Building record 5993/0/7 - Kennels, Ashton Wold Estate

Single storey timber framed kennels which is clad in timber boarding. It was built in during the early 20th century to a design by William Huckvale on the Rothschild's Ashton Wold Estate. The kennels lie in the woods approximately 130 metres north-west of Ashton Wold House and 60 metres due east of the stables. It is a simple utilitarian building of standard construction and a significant proportion of the building has collapsed including all of the roof covering, most of the roof structure and some of the walls.

{1} The Ashton Estate, stretching from the River Nene near Oundle in the west to Ashton Wold in the east, has been occupied since Roman times. In the 18th century it was a well-known sporting estate, with avenues of chestnut trees planted in a cross as rides, and a number of fox coverts. In the early 19th century the estate was owned by William Walcot and was largely farmed by tenants, with Ashton Wold continuing as a sporting ground. However, there is no evidence that it had ever contained a manor house, and when in 1860 it was purchased by Lionel Rothschild the sale particulars describe it as 'a very valuable and important landed estate', with sporting advantages, but no house adapted for the occupation of a gentleman. Both Lionel Rothschild and his son Nathaniel Mayer, 1st Lord Rothschild (1840-1915), showed little interest in estate, and the only structural work undertaken in the 19th century was the building of a hunting lodge at Ashton Wold. However, when Lord Rothschild's second son, Nathaniel Charles (1877-1923) - known as Charles - discovered Ashton by accident whilst on a butterfly-collecting expedition with the vicar of Polebrook, he was so impressed by the rich fauna and flora of Ashton Wold that he persuaded his father to build him a house on the site of the hunting lodge. Lord Rothschild commissioned William Huckvale to design not only a house, but a model farm, an entire complement of estate buildings which included the Steward's house, stables, gardeners' accommodation, a building to house a fire engine, a petrol store, kennels (now derelict) and a dog hospital. Most of the cottages at nearby Ashton were rebuilt to create a model village. The Rothschilds also became the first landowners in the country to provide their tenants with the luxury of both running filtered water and electricity, the latter generated by turbines housed in an old mill below the village on the River Nene , from where water was pumped to a water tower and so to the estate buildings. Each cottage had a bath house and was placed in a large garden planted with a lilac, a laburnum and fruit trees.

High quality design and workmanship were consistent themes throughout the estate, where traditional vernacular building traditions - Collyweston stone slate and thatch roof coverings, steeply pitched roofs, tall chimneys, limestone masonry walling and dressings and mullioned windows were all faithfully referenced. Simple working buildings -cart hovels, wash houses and potting sheds - were consciously afforded the same care as were the dwellings, farmsteads and garden structures.

The Kennels lie in the woods approximately 130 metres north-west of Ashton Wold House and 60 metres due east of the stables. A map of 1901 from Ashton Wold House indicates that the kennels appear to be contemporary with the original phase of development.

Little is known about William Huckvale (1847-1936) who worked mainly for the Rothschilds and therefore had no need to publicise his work in the architectural journals, and was not a member of the RIBA. After setting up his own practice in London he came into contact with Alexander Parks, agent to Lord Rothschild. He designed a number of buildings for the Rothschilds on the Tring Park estate, undertook considerable work at the Rothschild bank in New Court in the City of London, and was the architect for the Royal Mint Refinery. He also carried out work on the Rothschild estate at Aston Clinton. The quality of his work is reflected in the 42 listed buildings he already has to his name, 13 in Tring and 29 on the Ashton Estate.

The building is a single-storey timber-framed kennels, which is clad in timber boarding. It is a simple utilitarian building of standard construction. A significant proportion of the building has collapsed including all of the roof covering, most of the roof structure and some of the walls.

The Kennels at Ashton Wold are not recommended for designation for the following principal reasons. It does not share the quality of design and craftsmanship of other buildings/structures that form part of the Ashton Wold Estate, and does not compare well with other listed examples of this type.
It has suffered collapse which has resulted in significant loss of original structure and fabric such that its original form and function are no longer evident.

<1> ENGISH HERITAGE, English Heritage Listing File (Report). SNN111579.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2025 6:58PM