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British Place Names

Boughton House is a country home near Kettering, Northamptonshire. It is one of Britain’s grandest and best-preserved stately homes with a world-renowned collection of fine art, furniture, tapestries, porcelain and carpets. Boughton also has some of the best-preserved baroque State Rooms in the British Isles. It has been home of the Montagu family and their descendants since 1528. However, the House that stands today is largely the work of Ralph Montagu, later 1st Duke of Montagu, who inherited a simple Tudor building in 1683. He wished to bring French beauty and style to the English landscape, and the result was a masterpiece which is also often referred to as ‘The English Versailles’. His son John made great changes to gardens throughout the 18th century, with grand water features and tree-lined avenues. Then the work stopped. After the 2nd Duke, the house was passed through the female line to noble families at the time. However, their main residences were elsewhere and as a result, Boughton House ‘slept’ for two centuries. No changes were made in the Victorian era with no one living in it. In the 20th century it became a much loved family home again to the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, descendants of the Montagus, who wished to preserve this national treasure. In 2012, unknown scores of Italian Baroque music, including by Vivaldi, were discovered in the Montagu Music Collection at Boughton. Boughton has also featured as a filming location for 'Les Misérables' (2012) and 'Napoleon' (2022). The house is within the council area of North Northamptonshire.
Historic England Grade I Listed 1192643.

Place Type: Tudor House
Historic County: Northamptonshire
Lat, Long: 52.424278,-0.6776932
Grid Reference: SP900815
Police Area: Northamptonshire
Council Area: North Northamptonshire
Civil Parish: Weekley CP
Country: England

GBPNID: 300043
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Boughton_House,_Northamptonshire_300043

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