£37,000 boost for birth place of nine-day Queen
REPAIRS to the birthplace of the “nineday Queen” have moved a step closer after funding was secured.
Bradgate House, in Bradgate Park, was home to the shortest-reigning monarch in British history, Lady Jane Grey.
Historic England has awarded the Bradgate Trust £37,160 to help conserve the site’s history.
The repairs will mainly centre on Bradgate House to help keep the site safe for visitors.
The Bradgate House ruins mainly consist of low walls and foundations, with some towers and higher walls also still standing. The chapel has a roof, but the brick is deteriorating.
Some of the funding will be used to investigate of the chapel’s original ceiling, which is obscured by a false ceiling yet potentially houses a mural.
Amanda White, heritage at risk surveyor from Historic England, said: “Bradgate House is one of the earliest brick buildings in the country to have been built without defences.
“It was built on a grand scale and is an important medieval site which demonstrates the wealth of those at the very highest level of late medieval society.
“The house is today a ruinous complex with isolated structural concerns and broader repair needs.”
Bradgate House was commissioned by the second Marquess of Dorset in 1490, with the site completed by the early 16th century.
The building survived attacks during the English Civil War but was abandoned in 1719. It stood empty in its complete form until around 1740, when partial demolition took place.
Lady Jane, the great-niece of Henry VIII, lived there until the age of nine, when she was sent to live in the household of Queen Catherine Parr.
She returned to Bradgate in 1549 at the age of 12, but her destiny was changed by the Duke of Northumberland, who was president of the King’s Council. Northumberland persuaded the sickly Edward VI to name Lady Jane as his heir just before his death in July 1553.
The plotting continued when Northumberland married off his own son, Lord Guilford Dudley, to Lady Jane, with Jane assuming the crown upon Edward’s death.
However, the move divided the nation, with the country quickly turning against Jane and soon rallying behind Mary, Catherine of Aragon’s daughter.
After just nine days on the throne, Lady Jane was deposed on July 19, 1553. She was executed in February of the following year following a trial. She was just 17.
James Dymond, Bradgate Trust director, welcomed the new funds.
He said: “Bradgate House is a muchloved and iconic area for visitors to the park as it is home to so much important history.
“It’s vital that it is conserved for future generations to admire, enjoy and study.
The trust is delighted to receive this grant from Historic England as the first step to conserving the ruins and improving the future visitor experience there.”
HERITAGE AWARD FOR TRUSTEES OF BRADGATE HOUSE RUINS