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26.
January
2018.
Brocket Hall lifts the lid on scandal
 

Brocket Hall lifts the lid on Scandal and a Woman Scorned

 this Valentine’s Day



Brocket Hall, jewel in the crown of England’s stately homes, presents a serene and romantic picture and is undoubtedly the perfect Valentine’s Day destination. But this illustrious house was the setting for one of the most scandalous and doomed romances in English history.

 

In the 1830’s, Brocket Hall was home to William Lamb, known as Lord Melbourne - Prime Minister from 1835–41 and much admired by Queen Victoria who was a regular visitor to the hall, a fact regularly referenced in ITV’s period drama Victoria.

           

William Lamb married the highborn Lady Caroline Ponsonby, a match shrewdly orchestrated by his mother. The couple became "mutually captivated" during a visit to Brocket Hall in 1802 and for many years enjoyed a happy marriage. However, Lady Caroline Lamb was to conduct a calumnious affair with the poet Lord Byron that would stun the nation.

 

It began when Lady Caroline, who had become obsessed with Byron, piqued his interest after sending him volumes of letters. They embarked on an infamous and passionate liaison, much of which would be flaunted in the public eye and under her husband’s nose at Brocket Hall.


 
​It
 is said that on one of Byron’s birthdays she held a state banquet in the ballroom, where she served herself naked from a massive soup tureen. She was also famous for dressing up in a page boy’s outfit to pay ‘incognito’ midnight visits to Byron’s room. But, when Byron threw her over, Caroline built a bonfire in the grounds to burn all his gifts, topped with an effigy of him, as a public testament to her obsession.

 

Ultimately Lady Caroline and Lord Melbourne agreed to a formal separation in 1825. As this Gothic saga unfolds, it reveals that her last years were clouded by mental instability exacerbated by alcohol and opium abuse. By 1827, her frail body closed down. However her spirit is said to haunt the Hall to this day.

 

Although this chronicle of obsessive love, drama and despair echoes through the centuries, there is no need for any modern-day muse to take their clothes off in the dining room at Brocket Hall this Valentine’s Day. Instead, a sensational culinary seduction is offered at the award-winning lakeside restaurant known as Auberge du Lac on the estate and with it the chance to walk in Lady Caroline Lamb’s footsteps.

 

Experience the timeless allure of Brocket Hall with a stay at Lady Caroline Lamb’s former hunting lodge and a six course dinner which could ignite the headiest romantic passion. Although a glimpse of her ghost cannot be guaranteed, the legacy of Brocket Hall’s most volatile resident continues to pervade its fairy-tale splendour. Come dine with her!

 

For further information contact Melanie Faldo at socal.uk@gmail.com