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The
American flag and a bust of George Washington adorn the cover of
the Sulgrave Manor guide book. Clearly, the
transatlantic connection is a big selling point for this 460-year-old
house.
The
first president of the United States of America didn't live here,
but George Washington's great-great-great-great-great grandfather
did.
A
re-enactment in the great hall. |
Lawrence
Washington obtained the house in 1539. He had come to Northamptonshire
from Lancashire and became a successful wool merchant. After the
dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, Lawrence had the opportunity
of buying Sulgrave Manor, which had belonged to the Priory of St
Andrew at Northampton. He bought it from the Crown for £324-14s-10d.
Birth
of the stars and stripes?
A copy
of Lawrence Washington's coat-of-arms - including stars and stripes
- hangs in the great hall of the manor house. Was this the inspiration
for the American flag two centuries later? Incidentally, the original
stained glass coat-of-arms are at the nearby Fawsley Church.
The
Manor House passed down through the generations until the American
president's great-grandfather Col. John Washington, emigrated to
Virginia in 1656.
You
can't get away from the George Washington connection at the house.
You can see a lock of his hair, his saddlebags, and his wax seal.
The
great chamber. |
The
significance of the Washington link resulted in the manor house
being restored and opened to the public in 1921. The
wonderfully-named National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
raised an endowment fund.
Re-enactments
Even
if you're not interested in Sulgrave's American connections, there
is plenty to see.
The
great hall has a big open Tudor fireplace and a bare stone floor.
A salt cupboard bares the initials of Lawrence Washington and the
five-pointed star that became the symbol of the USA.
Also
worth seeing is the oak panelled 18th century parlour, the Queen
Anne decorated white and chintz bedrooms, and the 18 foot square
great chamber which is dominated by an Elizabethan four-poster bed.
The
great kitchen is still used. |
The
great kitchen is full of genuine 200-year-old equipment. And it
is still used during re-enactment days.
The
house also contains a fine collection of textiles and embroideries.
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We want this house to be a shrine for all Americans who visit
the old country and a centre from
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