The south facade from a circa 1909 postcard
Earlier Houses: There was at least one earlier house on, or near, the site of the current house, including one that was destroyed by defeated Royalists during the Civil War (in 1645, after the Battle of Naseby) and replaced with the present house.
House & Family History: Between 1960, when it was purchased by the Country Houses Association, and 2004, when CHA collapsed, the house served as a retirement community. In 2006 James Perkins purchased Aynhoe Park; he used the house as his home and also made it available as a wedding and corporate event venue. In 2020 the American company RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) purchased Aynhoe; in 2023 RH opened the house as an entertainment and dining destination.
Collections: When owned by the Cartwright family, Aynhoe contained an outstanding collection of paintings, including works by Murillo, van Dyck, Rembrandt, Hogarth, Romney, and Gainsborough. There were also important collections of European glass and china, furniture and tapestries, rare Chinese monochrome porcelain, and other oriental ceramics. These collections have all been dispersed.
Garden & Outbuildings: The house sits within a 73-acre estate. In the early 21st century RH converted the brew house and stablebock into a restaurant.
Architect: John Lumley
Date: Circa 1698Architect: Raymond Charles Erith
Date: 20th centuryArchitect: Humphry Repton
Date: 1790sArchitect: Edward Marshall
Date: Probably 1650sArchitect: Thomas Archer
Date: 1707-14Architect: John Soane
Date: 1799-1804John Preston (J.P.) Neale, published under the title of Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, among other titles: Vol. III. 1820.
Country Life: CXIV, 42, 122, 202, 1953.
Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - HARDBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 2008
Reference: pgs. 72, 665, 680, 968
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300125085
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Grade I
Park Listed: Grade II
Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT EARLIER HOUSES: Geoffrey de Mandeville, 11th century. John FitzRobert, 13th century. Richard Fitzalan, 3rd (or 8th) Earl of Arundel, 14th century. Rowland Shakerley, 1540-circa 1572; Shakerley Marmion I, circa 1572-1615. Richard Cartwright, 1615-37; John Cartwright, 1637-50. SEATED AT CURRENT HOUSE: John Cartwright, 1651-76; Thomas Cartwright, 1676-1748; William Cartwright, 1748-68; William Ralph Cartwright, until 1847; Sir Thomas Cartwright, 1847-50; William Cornwallis Cartwright, 1850-1915; Cartwright family here from 1615 until 1954. James Perkins, 2006-20.
Current Ownership Type: Corporation
Primary Current Ownership Use: Mixed Use
Ownership Details: Since 2023 operated as RH England, The Gallery at Aynho Park, a dining, hospitality, and exhbition venue.
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 08002-793-707
Website: https://rh.com/us/en/
Awards: Voted number 3 in the Top 10 Regal Wedding Venues in the UK in 2011 by "The Times."
Historic Houses Member: No