and grounds and often a self guided tour with headphones. If you check out the website you’ll see if the place you’re visiting has guided tours although if they do there is usually an extra fee for the privilege of having this personalised service
If you have a disability Wimpole offers a "taxi service" around the grounds and up to the main house. A must if you are limited with walking as there are "several steps" between the car park and the main house.