Balls Park

House in Hertfordshire, England

Balls Park

Balls Park in Hertford is a Grade I Listed mid-17th-century house. The estate and house are set in over 63 acres of parkland which is listed Grade II on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. The estate and house has been claimed to have been the inspiration for Netherfield in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, which is set in Hertfordshire.[1][2][3]

## History of the site

[edit]

Balls Park takes its name from its owner, Simon de Ball, a burgess of Hertford in 1297. By the reign of Elizabeth I, it was owned by William Henmarsh, whose only child, Jane, married Richard Willis, a Cambridgeshire landowner and barrister; their children included Thomas and Richard, each created a baronet for service to King Charles I. Thomas, the eldest son and heir, sold Balls Park to Sir John Harrison,[4] a wealthy financier, and customs official, who constructed the present house between 1637 and 1640, possibly to the designs of Nicholas Stone, the king's master-mason.

Balls Park, Hertfordshire, England circa late 17th century when it was first rebuilt by Richard Harrison.

The building is designed in the so-called Artisan Mannerist style, similar to several other Hertfordshire houses of the same date but shows purer classical traits which suggest metropolitan influences. Several later phases of remodelling can be traced stylistically to changes initiated by Harrison's son Richard Harrison and his grandson Edward Harrison, who had served in the colonial government of the East India Company. In 1759 the house was left by George Harrison to his niece Etheldreda Townshend whose husband, Charles, was estranged. She became a society hostess of some note.[5]

In this way, the house passed to the family of the marquesses Townshend of Raynham in Norfolk, and so became a secondary home, though favoured by Lord John Townshend, who initiated further changes, possibly roofing over the courtyard as a saloon or atrium in the early 19th century.

In the 1880s, it was let to the Faudel-Phillips family, who purchased it outright in 1901 and made further changes. The estate offices and surviving stable block were built in 1902. In the early 1920s Sir Benjamin Faudel-Phillips commissioned the Scottish architect Sir Robert Lorimer to enlarge the house, by removing a series of service buildings and constructing a new west wing, mirroring the form of the mansion. The coach house was also remodelled at the same time.

In May 1940, Sir Winston Churchill famously said of the nation's art treasures: "Hide them in caves and cellars, but not one picture shall leave this island." By the time war was declared on 3 September 1939, the majority of the Wallace Collection had been carefully packed for transport and was already safely out of London, away from the risk of damage or destruction from German air raids. It would remain so for the duration of the war. The collection's new homes were a closely guarded secrets, with a large portion of the works from the collection being initially stored at Balls Park.[6] When the property's then owner, Sir Lionel Faudel-Phillips, died in 1940 the house was put up for sale. This made it necessary for the Wallace's artworks to be moved to West Wycombe Park.[6]

The estate was sold in 1946 and converted into a teacher training college, and served in an educational capacity for over 50 years, before closure in its final educational incarnation as the Hertford campus of the University of Hertfordshire in 2002.

City & Country acquired Balls Park in 2001 from the University of Hertfordshire. In 2003, planning permission was granted for a comprehensive redevelopment of this highly sensitive site according to English Heritage Enabling Development Guidelines that allowed the minimum new build possible to ensure the repair of the listed buildings and park. The scheme included commercial use for the listed buildings, the demolition of unsightly 1960s college buildings and the development of 132 new homes that were designed to respect the setting and context of the listed buildings and the historic park.

Several years later it was concluded by English Heritage that ‘the optimum viable use’ for this important Carolean country house was into residential apartments. Planning permission was granted in 2010 and The Mansion, Coach House and Stables have been restored and converted into 40 apartments by City & Country.

## Balls Park cricket

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Balls Park is a cricket ground in the grounds of the Balls Park estate. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1865 between Hertford and a United South of England Eleven.[7] In 1901, the ground hosted its first Minor Counties Championship match which was between Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. From 1901 to present, the ground has hosted 70 Minor Counties Championship matches[8] and 2 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches.[9]

The ground has played host to two List-A matches, the first of which was in the 1999 NatWest Trophy between Hertfordshire and the Sussex Cricket Board. The second was between Hertfordshire and Worcestershire.[10]

In local domestic cricket, Balls Park is the home ground of Hertford Cricket Club[11] who play in the Hertfordshire Cricket League Premier Division.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Old Hertfordshire Calendar, Doris Jones-Baker, Phillimore, 1974, p. 263
2. ^ Jane Austen's Geographies, Robert Clark, Taylor & Francis, 2017
3. ^ "Properties fit for a Jane Austen heroine". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013.
4. ^ The Historical Antiquities of Hertfordshire, Sir Henry Chauncy, 1700, p. 265
5. ^ "Townshend [née Harrison], Etheldreda [Audrey], Viscountess Townshend (c. 1708–1788), society hostess". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/68358. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 14 October 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
6. ^ a b Shenton, Caroline (2021). National Treasures: Saving the Nation's Art in World War II (Hardback). London: John Murray. pp. 91, 243. ISBN 978-1-529-38743-8.
7. ^ Other matches played on Balls Park
8. ^ Minor Counties Championship Matches played on Balls Park
9. ^ Minor Counties Trophy Matches played on Balls Park
10. ^ List-A Matches played on Balls Park
11. ^ Hertford Cricket Club

## External links

[edit]

* Detached Homes, Conversion Apartments, Hertford
* Balls Park on CricketArchive
* Balls Park on Cricinfo
* Balls Park Old Students Homepage

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Listed buildings in Hertfordshire

Grade I

| Broxbourne|

* Eleanor Cross
* Wormleybury

|

Dacorum|

* 130–136 Piccotts End
* Ashridge Business School
* Beechwood Park
* Berkhamsted School Old Building
* St Mary's Church, Hemel Hempstead

East Hertfordshire|

* Aston Bury Manor
* Balls Park
* Benington Castle (remains)
* Hertford Castle Gatehouse
* Hunsdon House
* Rye House Gatehouse
* Scott's Grotto
* Shire Hall, Hertford
* St James' Church, Stanstead Abbotts
* St Leonard's Church, Bengeo
* St Mary's Church, Ware
* St Mary the Virgin's Church, Little Hormead
* Waytemore Castle (remains)
* Woodhall Park (Heath Mount School)

Hertsmere|

* Tyttenhanger House

North Hertfordshire|

* Hitchin Priory
* Holy Trinity Church, Weston
* St John the Baptist's Church, Royston
* St Katharine's Church, Ickleford
* St Mary's Church, Ashwell
* St Mary's Church, Baldock
* St Mary's Church, Hitchin
* St Mary and St Thomas's Church, Knebworth
* Royston Cave

St Albans|

* Clock Tower
* Old Gorhambury House (remains)
* Rothamsted Manor
* St Albans Cathedral
* St Helen's Church, Wheathampstead
* St Mary's Church, Redbourn
* St Michael's Church, St Albans
* Verulamium

Stevenage|

* Rooks Nest House
* St Nicholas' Church

Three Rivers|

* Moor Park

Watford|

* Holy Rood Church, Watford
* St Mary's Church, Watford

Welwyn Hatfield|

* Brocket Hall
* Hatfield House/Old Palace
* New St Lawrence Church, Ayot St Lawrence

Grade II*

| Broxbourne|

* Rawdon House
* Theobalds House

|

Dacorum|

* 173 High Street, Berkhamsted
* Ashlyns Hall
* Bridgewater Monument
* The Bury, Hemel Hempstead
* Cell Park
* Dean Incent's House
* Gaddesden Place
* Golden Parsonage
* The Old Bell, Hemel Hempstead
* St Peter's Church, Great Berkhamstead
* Tring Park Mansion

East Hertfordshire|

* All Nations Christian College
* All Saints' Church, Hertford
* Almshouses, Buntingford
* Bayfordbury
* Chapel at St Edmund's College, Ware
* County Hall
* Cromer Windmill
* Fanhams Hall
* Goldings
* Haileybury and Imperial Service College
* Hare Street House
* Hanbury Manor
* Marden Hill House
* Much Hadham Palace
* Pishiobury Park Mansion
* St Andrew's Church, Buckland
* Stansted Hall
* Yeomanry House, Hertford
* Youngsbury Stable Block

Hertsmere|

* Aldenham House
* Dyrham Park lodges and arched gateway
* Hilfield Castle
* Knightsland Farm House
* Lululaund
* Salisbury Hall
* Wrotham Park

North Hertfordshire|

* All Saints Church, Radwell
* All Saints Church, Willian
* The Cloisters, Letchworth
* St Nicholas' Church, Hinxworth
* Hinxworth Place
* Homewood, Knebworth
* Knebworth House
* Princess Helena College
* Spirella Building
* St Margaret of Antioch's Church, Bygrave
* St Martin's Church, Knebworth
* St Mary Magdalene's Church, Caldecote
* St Paul's Walden Bury
* St Vincent's Church, Newnham

St Albans|

* All Saints Pastoral Centre
* St Albans Town Hall
* New Gorhambury House
* Redbournbury Mill
* St Leonard's Church, Sandridge
* St Nicholas Church, Harpenden
* St Peter's Church, St Albans
* St Stephen's Church, St Albans
* Westwick Cottage

Three Rivers|

* Hunton Park
* Langleybury
* Oxhey Chapel
* Redheath

Watford|

* The Grove
* The Mrs Elizabeth Fuller Free School building

Welwyn Hatfield|

* Ayot House
* Digswell Viaduct
* Mill Green Museum and Mill
* Old St Lawrence Church, Ayot St Lawrence
* Shaw's Corner
* Templewood Primary School

Other boroughs|

* Stevenage

Grade II

| Broxbourne|

* Broxbourne railway station
* Cheshunt Great House (remains)

|

Dacorum|

* Ashlyns School
* Berkhamsted Town Hall
* Goldfield Mill
* The Green Dragon, Flaunden
* Inns of Court War Memorial
* The Mansion, Berkhamsted
* Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead
* Pendley Manor
* Rex Cinema
* Rossway
* Shendish Manor
* Stocks House
* St John's Church, Boxmoor
* Tring Market House

East Hertfordshire|

* All Saints' Church, Hockerill
* Benson Memorial Church
* Brent Pelham Windmill
* Buntingford Manor House
* Button Snap
* Christ Church, Ware
* Hertford Museum Tooke House
* Hopper's Hall
* The Horns, Bull's Green
* Little Munden Primary School
* Panshanger orangery, conservatory and stables
* Red House, Buntingford
* Rowneybury Cottage
* St John's Church, Letty Green
* The Tilbury, Datchworth
* The White Horse, Burnham Green
* The White Horse, Hertford

Hertsmere|

* Bhaktivedanta Manor
* The Chequers, Potters Bar
* Duke of York, Potters Bar
* Dyrham Park Country Club
* The Green Man, Potters Bar
* Ladbrooke School
* The Lion, Potters Bar
* Oakmere House
* Potters Bar War Memorial
* Shenley Hall
* Shenley Lodge
* Wall Hall
* The White Hart, South Mimms
* The White Horse, Potters Bar
* Wyllyotts Manor

North Hertfordshire|

* Ashwell Bury
* Ashwell War Memorial
* Breachwood Green Mill
* British Schools Museum
* Hitchin Town Hall
* Howgills
* Lannock Mill, Weston
* Letchworth Garden City railway station
* Letchworth Town Hall
* Lytton Mausoleum
* Minsden Chapel
* Putteridge Bury
* St George's Church, Letchworth
* St Nicholas' Church, Norton
* St Mary's Church, Letchworth
* Stagenhoe

St Albans|

* The Blue Anchor
* The Boot
* Childwickbury Manor
* The Cock
* Colney Heath Mill
* Fleur de Lys
* Hare and Hounds
* The Lower Red Lion
* The Old Kings Arms
* Ye Olde Fighting Cocks
* The Queen's Head, Sandridge
* Rose and Crown
* The Six Bells
* St Albans School
* Sopwell House
* Sopwell Nunnery (ruins)
* Verulam House
* The White Lion

Stevenage|

* Barclay Academy
* Shephall Manor
* Stevenage Clock Tower
* The Thomas Alleyne Academy
* Trigg's Barn/37 High Street, Stevenage

Three Rivers|

* Croxley Green Windmill

Watford|

* High Elms Manor
* The Old Station House
* St John's Church, Watford
* Watford Grammar School for Boys
* Watford Palace Theatre
* Watford Town Hall

Welwyn Hatfield|

* The Beehive, Welwyn Garden City
* The Brocket Arms
* Digswell House
* The Eight Bells, Hatfield
* Hope and Anchor, Welham Green
* The Horse and Groom, Hatfield
* The Green Man, Hatfield
* The Red Lion, Hatfield
* Statue of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
* Tolmers Park
* The Wrestlers, Hatfield

* v
* t
* e

Hertfordshire County Cricket Club

* Hertfordshire County Cricket Club
* Hertfordshire Women

Players|

* List A players
* Category:Hertfordshire cricketers

Grounds|

| Current grounds|

* Cricketfield Lane, Bishop's Stortford
* Balls Park, Hertford
* London Road, Tring
* Brunton Memorial Ground, Radlett
* Digswell Park, Welwyn Garden City
* The Common, Harpenden

|

Previous grounds|

* Lucas Lane, Hitchin
* Ditchmore Lane, Stevenage
* Clarence Park, St Albans
* Park Avenue, Watford
* Broxbourne Sports Club Ground, Broxbourne
* Manor House Ground, Bushey
* Albury Ride, Cheshunt
* Crossman's Ground, Barkway
* Porters Park, Radlett
* Letchworth Corner
* Hyde Hall, Sawbridgeworth
* Durrants Sports Ground, Croxley Green
* Barnet Lane
* County Hall Ground, Hertford
* Woodside, Watford
* The Walk, Potters Bar
* Denis Compton Oval, Shenley
* Marlins, Long Marston
* Home Farm, North Mymms
* Whitehorn Lane, Letchworth
* (Full list of grounds)

Captains|

* List of Hertfordshire County Cricket Club captains

Records|

* Hertfordshire List A cricket records

51°47′27.27″N 0°04′09.46″W﻿ / ﻿51.7909083°N 0.0692944°W﻿ / 51.7909083; -0.0692944
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