Harlaxton Manor

Harlaxton Manor was built in the 1830s by Gregory Gregory, a wealthy Nottinghamshire businessman, to replace the original Elizabethan Manor House in Harlaxton village. Having travelled throughout England and Europe seeking inspiration, ideas and indeed artefacts for this huge house, Gregory employed Anthony Salvin as architect and Harlaxton Manor must be regarded as Salvin’s masterpiece. Built in Ancaster stone, it is an exuberant merging of Gothic, Jacobethan and Baroque styles creating an unforgettable and dramatic impact.

Owner and architect had many differences of opinion, however, and Salvin having completed the exterior of the main building was replaced by William Burn who is thought responsible for much of the interior.

Few houses in the country can match the splendid approach to Harlaxton. A straight mile long drive across a bridge, under a gatehouse, past ‘the pyrotechnic display of the forecourt gates and screen’ to Salvin’s towering facade whether by day or night when the building is floodlit, is in itself a memorable experience.

The house is now owned by the University of Evansville, Indiana, USA, and is used as their International Study Centre.

The Manor has a small but significant archive with photographs, documents and memorabilia, managed by the College Librarian. This material, together with additional items discovered and donated, is in the process of being sorted, accessioned, catalogued and stored appropriately.