Exton Hall, Country house in Exton, Rutland, England
Exton Hall is a Jacobethan country house in Rutland, England, built between 1811 and 1851 in a style blending medieval and Tudor elements. The estate includes a sweeping park with lakes fed by North Brook and a pleasure house called Fort Henry dating from 1788.
A previous mansion at this location burned down in 1810, having served the Harington and Noel families for generations. The current building rose gradually over four decades to replace the lost structure.
A Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury was built into the house in 1869, reflecting the family's religious faith. The addition shows how religious identity was woven into the home's physical structure.
The house sits within a large park that is best explored on foot, offering multiple paths and viewpoints to discover. Allow time to walk the grounds to see the building and lakes from different angles and to reach the various features scattered across the estate.
A massive walking dragline called Sundew operated in the park from 1957 to 1974, at that time the world's largest of its kind. The machine was used for ironstone mining and left marks on the landscape, revealing the industrial past of the estate.
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