Celebrating Local Attractions!
Barbara Follett visited Knebworth House this week to show her support for British Tourism Week. Although she lives close by Mrs Follett said that the house never fails to charm and surprise her with its beauty and unique architecture.
Mrs Follett said, “Knebworth House is one of England’s best loved historic homes and I was delighted to visit it to celebrate the contribution it makes to the tourism business in my constituency and across the country. It plays a large role in my personal life too. I walk my dogs in its magnificent park as often as I can and, last summer, one of our daughters was married in its lovely garden. It is one of the hidden gems of the area and I only hope that more people discover its delights”
Tourism is Britain’s fifth largest industry, generating revenues of around £75 billion a year and employing around 2.1 million people. Almost 80% of total tourism expenditure in the UK comes from the domestic market.
Martha Lytton Cobbold and Barbara Follett MP
Notes
Knebworth House is now known the world over for its huge open-air rock concerts - but not everyone is aware of its history and romance. Knebworth House is unique - originally a red-brick Tudor manor house, it was transformed in 1843 into the gothic fantasy we see today, with turrets, griffins and gargoyles.
Knebworth owes its character to Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who was an author, a poet, a dramatist and a statesman. His books (like "The Last Days of Pompeii") were best sellers in their day. He was one of the first to recognise the genius of Charles Dickens. Dickens was a frequent visitor and acted in private theatricals at Knebworth in the 1850s and 60s.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton's son, Robert, a diplomat, was Viceroy of India at the height of the British Raj. He proclaimed Queen Victoria Empress of India at the great Delhi Durbar of 1877. He died as British Ambassador to France and was given the rare honour of a public funeral in Paris.
Winston Churchill was another regular visitor and his painting of the Banqueting Hall hangs in the room where he painted it.
The Lytton family have a strong tradition of battling for women's rights. Three generations of the family played a part in this historic struggle, the best known of whom is the suffragette, Lady Constance Lytton.
Sir Edwin Lutyens redesigned much of the interior of the house and laid out the present gardens. His associate Gertrude Jekyll designed the herb garden.
Issued: 20.03.2007
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