Hatfield House

Hatfield House is a palace in the English Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, in the Jacobean style with large park and garden. The property is located about 34 kilometers north of London.

History

Hatfield House was Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, and established prime minister under King James I, 1607-1611. The first garden was mainly organized by John Tradescant the Elder. For over 400 years, the palace is owned by the Cecil family. It houses an art collection of paintings, furniture and historic weapons. He belongs to the consortium Treasure Houses of England.

The Wildlife Park as a royal hunting ground and the so-called Old Palace, parts of which are still preserved, were Henry VIII, who there his children Mary (later Mary I), Edward ( later Edward VI. ) And Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I ) could educate. In the Old palace had Elizabeth 1558, after the death of her half-sister Mary, from her throne succession.

James I, successor to the throne of Elizabeth I, exchanged Hatfield House in 1606 against the estate of Theobalds House, which was owned by Robert Cecil.

Garden

The garden area covers 17 acres. Set up in the 17th century by John Tradescant the elder, but neglected in the 18th century, and finally restored by the Victorian era to the present. The result is an overview of important historical eras garden of England. A formal knot garden, lush perennial beds, an orchard with the historical hedge maze, a kitchen garden and planned by Tradescant vineyard are part of the gardens.

Film and TV

The exterior and the interior of Hatfield House have been used in several films. Among the film "Tomb Raider " with Angelina Jolie, in which the main character Lara Croft lives in this castle. One of the last television episode was broadcast in June 2010, "The Secret of the Chimneys " from the fifth season of produced by the British ITV Miss Marple series Agatha Christie's Marple.