Lainston House

Lainston House is a 17th-century country house hotel near Sparsholt, Hampshire in the south of England. It is operated by the Exclusive Hotels chain.[1][2] It is a Grade II* listed building.[3]

Lainston House
Lainston House seen from the east
Location within Hampshire
General information
LocationWoodman Lane,
Sparsholt,
Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2LT, United Kingdom
Coordinates51°4′56″N 1°22′9″W
Opening1981
OwnerExclusive Hotels and Venues
Grounds63 acres (250,000 m2)
Design and construction
DeveloperChristopher Wren
Other information
Number of rooms50

History

Lainston House is notable for several reasons in its history. Commissioned by Charles II to build a palace at Winchester, renowned English architect Sir Christopher Wren may have started work on the site in 1683 by building on the grounds of an earlier medieval dwelling. It became known as the home of Charles and his mistress Louise de Keroualle before he died in 1685.[4]

In August 1744 Elizabeth Chudleigh and Augustus Hervey were secretly married in Lainston House's private chapel, causing a society scandal. Maintaining privacy about the ceremony lest their employment be endangered, their union did not last and Elizabeth went on to marry Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull. The validity of the ceremony held at Lainston House's chapel became the focal point of bigamy charges and legal proceedings against Elizabeth which pursued her until her death in 1788.[5][6]

Lainston House's tree-lined grounds also contain the longest line of limes in England (9/10ths of a mile), some of which were planted in 1716.[7] The trees were planted in the grounds after the influence of gardener and diarist Sir John Evelyn.[8]

Lainston House and its parkland was sold off from private ownership in the 1980s, and currently operates as a luxury 5 star hotel.

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References
  1. Davies, Gareth Huw (1 June 2009). "Six things you must do in...Winchester". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  2. Butler, Sophie (23 September 2003). "The Sophie Butler report: The great outdoors". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  3. Historic England. "Lainston House (1095761)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  4. "History of the Hotel". Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  5. "History of the Hotel". Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  6. "Chudleigh, Elizabeth, Countess of Bristol". Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  7. "20 things you may not know about Winchester". Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  8. "History of the Hotel". Retrieved 16 May 2016.
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