England · Still standing
Hutton in the Forest
Hutton in the Forest is a Grade I listed country house near Skelton in Cumbria, evolved from a medieval stronghold with later additions from the 17th to 19th centuries. The building retains a surviving pele tower and an ensemble of interiors and gardens spanning the 1630s to the Victorian period, and the estate includes terraces, a walled garden and a small nearby church.
Its prime
1870
Today
Still standing
As it stood in 1870
What Hutton in the Forest looked like in its prime.
Low, long country house of warm red-brown sandstone with crenellated parapets and stepped battlemented towers; a surviving medieval pele tower projects at one end as a taller, battlemented block. Three storeys of regularly spaced rectangular windows are punctuated by taller Gothic-arched windows on one facade; a central flight of stone steps descends to broad terraced lawns. The house sits within mature specimen trees, terraces and a visible walled garden set back from the main lawn.
Its story
The story of Hutton in the Forest.
The Pele Tower, the Fletcher-Vanes and the Barons Inglewood
Hutton in the Forest, near the village of Skelton in the historic county of Cumberland - now part of Cumbria - began as a medieval stronghold, and its pele tower survives. The Fletcher-Vane family held the place from 1605 until 1931, when it passed to the Barons Inglewood, distant relatives of the Fletcher-Vanes. Succeeding generations altered and added to the house; outside and in, it carries decorative styles ranging from the 17th century to the present day.
The Gallery, the Cupid Staircase and Lady Darlington's Room
The gallery dates from the 1630s, a rare feature in the North of England, and holds early furniture and portraits. The hall was built in 1680 and is dominated by the Cupid Staircase, which climbs to a suite of mid-18th-century rooms including the Cupid Room. The drawing room dates from about 1830 and the library from 1870; Lady Darlington's Room is decorated in the Arts and Crafts style.
Walled Garden, Dovecote and the Church in the Green Field
The terraces were originally laid out in the 17th century, and the Walled Garden was built in the 1730s; it now houses a large collection of herbaceous plants. A 17th-century dovecote on the woodland walk unusually still contains its potence, an internal rotatable ladder. The 1st Lord Inglewood added a number of new tree species to the grounds, and the tree trail guide lists seventy within the arboretum.
In a field near the house is the small church of St James, recorded as far back as 1291 as the Church in the Green Field. The architect Anthony Salvin carried out extensive renovations in Victorian times; a fragment of a Norman cross is preserved within the church, and its memorials recall the influence of the Fletchers and Vanes over the centuries. The house was designated a Grade I listed building in December 1967 and is a historic house museum with its gardens.
Step inside
10 places to explore in 1870.
The record describes 10 distinct spots at Hutton in the Forest, including 4 interiors: great hall with cupid staircase, 1630s gallery, drawing room (c.1830) and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Clans who held Hutton in the Forest.
The families that held Hutton in the Forest for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Fletcher-Vane
Held by the Fletcher-Vane family from 1605 until 1931, when it passed to their distant relatives the Barons Inglewood.
