The Haunting

Harlaxton Manor was built in the 1830s by Gregory Gregory, a wealthy Nottinghamshire businessman, to replace the original Elizabethan Manor House in Harlaxton Village and was an experience in itself. The luxury of the house was extraordinary, it has over 150 rooms, and you could really get a feel of what life was like for the wealthy in England in the 1800s. Back in that time the servants lived and worked in a separate part of the house and most of them were never seen by the owners. There is a staircase that’s in the middle of the house that the servants would use to get to different parts of the house without bothering the owners. There are still a lot of staff that work there to keep the place running, but things are different now, it’s just a place of employment for them, they have their own lives and are a large part of the Harlaxton experience.

The grounds of Harlaxton Manor are amazing! The formal gardens were created as an integral feature of the stately home built by Gregory Gregory. Highlights of the Gardens include French-style terraces, an Italian Garden, a Dutch ornamental canal, and English landscape walks.  The 6.5 acre walled garden is one of the largest in Britain. Here is a picture of the Gatehouse, located at the beginning of the driveway of Harlaxton Manor. It’s use is for sabbatical rentals and is completely furnished.  It contains two one bedroom apartments, one on long-term lease and the other available to individuals.  The available flat is suitable for a single person or a couple and contains a kitchen/dining area, bedroom and separate bathroom, and a top floor living room overlooking Harlaxton Manor itself.

Here is a picture of Harlaxton with a view of the front circle drive. On the right is the front entry way and on the left is the current cafeteria, which originally was a service wing built in 1843 and housed the brewery.

This is a view of the circle drive facing the front gates. If you saw “The Haunting” remake in 1999, you might recognize the setting, all of the outside shots were taken there.

This view is looking at  Harlaxton Manor through the gates, which were removed for the filming of “The Haunting” to film the scene where a car rams through them. While the gates were off they were completely refurbished.

The Conservatory is unique in design and was a later addition to the house, but by 1977 had fallen into disrepair. The first part of the Manor to be refurbished, it is an extraordinary mixture of Baroque and Elizabethan shapes and ornament.

Have you been to Harlaxton? Please leave a comment and tell me a little about your experience there.