Hatfield House

• 1. Royal Palace Origins

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  Cardinal John Morton built the Royal Palace of Hatfield in 1497. This structure stood as a square with four wings surrounding a central courtyard. Henry VIII seized the palace along with other church properties during the Reformation. Edward VI and Elizabeth I spent their youth within these walls. Mary lived at the estate between 1533 and 1536 before being sent to wait on Princess Elizabeth. The house served as a childhood home for three Tudor monarchs.

• 2. Jacobean Reconstruction Era

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  King James I gave the property to Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, in 1607. Cecil tore down three wings of the royal palace in 1608 to build a new structure. He used the bricks from the old building to construct the present Jacobean house. Inigo Jones visited the site in October 1609 to provide input on the design. Robert Lemynge supervised the construction while Simon Basil acted as the royal surveyor. The richly carved wooden Grand Staircase remains one of the original features today.

• 3. Elizabethan Connections

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  Queen Elizabeth I was only fifteen years old when she faced suspicion regarding Thomas Seymour in 1548. Her servants were seized by Robert Tyrwhit, an agent of Edward VI. She successfully defended her conduct with wit and defiance during the interrogation. The Queen Elizabeth Oak stands on the grounds where she supposedly learned she had become queen. A long illuminated parchment roll in the library displays her pedigree back to Adam and Eve. The Marble Hall holds the Rainbow Portrait of Elizabeth.

• 4. World War Service History

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  The grounds served as testing grounds for the first British tanks during World War I. Workers dug trenches and craters covered with barbed wire to mimic no man's land. An area represented German trench lines on the Western Front. The only surviving Mark I tank sat at Hatfield from 1919 until 1970 before moving to The Tank Museum. During World War II, the house became headquarters for the Civil Resettlement Unit scheme. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the unit on the 12th of July 1945.

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• 5. Gardens And Grounds Evolution

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  John Tradescant the elder laid out the gardens in the early 17th century. He traveled to Europe and brought back trees never previously grown in England. The grounds included orchards, fountains, scented plants, water parterres, terraces, herb gardens, and a foot maze. Neglect occurred throughout the 18th century before restoration began in Victorian times. The present Dowager Marchioness of Salisbury continues the work today. Five miles of marked trails now wind through the estate.

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• 6. Modern Film Production Hub

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  Hatfield House has hosted location filming since the 1980s. Productions include Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes released in 1984. Batman appeared on screen there in 1989 while Shakespeare in Love followed in 1998. Recent credits feature Paddington from 2014 and Bridgerton from 2020. The property also served as a backdrop for The Crown and Breathe in 2017. Multiple Tomb Raider films utilized the estate for their production needs.

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