Earlier Houses: A Medieval manor house once stood on the site of the current house.

Built / Designed For: Sir Thomas Gorges

House & Family History: During the reign of Elizabeth I Sir Thomas Gorges acquired the Medieval manor house that stood on the site of the current house. In 1584 Sir Thomas married Helena, widow of the 1st Marquess of Northampton and a lady-in-waiting to the queen. Circa 1590 Sir Thomas began a rebuilding of the house in an unusual triangular form with a tower at each corner, similar to those in Sweden, the native land of Sir Thomas's bride. However, in the middle of the work, Sir Thomas's money ran out. In one of those strange twists of history, one of Sir Thomas's posts was as governor of Hurst Castle on the Hampshire coast; during the attempted invasion of England by the Spanish Armada, one of the Spanish ships was driven aground at Hurst Castle. Lady Gorges asked the queen if she could have the wreck of the Spanish ship, and the request was granted; what the queen did not know was that the ship was one of the Spanish treasure ships laden with silver; this money allowed the rebuilding of Longford to continue to its completion. Sir Thomas had a cousin, Sir Ferdinand Gorges, who achieved distinction as an explorer of America and as the first governor of Maine in 1622. In 1637 a court decision forced King Charles I to hand over the colony of Massachusetts to Sir Ferdinand, who also was one of the founders of the Council of New England. Edward, the son of Sir William Bouverie, a former governor of the Bank of England, purchased Longford in the 17th century. The Bouveries were Huguenot refugees who left France for Amsterdam before the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of August 1572. The family emigrated to England, and, using their continental links, became successful businessmen in London. Longford was the model for the "Castle of Amphialeus" in Sir Philip Sidney's "The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia," (published 1590).

Collections: Longford contains a fine collection of 18th century furniture and an important collection of paintings. A side table with a mask of Diana, made in London (possibly by Benjamin Goodison), circa 1740 for Sir Jacob Bouverie of Longford, is today in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (see "Images" section). One of the former stars of the Longford collection was "The Ambassadors," the great 1533 Holbein the Younger oil on oak painting that the 2nd Earl of Radnor purchased for £1,000 in 1808 or 1809 from the dealer William Buchanan. The 5th Earl sold three paintings from the collection, including "The Ambassadors," to the National Gallery in 1890 to raise money to pay death duties and to fund Salvin's work on the castle. Other paintings sold from the collection include an unidentified portrait of a man by Giovanni Battista Moroni (once believed to have been by Titian), and Velázquez's portrait of Juan de Pareja (once attributed to Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo, Velázquez's son-in-law), which was sold by Christie's on November 27, 1970, for the 8th Earl of Radnor (the portrait is today in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; see "Images" section).

Vitruvius Britannicus: C. V, pls. 94-98, 1771.

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: 2.S. Vol. IV, 1828.

Country Life: LXX, 648, 679 [Furniture], 696 plan, 715 [Furniture], 724 plan, 1931.

House Listed: Grade I

Park Listed: Grade II*

Current Seat / Home of: William Pleydell-Bouverie, 9th Earl of Radnor

Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT CURRENT HOUSE: Sir Thomas Gorges, 16th century. Henry Hare, 2nd Baron Coleraine, 17th century. Edward Bouverie, 17th century; Jacob Bouverie, 1st Viscount Folkestone, 18th century; William Bouverie, 1st Earl of Radnor, until 1776; Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie, 2nd Earl of Radnor, 1776-1828; William Pleydell-Bouverie, 3rd Earl of Radnor, 1828-69; Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie, 4th Earl of Radnor, 1869-89; William Pleydell-Bouverie, 5th Earl of Radnor, 1889-1900; Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie, 6th Earl of Radnor, 1900-30; William Pleydell-Bouverie, 7th Earl of Radnor, 1930-68; Jacob Pleydell-Bouverie, 8th Earl of Radnor, 1968-2008.

Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust

Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home

Ownership Details: Tickets to tour the castle can only be purchased via the National Gallery's website.

House Open to Public: Limited Access

Website: https://www.longfordestates.co.uk/

Historic Houses Member: No