Northamptonshire Tourist Guide - Articles
Canons Ashby House
Canons Ashby House is a beautiful Elizabethan Manor, reputedly one of the finest stately houses in Northamptonshire and is located in Canons Ashby, Daventry. It is mainly owned by the National Trust although ‘The Tower’ is in the care of the Landmark Trust. Since he completed the building in 1550, Sir John Dryden, his heirs and successors have all made Canons Ashby House their home, so it was a family home for over 400 years.
A Tour of the House allows you to view its impressive wall paintings, murals painted in blue-grey monochrome, delicate plasterwork and 18th Century Furniture some of which is decorated with floral tapestries, the Library with its leather bound books contains work by three well known literary figures associated with Canons Ashby, namely, the Poet Edward Spencer, the Poet Laureate John Dryden and Sir Samuel Richardson the Playwright and Novelist who is reputed to have written most of ‘Sir Charles Grandisson’ at the House. The Dairy and Kitchen will take you back to another era and you will get an insight into the running of the household and what life was like ‘below stairs’ throughout the centuries.
Canons Ashby House is set in formal gardens planned in the early 18thCentury. The Garden slopes away from the Manor and is based on a series of terraces linked by stone steps. The first and second are laid out as Lawn and Topiary, the third an Orchard that has been planted with varieties of fruit trees which would have been grown in the 16th Century. The last area is a wild flower meadow with long grasses. There are also many colourful mixed Rose and Herbaceous borders within the Garden. Timber Gates and Seats and a lead statue of a Shepherd Boy set in the ‘Green Court’, have all survived since the 18th Century and the walls and gate piers are from 1710.
Surrounding all of this is 70 acres of sweeping parkland which visitors can access from the Gardens and roam the Park at will. The ruins of the medieval Priory Church of St Mary can also be seen in the grounds and can be reached from the Garden through an avenue of Lime Trees. It was from the 12th Century Augustinian Priory occupied by The Black Canons that, until the dissolution, Canons Ashby took its name.
To-day, there is still a Village near Canons Ashby but it is not on the site of the original settlement listed in the Domesday Book. Over the years, several pieces of Medieval Pottery have been found, dating from the 13th and 14th Centuries.
Between 1969/70 to 1979, the Architect and Goldsmith Louis Osman lived at Canons Ashby. whilst living there, he and his wife Dilys Roberts, an enamellist, made the Crown used at the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969. They also made the Gold enamelled casket that held the Magna Carta when it was on view in the U.S.Capitol Washington in 1976.
Run by The National Trust, the Canons Ashby House is ‘child Friendly’ and the Children are given the opportunity to follow ‘trails’ both in the House and Grounds. There are also various events held throughout the Year, see examples below.
Events:
Easter Egg Trail
Shakespeare in the Park
Wine Fair
Christmas Market
Bat Walk
Step back in time
Nearby attractions:
Sulgrave Manor
National Waterways Museum Stoke Bruerne
Silverstone Circuit
Northampton
Towcester Racecourse
Find us:
From A5 on B525 Banbury Road
From M1 Jnc 16 follow A45 to Daventry- left onto A5 – 3 Miles south turn Right to Litchborough From M40 at Jnc 11 follow A422 (Banbury) signposted after 3 miles.
Admission Standard charges:
House & Garden: Adult £7, Child £3.50, Family £17.50
Garden only: £2.50, Children free
Donation Box for Church
Facilities:
Gardens
Shop/Tea Room
Park
Church
House open:
1 March - 14 March 1 - 5pm Sat/Sun only
15 March - 30 September 1 - 5pm Closed Thurs/Fri
1 October - 2 November 1 - 4pm Closed Thurs/Fri
8 Nov - 2 December 12 - 4pm Sat & Sun only
Garden/Park & Church open:
1 March - 14 March 11 – 5.30pm Sat/Sun only
15 March - 30 September 11 – 5.30pm Closed Thurs/Fri
1 October - 2 November 12 – 4pm Closed Thur/Fri
8 November - 21 December 11 – 4pm Sat/Sun only
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A Tour of the House allows you to view its impressive wall paintings, murals painted in blue-grey monochrome, delicate plasterwork and 18th Century Furniture some of which is decorated with floral tapestries, the Library with its leather bound books contains work by three well known literary figures associated with Canons Ashby, namely, the Poet Edward Spencer, the Poet Laureate John Dryden and Sir Samuel Richardson the Playwright and Novelist who is reputed to have written most of ‘Sir Charles Grandisson’ at the House. The Dairy and Kitchen will take you back to another era and you will get an insight into the running of the household and what life was like ‘below stairs’ throughout the centuries.
Canons Ashby House is set in formal gardens planned in the early 18thCentury. The Garden slopes away from the Manor and is based on a series of terraces linked by stone steps. The first and second are laid out as Lawn and Topiary, the third an Orchard that has been planted with varieties of fruit trees which would have been grown in the 16th Century. The last area is a wild flower meadow with long grasses. There are also many colourful mixed Rose and Herbaceous borders within the Garden. Timber Gates and Seats and a lead statue of a Shepherd Boy set in the ‘Green Court’, have all survived since the 18th Century and the walls and gate piers are from 1710.
Surrounding all of this is 70 acres of sweeping parkland which visitors can access from the Gardens and roam the Park at will. The ruins of the medieval Priory Church of St Mary can also be seen in the grounds and can be reached from the Garden through an avenue of Lime Trees. It was from the 12th Century Augustinian Priory occupied by The Black Canons that, until the dissolution, Canons Ashby took its name.
To-day, there is still a Village near Canons Ashby but it is not on the site of the original settlement listed in the Domesday Book. Over the years, several pieces of Medieval Pottery have been found, dating from the 13th and 14th Centuries.
Between 1969/70 to 1979, the Architect and Goldsmith Louis Osman lived at Canons Ashby. whilst living there, he and his wife Dilys Roberts, an enamellist, made the Crown used at the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969. They also made the Gold enamelled casket that held the Magna Carta when it was on view in the U.S.Capitol Washington in 1976.
Run by The National Trust, the Canons Ashby House is ‘child Friendly’ and the Children are given the opportunity to follow ‘trails’ both in the House and Grounds. There are also various events held throughout the Year, see examples below.
Events:
Easter Egg Trail
Shakespeare in the Park
Wine Fair
Christmas Market
Bat Walk
Step back in time
Nearby attractions:
Sulgrave Manor
National Waterways Museum Stoke Bruerne
Silverstone Circuit
Northampton
Towcester Racecourse
Find us:
From A5 on B525 Banbury Road
From M1 Jnc 16 follow A45 to Daventry- left onto A5 – 3 Miles south turn Right to Litchborough From M40 at Jnc 11 follow A422 (Banbury) signposted after 3 miles.
Admission Standard charges:
House & Garden: Adult £7, Child £3.50, Family £17.50
Garden only: £2.50, Children free
Donation Box for Church
Facilities:
Gardens
Shop/Tea Room
Park
Church
House open:
1 March - 14 March 1 - 5pm Sat/Sun only
15 March - 30 September 1 - 5pm Closed Thurs/Fri
1 October - 2 November 1 - 4pm Closed Thurs/Fri
8 Nov - 2 December 12 - 4pm Sat & Sun only
Garden/Park & Church open:
1 March - 14 March 11 – 5.30pm Sat/Sun only
15 March - 30 September 11 – 5.30pm Closed Thurs/Fri
1 October - 2 November 12 – 4pm Closed Thur/Fri
8 November - 21 December 11 – 4pm Sat/Sun only
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