Just a hop, skip, and a jump 20 minute train ride from London sits a jaw-droppingly good-looking gaff with a rather lengthy backstory. Hatfield House is picturesquely perched slap-bang in the middle of the Hatfield Park Estate, and is best known for being the very spot in which Queen Elizabeth I found out about her accession to the throne. Nowadays, the house belongs to Robert Gascoyne-Cecil and his wife (the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury), but it’s also home to over 400 years of fascinating history and a whole host of stories to tell.
The history Hatfield House
The picture-perfect pad in its current form was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil. The beautiful Jacobean house is a leading example of a ‘prodigy house’, and sits on the site of the former Royal Palace of Hatfield (the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I). A small part of the palace has survived since 1485 to tell the tale and can be found within the extensive grounds. The Grade I listed country estate is also home to over 40 acres worth of historically significant gardens to explore.
Hatfield House is supposedly still home to some of Queen Elizabeth I’s belongings, including a pair of gloves and a pair of silk stockings which are thought to have been some of the first in England. Visitors can also feast their eyes on an impressive collection of pictures and paintings, with the Marble Hall displaying the mysterious ‘Rainbow Portrait’.
Gaining its name due to the fact that the Queen is seen holding a rainbow in the image, the ‘Rainbow Portrait’ is considered to be the most heavily symbolic picture of Queen Elizabeth I. The portrait is thought to have been painted between 1600 and 1602 and depicts an image of the (at the time) 70 year-old queen as an ageless, ethereal-looking figure.
Visiting Hatfield House
Hatfield House is approximately a one hour drive from London and there’s free parking available once you get there. Non-drivers can hop on a train at Finsbury Park and arrive at Hatfield station just 19 minutes later. Hatfield House is then just a short walk from the station.
Hatfield House will reopen to the public on May 25, when it will then be open from Thursdays to Sundays. The gardens will reopen on April 4 and will be open from Wednesdays to Sundays. The Park & Woodland Walks are currently open on selected weekends but will be open from Wednesdays to Sundays from March 28. Find out more and plan your visit here.