Kimbolton Castle, School in a former country house in Kimbolton, England
Kimbolton Castle is a country house in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, now occupied by Kimbolton School. Its pale yellow-grey ashlar facade has a crenellated parapet, regular rows of sash windows and a square tower at the right end. A round-arched gateway with a pale yellow double door opens onto a flat lawn.
A medieval fortress stood here from the 13th century and later passed into the ownership of the Montagu family. The classical redesign began in the early 18th century, while Catherine of Aragon spent her final years here until her death in 1536.
The Venetian painter Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini redecorated the main staircase and chapel in 1708, and furniture in the style of Louis XIV was commissioned from London craftsmen. Many Montagu earls and dukes are buried at St Andrew's Church in the village, where their monuments remain in the South Chapel.
Kimbolton Castle is occupied by Kimbolton School, so the building is not a public museum and interior access is not guaranteed. Visitors approach from the village of Kimbolton, where St Andrew's Church holds the Montagu monuments and vault. Warren House on the former grounds is owned by the Landmark Trust and was renovated between 2011 and 2012.
Giant sequoia trees line the long entrance avenue and date from 19th-century plantings, when such exotic species became popular on English estates. The trees frame the view of the building today and give the property an unusual feel.
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