Lamport Hall and Gardens- Northamptonshire

Lamport was the home of the Isham family for over 400 years, and their motto 'In things transitory resteth no glory' appears over the portico. There was a 16th century manor house here, but the elegant house we see today is mostly the work of John Webb, who was called in by the Isham family in 1655 to design a new manor in classical Italianate style to replace the earlier Tudor building. Lamport is one of the earliest houses in England to adopt the Italian style, and Webb's central house block is largely untouched since it was built. Francis Smith of Warwick added a pair of wings in 1732 and 1741 to create a symmetrical neo-classical facade.
The interior is full to bursting with fine art and even finer furniture and rare books, much of it brought back to Lamport by the 3rd Baronet from his Grand Tour of Europe in the 1670s.
Within the house are collections of period furniture, paintings, porcelain, and antique books. Many of the most interesting items were purchased by the 3rd Baronet's 'Grand Tour' of the continent, during the 1670s. Among the more famous artists on display are Lely and van Dyck, including a version of the famous equestrian portrait of CHarles I looking very martial. The High Room features a richly decorated plaster ceiling executed by William Smith. The Library is a treasure house of ancient books and manuscripts, perhaps the most famous of which is Charles I's 1638 Bible.

Saints church, directly across the road from the Hall. This delightful building dates to the 12th century, but much of what we see today is a result of 18th and 19th century rebuilding. Inside the church are memorials to generations of the Isham family, including a grandiose monument to Sir Justinan Isham (d. 1737) and a touching memorial to the infant John Isham (d. 1638).

Lamport Hall has a somewhat unusual claim to fame; it is the home of some of the earliest garden gnomes to appear in England.

The gardens were originally laid out in 1655 but little remains of the 17th century plan

Formal garden topiary

There is an Italian garden near the house, and an alpine rockery further afield, where, in the mid-19th century, Sir Charles Isham placed miniature garden gnomes among the rocks. These were small terracotta figures, imported from Germany, but they certainly had a long-lasting effect on British gardening ideas.

8th century Library, featuring books dating to the 16th century

John's son Thomas was blind from an early age, but that did not stop him from beginning the collection of rare books that would eventiually make the library at Lamport hall famous throughout Victorian England.

The rockery is worth special note; it was is the first example in England, and rises on a mound 24 feet high. It was carefully designed by Charles Isham himself, and the Gardiners Directory of 1897 noted 'every stone of which the structure is composed has been placed in position by the owner himself, or by his direction, and in his presence'.