Norton Conyers
Norton Conyers near Ripon in North Yorkshire – a house that inspired Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre – has won the Historic Houses Association and Sotheby’s Restoration Award for 2014. The late medieval North Yorkshire home of Sir James and Lady Graham, extensively rebuilt in the 17th century, has been the Graham family home since 1624. Charlotte Brontë is believed to have visited Norton Conyers in 1839 and it was the inspiration for Thornfield Hall. The family legend of a “madwoman” secretly confined to an attic room might have given her the idea for the crazed Mrs Rochester.
Sir James and Lady Graham, a former museum curator, began the restoration of Norton Conyers in 2006. Their assiduous work over the past eight years revealed fascinating layers of history, which visitors will be able to discover in July of 2015, when the house reopens to the public. The restoration enhanced many features mentioned by Brontë in her description of Thornfield Hall: the battlements around the roof, the lawn, the rookery, the broad oak staircase lit by a high latticed window, the high square hall and the mad woman’s room in the third storey attic. Following the discovery of a staircase leading to the attic a secret door has been created in the 19th century panelling, opening the space to the public for the first time. Finds made during the restoration process include Tudor painted boards hidden behind 18th century plaster and a 1760’s wallpaper.
Richard Compton, President of the Historic Houses Association commented: “Norton Conyers is a very special house, steeped in history. It has been so sensitively and painstakingly restored in recent years by its very knowledgeable owners, Sir James and Lady Graham. I always look upon Norton Conyers as a classic HHA Member property whose owners are so dedicated towards the maintenance of this special place. Great care has been taken to respect the history and development of this historic house and in so doing, over the past eight years, successive layers of history have been uncovered. The HHA is delighted that this award is being made to mark and celebrate the Grahams’ remarkable achievements”.
Great Hall, Norton Conyers courtesy of Sir James Graham.
Staircase leading to the attic. Courtesy Sir James Graham.