THE P RTAL
April 2014
Page 8
Sawston Hall
Jackie Ottaway enjoys her visit
The village
of Sawston is just seven miles
south of Cambridge. Next to the medieval Church
of Saint Mary are the impressive gates to Sawston Hall.
I had been invited to look round by the present owner,
Stephen Coates, and sure enough there he was by the
gate ready to meet me.
There are quite a few places in England noted for
their Recusant past, Harvington Hall near Dudley
being a case in point. Sawston is another. From time
to time we at The Portal visit these centres of Catholic
history. You may remember quite a few articles about
priests’ holes. When I heard about Sawston Hall, I just
had to visit. Because the Hall has - for the most part been in private hands for the best part of five hundred
years, few have been privileged to see it.
Justin Paget Photography
Disaster was avoided only when she fled, disguised as
a dairymaid. As the future Queen made her escape,
Northumberland’s men set Sawston Hall afire. A large
part of the Hall was destroyed.
danger was never far away
With Mary on the throne, the Hall was re-built by
Sir John and Edmund Huddleston. It took the years
Stephen, and his lovely dogs, took me to the Hall. It 1557-1584 to restore, and then only with the assistance
is an impressive sight: a Tudor Manor House, a Stately of a license granted by the Queen to use stone from
Home set in beautiful gardens and lawns. He and his Cambridge Castle. Mary died whilst the Hall was
wife have over four years been restoring the Hall to its being re-built and was succeeded by Elizabeth I.
former glory, yet at the same time, ensuring that the With England now firmly a Protestant country, the
Hall is fit for modern living. They have pulled this off Huddleston’s strong Catholic Faith meant danger was
brilliantly. It is not just the building that has received never far away. Catholic priests faced persecution and
the Coates treatment. The gardens are in process of even death if caught in the country. The Huddleston‘s
restoration as well. Soon they will be as they were were taking no chances and at least one priest hole was
when Queen Mary I came to Sawston.
set in the building. It would seem that it did its job, as
there is no record of any priest being caught inside the
Queen Mary I came to Sawston
priest hole at Sawston.
The Sawston estate was in the hands of the
Huddleston family from 1517 until the 1980s. Mary
During the Second World War Sawston Hall,
Tudor, (the future Queen Mary I), whilst fleeing from although still owned by the Huddleston’s, became
the Duke of Northumberland, spent the night here. the headquarters of the 66th Fighter Wing, part of
four years of restoration
Justin Paget Photography