Denford Park, Kintbury - Hungerford Virtual Museum

Denford Park, Kintburv. Berkshire
2.2 Denford Park
In 1810 Sir Walter James had sold Denford to William Hallett of Townhill,
Hampshire, a fairly influential MP. Hallett was responsible for the building a new
mansion, away from the riverside and up on the slope overlooking the valley. It was
built to the designs of the then highly fashionable architect, Jeffrey Wyattville in
about 1815. 17
Wyattville (1766-1840) was a younger member of a dynasty of architects that
originated in Staffordshire in the mid-18 th century; the 'ville' at the end of his name
was added by permission of George IV after he started work remodelling Windsor
Castle, his most famous and long-term project.
The most famous Wyatt was his uncle, James - brilliant at times but also rather
unreliable. Jeffrey, who spent several years as his assistant, was, on the other hand,
perhaps less able but better organised and dependable and set up his own practise in
1799.
In 1806, Joseph Farington of the Royal Academy recorded a visit by Jeffrey in his
diary; at that time he was still becoming established and had put a list of the houses he
had designed on the back of his 'Direction Card' 'to Shew that he was a Regular
Architect'; he then charged three guineas a day, and two shillings a mile for travelling
- quite high fees for the time. 1
By the time he designed Denford House he was one of the most prolific of country
house architects in England, particularly for members of the Whig aristocracy, and
from the 1820's was one of the leading architects in the country, helped by his Royal
patronage. 20
Hallett was still at Denford early in 1822, as he wrote a letter from there to Sir Robert
Peel, the new Home Secretary. 21 Curiously, in the previous year, three deeds, now in
the Devon Record Office, refer to a George Porcner of Denford House, Berkshire,
clerk, eldest surviving son of Josias Du Pre Porcher; his role is unclear. 22
At the end of 1822, William Hallet sold his new house and the rest of the Denford
estate. The sales particulars survive and are accompanied by a plan which shows the
new house as a square block labelled 'Mansion'. In the accompanying schedule it is
described as consisting of 'The Mansion House, lawn, plantations, gardens, Coachhouse,
Stables, farmyard and buildings and the two Cottages' occupying a little over
15 acres in all; 'in front' of the mansion was a park with plantations taking up another
70 acres or so but the rest of the estate was still agricultural. 23
17 Linstrum, D, 1972, Sir Jeffrey Wyattville, Architect to the King, 235; in 1808 a William Hallett from
Berkshire wrote to the architect John Nash (BL Add. 28670 ff.89-90), but the contents have
not been examined.
18 Colvin, H, 1995, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, 1129
19 Greig, J (ed.), 1924, The Farington Diary Vol. IV, 32
20 Colvin, op. cit., 1129
21 BL Add. 40347 f.281
22
Devon Record Office 1926 B/BC/T/2/21-23 (not examined)
23 Berkshire Records Office D/EX 1060/2/3
-7-
Richard K Morriss & Associates, Historic Buildings Consultants, Bromlow House, Bromlow, Shropshire, SYS OEA