"Little Offley" 1700

Social History (Museum of St Albans)

2005.5853

Little Offley, near Hitchin (1700). Engraving by Jan Drapentier, for Sir Henry Chauncy's The Historical Antiquities of Hertfordshire Little Offley, 3 miles west of Hitchin, is still recognisably the house drawn by Drapentier. In fact it had been rebuilt only five years before in 1695, all except for the ground floor brickwork, which is earlier. However it is the grounds and estate, rather than the house, that catch the eye,. Drapentier makes them team with activity, from the very busy farmyard (surprisingly, under the very windows of the house) to bee-keeping (top left), shooting, and tending sheep. In front of the main gate two gentlemen have been riding and are leaving the grooms to deal with their horses. On the right, a farm wagon - the first depicted in Hertfordshire and probably a recent purchase in 1700 - leaves the farmyard drawn by four horses, the carter walking alongside.

1700

ph8715

120 transparency

1) Photo Studio

Little Offley, near Hitchin, Hertfordshire, UK.

PWD Box 12 (green).

Herts Before the Car, 2001