Ingatestone Hall

Documentary focusing on the interior and history of Ingatestone Hall.

There are shots of the High Street in Ingatestone showing the traffic and people going about their everyday business. The Church of St. Edmund and St. Mary rises above the town. The origin of the name Ingatestone is explained. The film goes to the Church at Ingatestone and inside we see a family tomb of the Petre family, that of Sir William Petre and his wife. More exterior shots of the Church, its tower and shots of the countryside follow before the film moves to Ingatestone Hall, built by Sir William Petre and visited by Queen Elizabeth I in 1561. In 1952, this was owned by the 17th Earl Petre who lived in part of the building. Another part was leased to Essex County Council as a records office.We see the gates and the Gatehouse. This has a one handed clock and bears the family motto Sans Dieu Rien - Nothing Without God. The significance of this to the family becomes apparent later. We see exterior shots of the main body of the hall and of the Tudor windows with moulded brick mullions and transoms. A portrait of Sir William Petre introduces a section explaining the history of the house. Sir William, who served as a minister to Henry VIII, Edward VI, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, was the last tenant of the old hall, leased from Barking Abbey. He bought the land from Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries for £849 12s. 6d. The film shows a close up shot of the title deeds. A model shows how the new hall developed. Exterior shows illustrate the hall, the turret staircase, the crow step gables, the chimney stacks and mullion windows. Visitors walk in the grounds and we see inside the part of the building leased to Essex County Council.The film shows the Long Gallery and there are close up shots of many of the portraits, these illustrate the history of the family. John, 1st Earl Petre was the patron of William Byrd. There is a shot of a part of Byrd's manuscript in the record office. Mary Browne, wife of the 3rd Earl, defied Cromwell's troops. The 4th Earl was a victim of Titus Oates. The 7th Earl instigated a long standing feud with the Farmer family when he cut off Arabella Farmer's hair for a joke at a card party. This was recorded in Pope's Rape of the Lock. The 9th Earl was active in the campaign for Roman Catholic Emancipation and the 11th Earl is pictured once again able to take part in politics and affairs of state.The film ends with exterior shots of the hall and the gatehouse.

Featured Buildings

Church of St. Edmund and St. Mary, Ingatestone; Ingatestone Hall

Keywords

Country houses; History; Tourism

Other Places

Ingatestone. Ingatestone Hall.