Welcome to Stately Homes

In about 1300 Sir John de Broughton built his Manor House in a sheltered site at the junction of three streams and surrounded it with a substantial moat; the greater part of his house and the moat remains today. In 1377 the house was bought by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, Chancellor of England and founder of New College at Oxford.

It then passed to his great nephew Sir Thomas Wykeham and thence to Sir Thomas's granddaughter, Margaret, who married Sir William Fiennes, later 2nd Lord Saye and Sele in 1448. Broughton has therefore been in continuous ownership by the same family since 1377.

In 1554 Richard Fiennes completed a reconstruction in the 'Court' style of Edward VI. He raised the roof line to accommodate two floors above the Great Hall, building the two staircase projections to the south and adding - on the foundations of the medieval kitchens - two splendid rooms which form the West Wing (The Oak Room and the Great Parlour). After his death in 1573 his son Richard, continued the embellishment of the interior, recording the date 1599 on the magnificent plaster ceiling in the Great Parlour. The medieval manor house was thus transformed into a Tudor mansion, much as it is today.

The past 40 years has been a period of major restoration; in 1956 financial aid received through the Historic Buildings Council enabled the stone tiled roof to be renewed. In the 11 year period between 1983 and 1994 continuous stonework and other restoration took place at a cost of £1m towards which English Heritage gave generous aid. For more information about the house and its magnificent interior, visit their Website.

The Garden:

The formal walled Ladies Garden on the South Side of the Castle was established in the l880s on the site of the sixteenth century kitchens area. The fleur de lys beds are planted with Rose Heritage and Rose Grass an Aachen; the hedge against the castle is of Rose Felicia. The other beds contain many old shrub roses, together with shrubs such as philadelphus and dentzia and herbaceous plants. On the west side of the Ladies Garden wall is a mixed herbaceous rose and shrub border with pink the predominant colour. The roses include Fantin Latour, Fritz Nobis, Fran Dagmar, Hastrup, Margarite Hilling, Rubitolia and climbing roses Albert and Purity.

The long border nearer the gatehouse has a blue, yellow and grey theme and includes roses Maigold, Golden Wings, Windrush and Schneezwerg together with berberis, philadelphus, Lupeicurin and Campanulus. The existing planting is based on advice given by Lanning Roper in 1970, the work being carried out by the then gardener Bert Dancer. In the l980s the planting was developed by Randal Anderson, like Lanning Roper of American origin. The garden is now maintained and developed by one gardener, Chris Hopkins working on his own. Chris was born in Broughton village.

Filming:

Ever since Keith Michel in Henry VIII and his Six Wives in 1969, Broughton has been an occasional extra - and sometimes a star - in a number of movies, advertisements and TV shows - among the better known are:

Shakespeare in Love - 1998

Broughton played the part of the Wessex family home, Viola's (Gwyneth Paltrow) parents house. Rooms used included the Great Hall for the dance scene, the Oak Room for Robert de Lessep's study, the south west corner of the house for the balcony scenes. The balcony, on the left of the photo, was built out of timber especially for the filming.

The house also featured in a number of outside shots, notably one of the front of the house and another of Joseph Fiennes (a relation naturally!) running out through the gatehouse. The best was the Oscar-clinching shot of the house, gatehouse and moat taken from the park the morning after Joseph and Gwyneth's first night together (the bedroom scenes were not filmed at Broughton).

The Madness of King George - 1994
Three Men and a Little Lady - 1990

Opening Times - 2010:

4th & 5th April: Easter Sunday & Monday, 1st May - 15th September: Wednesday, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays, 2 - 5 pm
July & August: Thursdays only, 2 - 5 pm

Tearoom also open 2 - 5 pm, on every open day

Groups welcome on any day and at any time throughout the year by appointment.

Admission Prices - 2010:

Adult - £7
Child - £3
Seniors - £6

Garden only
Adult - £3
Family ticket (2 adults & up to 3 children) - £15

Groups:
Adult - £7
Schools (5-10yrs) - £3
Schools (11-15yrs) - £4
Students/Seniors - £7

Garden only
Adult - £4

Photographs - Copyright the late Mark Fiennes (another relative)

More information on the garden can be found on The Gardens Guide.