Sutton House Society Newsletter
March 2006
For all interested in the past, present and future of Sutton House
Table of contents
Celebration
of an Unknown Gentleman
Forthcoming events at Sutton House
Spring
outing; Saturday 29th April 2006
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Celebration of an Unknown Gentleman
In 1535 Hans Holbein, the great portrait
artist of the court of Henry VIII, drew a picture which was not at a later date
recognised and subsequently catalogued as ‘An Unidentified Gentleman’. Many (including
Dr. David Starkey) believe that this portrait may be of Sir Ralph Sadleir, the
builder of Sutton House. Public awareness of Sadleir as a significant figure in
history is slight, so maybe the epitaph unknown
gentleman is indeed appropriate. But we at Sutton House are always trying
to enhance his profile, particularly as he was the man who built the beautiful
house in the first place. In fact he also played a key part in national
history: first he was ambassador to Scotland at a critical time for England’s
relationship with its northern neighbour; later as Principal Secretary of State
he was virtually the equivalent of a modern Prime Minister; and in later life
he was entrusted with the security of Mary Queen of Scots while she was
imprisoned in various castles prior to her trial and execution.
Ralph Sadleir was born in 1507 which means
that next year is the quincentenary of his birth. This will be a marvellous
opportunity to celebrate his life in Hackney where his career as a statesman
began. The Sutton House Society and the National Trust are making plans to do
just this. The weekend of 23rd to 24th June 2007 has been set aside for the
celebration. We have made contact with descendants of Sadleir from all over the
world and hope that many will join us for the occasion. We are delighted to say
that, on the Saturday, David Starkey, Tudor expert and television presenter,
will give a talk about Sadleir and his role in the court of King Henry. Besides
this there will be a performance by local schoolchildren, readings from
Sadleir’s fascinating Letters and
Negotiations, and a Tudor banquet with musical entertainment to round off
the first day. Sunday
will be a free-entry day to the house with a wide range of activities appealing
to families, and it will be a first opportunity, since the acquisition of the
neighbouring yard, for many to see the western elevation of the house, which
retains most of its original Tudor appearance.
If you would like to receive a copy of the
programme when it is finalised please register through the website www.suttonhousesociety.org.uk or
write to Sadleir Quincentenary, Sutton
House, 2&
Spring outing
Please join us on the Society’s Spring outing, to two
properties in Hampstead: the
Itinerary
11:30 am: Meet at Swiss Cottage station near the ticket
office (Jubilee Line). Walk to the
Tavistock Institute to view the statue of Freud and then on to the Freud museum
in
After the museum, take the 46 bus up to
2:30 pm: All meet again outside Fenton House, Hampstead Grove, NW3.
Freud museum
Freud and his family were amongst the many Jewish refugees who came to the Hampstead area in the period immediately before the Second World War. Dr Freud was ill when he came and died soon after, but his daughter Anna, a specialist in child therapy, lived in the house for most of the last century and left it as a museum to commemorate her father’s life and work. One can see the couch used by Freud’s patients and a video about his life, and also family films of their own special moments.
It is not always known that Freud had a great interest in
ancient
The cost of admission is expected to be £3, provided there are enough of us to qualify as a “group”.
Fenton House
Fenton House is a 17th century house with period furniture, a fine collection of porcelain, needlework pictures and the Benton Fletcher collection of early keyboard instruments. We also hope to see Kathleen who has left Sutton House for a short spell to work there.
Admission is £4.90,
free to NT members. Please
remember to bring your NT membership card if you have one!
Booking
Booking for this outing is not essential, but it would be very useful for us to have an approximate idea of numbers. So if you think you would like to come on the outing, please fill in the attached form, and send it to Sutton House, marking the envelope “Spring Outing”.
Dowsing report
Some of our readers
may know that Alan Hayday is a keen dowser.
We are very grateful to him for the following article which describes
one of his investigations.
We may
have to revise our ideas about the original 1535 plan of Sutton House, or
In
November 1994 I, with permission of the operator of the Car Repair Yard,
carried out a brief survey in the only corner not cluttered with cars. This
area near the entrance gate became of interest to me, because I was picking up
outlines of walls leading from the NW corner of the house. In addition, I
perceived that the west cellar extended into this area, but had been infilled
and bricked off some time in the 18th century, probably when the
house was divided. It was at this time
that the two present entrances were brought into use, fronting the High Street.
My
thinking is that once there was a large brick porch 13 ft × 13 ft situated in
the present Car Yard. Below part of it
was the west cellar, with possible access via a trapdoor and steps.
All this
remains to be verified, of course, but should be easy enough to prove, when the
gravel and concrete top surface is removed from the car yard.
Visit
to Bromley Hall
Alas! It now appears that Sutton House is not the oldest house in
Last
December a group of us paid a visit to Bromley Hall. It is a fascinating Tudor survival in a most
unlikely part of Bow. We are very
grateful to Colin Brooking and
Forthcoming events at Sutton House
10th May: The Tudor Tailor
Jane Malcolm Davies, who used to provide the costumes and
interpretation at
Learn about Tudor tailoring techniques and long-forgotten ways of decorating fabrics such as pinking and stamping. Find out how many layers it took a courtier to achieve the fashionable look and how ordinary working people acquired their clothes and coped with the practicalities of life.
They will have copies of their book The Tudor Tailor on sale after the talk. Admission is free on the door.