This month we’re enjoying a tour around the Duke of Buccleuch’s Boughton House, an English Versailles created by Ralph Montagu from 1684. With five state rooms and over 100 rooms in total, this impressive country property is rich in history, with a stunning collection of art. An ideal destination for enjoying a day of discovery in the Northamptonshire countryside

On a lovely warm day recently, we had the privilege of sweeping past expansive 18th century parkland towards Boughton House, reaching the 17th century Grade I property on the site of a former Manor House, now part of the Buccleuch Estate. 

The visit was to enjoy for ourselves some of the impressive architecture, artwork and other delights of Boughton House, not least among which is the property’s stunning grounds, from restored parkland to new features added in the 21st century.

First things first, the pronunciation of Buccleuch is buck-loo, thought to refer to a young man who saved the King’s life by killing a stag (specifically a buck) in a small ravine or cleuch as it charged the monarch. And whilst we’re about it, Boughton is pronounced Bow tun, as in, the limb of a tree.

I was already familiar with both of those pronunciations and had rehearsed them diligently in the car on the way but sure enough, immediately upon meeting Property Manager Charles Lister, fluffed them both. Happily, Charles is the forgiving type.

He’s also incredibly knowledgeable and has been working at the property for a couple of decades, so his familiarity with the house and its contents yielded a fascinating hour-long tour with a rich and delicious guide to the property which has been in the custodianship of the Montagu family and dukedom of Buccleuch since 1528. 

It’s sometimes easy to overlook landmarks, attractions or historic sites that are right on your doorstep, but to neglect to pay a visit to Boughton House would be quite remiss. The property offers the availability of free-flow visits, but we strongly advocate a proper tour to get the most from your visit… or visits, as the three tours can be a lot to absorb  in succession. 

Far better to visit the house’s Great Hall, then return to view the State Rooms and finally enjoy the Books, Beds and Beyond Tour which takes visitors into each nook and cranny of the house, including below stairs where a small army of people once laboured proudly as a team to keep the house ticking along.

It’s worth noting that Boughton is still unashamedly a private residence, with Richard the 10th Duke of Buccleuch and his four children keen to ensure the house is still alive with the sound of family. 

In addition to the property itself, visitors can enjoy the estate’s grounds, including the historic gardens with its tree-lined avenues and water features, plus the 21st century garden created by the current duke in 2009, incorporating inverted pyramid Orpheus, and the 1.5m gallon, one acre Grand Etang reflection pool, created in the 18th century and restored in 2015.

Over the page, we’ve half a dozen highlights  including those we enjoyed during our visit, but doubtless you’ll find your own as you discover the family seat of the Duke and his family for yourself, at England’s very own Versailles, three centuries in the making.

A Trio of Country Estates

Boughton is part of the Buccleuch Estate which comprises Queensberry, Dalkeith and the Borders Estate too

As part of one of Scotland’s longest-standing dynasties, who can trace their roots back to the 12th century, Buccleuch has been the custodian of land in Scotland and England for over a thousand years. 

Boughton Estate is set within picturesque rural Northamptonshire. Neighbouring the Parishes of Weekley, Grafton Underwood and Geddington, the estate spans a wonderful landscape that not only supports Boughton House, but is also Buccleuch’s diverse rural enterprises including agriculture, forestry and renewable energy.

Part of the Buccleuch estate, its sister properties include Drumlanrig Castle (pictured below) located in a valley adjacent to the River Nith in Dumfries and Galloway.

Drumlanrig Castle sits within a spectacular scheduled design landscape, one of the largest in Scotland, over half of which is woodland including sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) and 40 acres of formal gardens surrounding the castle itself.

Dalkeith Country Park just a few miles outside Edinburgh is also home to farming operations and cultivated woodlands, providing many walks for visitors to enjoy, along with way-marked cycling trails. 

Keen anglers can enjoy a day’s fly-fishing for Brown Trout and Grayling on the River Esk, while wildlife enthusiasts might spot Roe deer, otters, buzzards, foxes, badgers, hares and rabbits.

From the Lothians to the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, Buccleuch also comprises Borders Estate spans a diverse and dramatic landscape across southern Scotland. It is home to Bowhill House, built in 1708 and renovated in 1876, serving as the historic seat of the Scotts of Buccleuch.

Exploring Boughton’s Impressive State Room Ceilings        

An ambitious 10-year project is ongoing, and will restore Boughton’s nine ceilings including those in the State Rooms by Chéron; the only surviving examples in the country

Boughton House was a simple Tudor property created by Sir Edward Montagu, Lord Chief Justice to Henry VIII in 1528 and remained home to the Montagu family until 1683. Ralph Montagu (later 1st Duke of Montagu) inherited the estate and, as the English ambassador to France, he had visited Louis XIV’s Versailles and was impressed with its beauty. 

With a desire to bring that aesthetic to England – and impress William III in the process, thus ingratiating himself at court – Ralph brought to life his vision of ‘the English Versailles’ commissioning Louis Chéron (1660-1725) to create eight (possibly nine) of the breathtaking ceilings in the state rooms, covering an area in excess of 6,000ft2.

The first example of his work can be seen in the Staircase Hall, an example of trompe l’oeil stonework above one of the doorways at the top of the stairs. An exiled Hugenot, Chéron was a rival to Verrio, and painted Discord Throwing the Apple Among the Gods in the Staircase Hall, Venus Interceding on Behalf of Aeneas in the First State Room, and The Fall of Pyreneus in the Second State Room among others. Chéron’s grand finale was The Apotheosis of Hercules in the Great Hall which depicts the marriage of Hercules and Hebe, painted to celebrate Duke Ralph’s new title conferred by Queen Anne in 1705. 

The Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust (BLHT) has commissioned the ongoing restoration of the ceilings by professional conservators, which has seen the painstaking removal of dirt, yellowing varnishes and work undertaken to restore their vibrancy and colour.

Meeting the Family

Montagu & Buccleuch family history

The first evidence of the Montagu family emerges in the 14th century, when Richard Ladde adopted his mother’s maiden name, Montagu. In 1473 Boughton was owned by Richard Whetehalls who enclosed the parkland which Edward Montagu purchased from a merchant in Calais in 1528. 

He was promoted to Lord Chief Justice and knighted, served as executor to Henry VIII. The second Sir Edward Montagu witnessed the execution of Queen Mary at Fotheringhay and hosted King James in Boughton’s Great Hall in 1604. The third Sir Edward escaped implication in the gunpowder plot, proposing Guy Fawkes Day as a celebration of the failed plot to destroy the establishment.

Ralph Montagu, who inherited the house in 1684, was styled 1st Duke in 1705. In 1767 Elizabeth Montagu married Henry 3rd Duke of Buccleuch and becomes heir to Boughton in 1770. The couple inherited the Dukedom of Queensbury, the seat of Drumlanrig Castle in 1810, and Bowhill on the Scottish Borders too. The three properties have remained in the family ever since.

The Armoury

The UK’s finest privately held collection of swords, pistols and battle maps

John, the 2nd Duke of Montagu served as Britain’s Master-General of the Ordnance, a senior military role created in 1415 and only abolished in 2013. The MGO was the person responsible for all British artillery, engineers, fortifications, military supplies, transport, field hospitals and so on. 

This explains John’s interest in weaponry and why he began to curate what is regarded as the UK’s largest privately held collection of swords, pistols and battle maps.

The collection includes swords, armour and pistols including those bearing the mark of the Tower of London, plus the Duke of Marlborough’s Sword of Ramillies plus weaponry dating back 500 years from across the world, including pistols from France and Germany and daggers from India and the Ottoman empire.

Boughton’s Landscape

Impressive Landscaping from The Grand Etang to Orpheus

The original landscape of Boughton House was established from 1683 when the 1st and 2nd Dukes of Montagu transformed the grounds from a simple Tudor manor into a splendid English interpretation of Versailles.

From 1749 the condition of the grounds deteriorated, and for more than two centuries the formal gardens were almost lost. A restoration from 1979 saw the Broad Water lake reinstated. And in 2009, Orpheus (designed by Kim Wilkie) was created with its sunken pool, rill and steel cube.

Buccleuch Collection

Work by Van Dyck and Gainsborough, Boulle cabinetry, porcelain by Sèvres

Shared across the three properties of Boughton, Drumlanrig and Bowhill, the Buccleuch Collection is one of the UK’s greatest privately owned collections of art and sculpture, comprising over 500 paintings, 1,000 miniatures, plus textiles and screens, furniture, arms and 500 volumes of music.

Boughton’s paintings include works by El Greco, Van Dyck and Gainsborough, whilst the property also has exceptional examples of French furniture by André-Charles Boulle, 16th century rugs from the Middle East and Louis XV Sèvres porcelain from 1753-1756.

Books, Beds & Beyond at Boughton

An eclectic and adventurous tour of the library, bedrooms, backstairs, kitchen and other hidden areas of Boughton House

Boughton House offers its visitors a choice of three guided tours – essential for getting the most from your visit, in our opinion. The Great Hall Experience and State Rooms Tour allow audiences to discover the architecture and art of the grandest rooms in the property… however, that’s only half the story. 

Boughton House remains, and has always been, a living breathing house even for a family in the 21st century. The Books, Beds & Beyond  tour affords the opportunity to see the backstairs, kitchen and other hidden areas of the house, including its kitchen with its solid iron range and gleaming copper pots and pans, plus the antique fire engine in the Bucket Hall, Steward’s Hall and rooms like the China Store.

Tours take place on selected dates and last around an hour, pre-book by calling 01536 515 731 or by visiting www.boughtonhouse.co.uk.