Holywell House

St. Albans

Hertfordshire

England

Circa Date: 1686 w/1786 alterations

Status: Destroyed

Demolished 1837

House Open to Public: No

Country House: Yes

House & Family History: Holywell was a Gothick style house in St. Albans that once belonged to Sarah, 1st Duchess of Marlborough.
Architect: William Talman

Date of Birth: 1650
Date of Death: 1719
Nationality: English
Notes: Rebuilt east front of Dyrham Park, 1689. Redesigned much of Chatsworth for the first Duke of Devonshire. Architect for Kimberley. Was Comptroller of the Royal Works for William III. Howard Colvin calls Talman "probably the leading Whig architect of the 1680s and 1690s." Talman was famously difficult to work with and was fired by many of his clients.

Date: Circa 1686
Designed: House for John Churchill, later 1st Duke of Marlborough.
(Attribution of this work is uncertain)
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Architect: George Shakespear

Date of Birth: ?
Date of Death: 1797
Nationality: British

Date: 1786
Designed: Alterations

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Title: Privilege and Scandal: The Remarkable Life of Harriet Spencer, Sister of Georgiana
Author: Gleeson, Janet
Year Published: 2006
Reference: pgs. 11, 59
Publisher: New York: Three Rivers Press
ISBN: 9780307381989
Book Type: Softback

Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - SOFTBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 1995
Reference: pgs. 951-952
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300072074
Book Type: Softback
House Listed: Demolished

Park Listed: Not Listed
Past Seat / Home of: John Churchill, later 1st Duke of Marlborough, 18th century; Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, 18th century.

Current Ownership Type: Demolished

Primary Current Ownership Use: Demolished
House Open to Public: No
Historic Houses Member: No

Holywell House

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