 Gunby Hall
Situated less than eight miles from the North Sea coast, Gunby Hall
is rather an unexpected delight buried in the Lincolnshire Wolds. Over
500 years ago the Massingberd family, descended from Saxon yeomen, made
their first tentative connection with the Gunby estate through a series
of well contrived marriages. Their fortunes flourished, and they soon
acquired the status of well respected local squires. Before the end of
the 17th century, Sir William Massingberd decided to build a new family
residence on the estate, and his typical 'William and Mary' style
dwelling replaced an earlier medieval manor house. This formal three-storey
red brick mansion offered a practical and modern solution to accommodating
the family, and their servants. Whilst the master of the house utilised
the southern end of the ground floor and the two upper floors, the staff
quarters were located at the northern end with easy access to the service
rooms and kitchen in the basement.
In 1735 a range of coach houses were constructed in the stable yard
but few changes were made to Gunby Hall until Victorian times, when a
two-storey extension was built at the north end resulting in some rearrangement
and improvements to the living space. Perhaps not displaying the romantic
charm of an old manor, Gunby Hall's simple but elegant styling
is extremely appealing. Only the ground floor rooms and the service areas
in the basement are accessible to the public but, through numerous family
portraits and collections, it is possible to get a feel for the kind
of lifestyle enjoyed by the Massingberds for over 350 years. Seeming
very calm and peaceful today, Gunby Hall can claim a fairly colourful and,
at times, near disastrous past. There were many instances of inheritance
through the female line, several occasions where tenants were installed,
and two notable events that nearly resulted in the loss of the house.
The first such event was during the 1840s when the estate passed to
the teenager, Algernon, who could be described as something of a 'wild
child'. His downfall, and consequently that of the family estate,
was gambling. Much of Gunby Hall's contents, and several thousand
acres of estate, had to be sold to offset his debts. Thankfully, an astute
uncle managed to recover the situation with such success that he extended
Gunby Hall, and rebuilt the old 13th century church in the grounds. It
was almost 100 years later that near disaster struck again - this
time at the hands of the Air Ministry. With the outbreak of World War
II, huge pressure was put on Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd to
allow the estate to be utilised as an airfield. As a retired Field-Marshal,
with not insignificant influence, he vigorously campaigned against the
destruction of his beautiful home, and found a way to secure its future.
Consequently, it was presented to the National Trust in 1944. When Lady
Montgomery-Massingberd died in 1963, new tenants were found for the house
and they have remained in residence to this day devoting their energies
to the maintenance of the Hall and the gardens.
No longer vast, in comparison to other country estates, the grounds
at Gunby Hall contain an especially picturesque array of kitchen and cottage
style gardens. Wild flowers, shrubs, exotic fruit trees, roses, herbs,
vegetables, and seasonal flowers are neatly planted out in separate areas
against a backdrop of old brick walls. Completing the olde worlde charm
of the colourful and fragrant beds, a splendid dovecote (of an age that
certainly pre-dates the Hall) stands amidst the shrubbery. Extensive
lawns and a proliferation of trees set the scene for a perfect English
country landscape. As a family, the Massingberds were great tree planters
and many of those surviving today were planted by Peregrine Massingberd
in the early 19th century. |
