This following the blog of 30th October.
The first surviving written record of Burton Constable Hall dates from 1560 when it was already described as an ‘ancient building’. There is evidence in the immediate grounds of ‘ridge and furrow’ which may be related to the fact that nearby is a deserted village site, this and the building of the house and grounds may have been related. There were various enlargements to the exterior in the early 17th century and a painting of the east front dated c.1690, currently on display in the great hall, shows the house’s exterior much as today except that an outer courtyard and entrance gate have subsequently been demolished. Being built entirely of hand-made bricks Burton Constable Hall is a relatively early example of a large period house so built. The plain of Holderness provided no local building material except clay for the bricks and ‘cobbles’, set in a thick mortar when used as a walling material. ‘Cobbles’ are relatively large stones, rounded by marine abrasion and deposited in clay by retreating glaciers.
Further 18th century additions include an elegant detached orangery and a very extensive stable-block (s.p.b.), with brickwork so well created that it stands sound today.
The interior was re-ordered and embellished at various times, particularly in the mid 18th century and early 19th century. Part of the Hall remains the home of the Chichester-Constable family while the long-term, on-going scheme of restoration is overseen by the Burton Constable Foundation.
The grounds planting scheme is largely a product of an 18th century landscaping plan overseen by ‘Capability’ Brown and others and includes a man-made lake crossed by a footbridge, gatehouse lodge and ornate gardeners cottages.