PLEASURE GROUNDS in FAWSLEY

 

PARK Fawsley Park occupies most of the central and northern parts of the parish. It is separated from the Hall and its grounds by a U-plan arrangement of lakes, open to the west, on the spur of ground within which stand the Hall complex and church. The main lake, Big Waters, curves round east of the church. With good, mature parkland trees along its north-east edge, it bulges to the south-east where the lake is retained by a dam. Below this a straight channel, The Angles, carries away the overflow water. Wildfowl breeding may have been carried on here. Big Waters adjoins The Canal, the long, triangular lake south of the Hall. North of the Hall is a corresponding triangular lake, Horse Pond, retained at its east end by a massive dam. The lake east of this, and at a much lower level, which linked up with the west end of Big Waters, is now dry and the area occupied by woodland. 

 Standing isolated on a grassy knoll and surrounded by a ha-ha, St. Mary's Church contains the Knightley family tombs including effigies of the 16th century Sir Richard Knightley and his wife Jane. Dating to the early 13th century, the church has many fine features such as carved poppy heads and stained glass thought to be from Sulgrave Manor. A considerable amount of the copper roof covering was stolen in 2015 and temporary sheeting had to be applied whilst considerable funds are amassed to replace the metal.

 The manor of Fawsley was bought in 1416 by Richard Knightley, a successful Staffordshire lawyer. It remained in the hands of that family until the 1930s. The present house was begun by Richard's grandson, also Richard (d 1534), who married a wealthy Northamptonshire heiress. Sir Richard Knightley (d 1615), who inherited in 1566, entertained the Queen at Fawsley in 1575. After a century of long minorities and premature deaths Lucy Knightley (d 1738), who inherited in 1728, began building again in 1732. The family represented the county in Parliament throughout the C18, and in 1798 Sir John (d 1812) was created baronet. Building continued under his nephew Sir Charles (d 1864) and the latter's son Rainald (d 1895). The house was unoccupied after 1913, and the contents were sold in 1914. The last baronet, Rev Henry Francis Knightley, died in 1938 and the house passed to the sixth Viscount Gage. The house and the former park remain (1998) in private ownership.