A house demolished and rebuilt 4 times

Originally built as a deer park in the 13th century the house would have initially been built around an enclosed courtyard.
The house has been demolished and rebuilt a total of 4 times however the courtyard area has remained unchanged.

The Herrick family owned this property as a family residence for 350 years but in 1939 the building was taken over by the Ministry of Defence and worked as a sub listening station to Bletchley Park.

The History of Sulgrave Manor

Sulgrave was originally a priory which surrendered to the Crown during the dissolution of the monastery. In 1540 three manors were sold together which included Sulgrave and was purchased by Laurence Washington a Wool Merchant and former Mayor of Northamptonshire.

In time he would be referred to as 5th times great grandfather of George Washington, the first president of the United Sates in 1789

The manor remained in the family for 3 generations before being sold to a Reverent Moss Hodges in 1673 and later purchased by the trust in 1914

In the 18th century The Culworth Gang were very active in the area, notably William Abbot the Parish Clerk of Sulgrave and a member of the Culworth Gang allegedly hid ill gotten gains in the church collection box and never performed a service without two loaded pistols. He was eventually caught and transported overseas for highway robbery

The History of Rufford Abbey

The Abbey was founded in 1145 by monks. although it took over one hundreds of years to complete, it was not a large monastery.

The abbey was closed in 1536 by order of Henry VIII and the estate was given to the Talbot family, Earl of Shrewsbury who used it as a part-time hunting lodge until around 1610. The Abbey was later acquired by the Savile family in 1626, it remained in their ownership until the mid-20th century.

In 1938, the Rufford estate was sold, this was quickly followed by military use during World War Two. The house continued to decay and in 1956 a controlled demolition had to be carried out leaving the building much as you see it today.

The Museum itself dates back to 1857.

With long standing and temporary exhibits, the Museum and Art Gallery is fascinating.  There are historic artefacts from thousands of years ago and from all around the World as well as locally.  The Soldier’s Story Gallery contains uniforms, weapons, equipment and medals from three Regiments based in the area.  These regiments served all around the World and during both World Wars.

The highlights of the gallery are the two Ancient Egyptian mummies given to the museum by Joseph Strutt, the former Mayor of Derby. The Mummies have been on display at the museum since it opened in 1879.