The house from the circa 1784 book "Walpoole's New and Complete British Traveller"
Built / Designed For: William Moulsoe
House & Family History: In the 17th century Gayhurst was the seat of Sir Everard Digby, one of the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot. During the Civil War Parliamentary troops were billeted at Gayhurst; they left behind an inscription in the porch showing an X and the date 1649, said to have been scratched into the stone to mark the execution of King Charles I. Gayhurst was a virtual ruin in the 1850s when Robert John Carrington, 2nd Baron Carrington, hired William Burges to restore the house at a cost of £30,000 (approximately £20 million in 2016 inflation-adjusted values using the labour value commodity index). Lord Carrington was Burges's first major patron and, in the rebuilding of Gayhurst, Burges had his first large-scale domestic commission. A large volume of Burges's drawings for Gayhurst was auctioned by Sotheby's for £18,000 (against a high estimate of £3,000) in May of 2005 as part of the sale of the contents of Easton Neston. The volume had long been considered lost; it came to the library at Easton Neston when the Hesketh family came into possession of Gayhurst in the mid-20th century. The 3rd Lord Carrington removed paneling from Gayhurst and installed it in another of his houses: Daws Hill House in Buckinghamshire, where it remains today. The Gayhurst Estate was broken up in the 20th century; the house was converted into flats between 1971 and 1979.
Garden & Outbuildings: Gayhurst has an exceptional collection of outbuildings, including the turreted stables, the 17th century dovecote, the kennels, the brewhouse, the bakehouse and, most significantly, the male servants' lavatory. This astonishing survival is a large, circular privy based on the Abbot's Kitchen at Glastonbury and is topped by a statue of Cerberus.
Architect: William Burges
Date: 1858–72John Bernard (J.B.) Burke, published under the title of A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, among other titles: Vol. I, p. 7, 1852.
John 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. I, 1818.
Title: Sotheby's Auction Catalog: Easton Neston, May 17-19, 2005, Volume Two
Author: NA
Year Published: 2005
Reference: pg. 38
Publisher: London: Sotheby's
ISBN: NA
Book Type: Softback
House Listed: Grade I
Park Listed: Grade II
Past Seat / Home of: William Moulsoe, 17th century. Sir Everard Digby, 17th century; Sir Kenelm Digby, 17th century. Sir Nathan Wrighte, 18th century; George Wright, 18th century. Robert John Carrington, 2nd Baron Carrington, until 1868; Charles Robert Wynn-Carington, 3rd Baron Carrington, 19th century. J.W. Carlisle, late 19th century. Hesketh family, mid-20th century.
Current Ownership Type: Flat Owners Company / Condo Association
Primary Current Ownership Use: Flats / Multi Family
House Open to Public: No
Historic Houses Member: No