House & Family History: In 1150 the land that Coombe now occupies was founded as the Abbey of Coombe, which grew to become the wealthiest and most powerful abbey in Warwickshire. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s by Henry VIII, Coombe was purchased by Sir John Harrington and converted to a private home. In 1622 the Craven family purchased the Coombe Abbey Estate and it remained their seat until 1922, when they sold the Coombe Estates to a property developer; in 1923 the House was auctioned to a property developer who leased it to GEC for use as a training center. In 1964 Coventry City Council purchased the House and 150 acres of the Estate. Coombe Abbey Regional Park was opened to the public in 1966. In 1995, after a £15 million restoration, Coombe Abbey Hotel opened to the public. The design of Coombe Abbey was influenced by Clarendon House, built between 1664 and 1667 to the designs of Sir Roger Pratt for the lord chancellor, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon. (Clarendon House was a palace situated at the top of St. James's Street in the Piccadilly section of London; yet for all its grandeur, it had a short life, being demolished in 1684, one year after Lord Clarendon's death.) Part of the intent of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was to put the nine-year-old Princess Elizabeth (sister of Charles I) on the throne of England as a Catholic monarch, after assassinating her father, King James I, and the Protestant English aristocracy. At the time of the plot Princess Elizabeth was staying at Coombe Abbey, from where the conspirators planned to kidnap her; this part of the plot was never implemented and Princess Elizabeth went on to become the famous Winter Queen of Bohemia.

Collections: A pair of exceptional mahogany urns with goat-head handles and pinecone finials, called The Craven Urns, were probably made for Baron Craven's London home in the 1760s. The urns are lead-lined and have gilt-metal taps, probably for iced water for drinking. One of the pedestals, upon which the urns sit, is fitted with a metal-lined cabinet for warming plates. At some point the urns were moved to the Cravens' country house, Combe Abbey, where they remained until the 1960s, when they were purchased by Jeremy Cotton, owner of Tythrop Park. The urns were sold by Cotton in the late 20th century and are now in a private collection.

Garden & Outbuildings: The House today sits in 500 acres, originally part of the Craven Estate.

Country Life: XXVI, 794, 840, 1909.

House Listed: Grade I

Park Listed: Grade II*

Past Seat / Home of: Sir John Harrington, 16th century. George Grimston Craven, 3rd Earl of Craven, 19th century; Craven family here from 1622 until 1922.

Current Ownership Type: Corporation

Primary Current Ownership Use: Hotel

Ownership Details: Now Coombe Abbey Hotel

House Open to Public: By Appointment

Phone: 02476-450-450

Fax: 02476-635-101

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.coombeabbey.com

Historic Houses Member: No