The History of Hatch House

Hatch House was a 17th century manor house and home of the Hyde family. Edward Hyde was a lawyer, historian and literary scholar, who became a royalist politician, courtier & counsellor to Charles I & Charles II (as Prince of Wales).  After the death of Cromwell in 1658, he was appointed Lord Chancellor to Charles II.  His daughter, Anne Hyde was the mistress of James Duke of York (later King James II) but was said to be secretly married to James. Anne was recognised as Duchess of  York in 1661 and was the mother of the future Queens Mary & Anne. 

Much of the house was demolished between 1769 & 1816, and the remains were acquired by John Bennett of Pythouse circa 1816. It remained an L-shaped farmhouse, with the adjacent 16th/17th-century walled garden, for the rest of the 19th century. Part of the garden walls date from the early period but they were greatly embellished by Detmar Blow, an Arts & Crafts architect employed by Vere Fane- Bennett- Stamford of Pythouse to aggrandise the remaining rump of the house in 1908.  Blow added gables to the south to create the symmetrical façade facing west over the garden that forms the backdrop to so many weddings and events at Hatch today.

The Pythouse estate was inherited by Sir Anthony Rumbold, the father of Sir Henry Rumbold, the present owner, in 1956.