The 16th-century history of Chequers manor house

Chequers Court in Buckinghamshire, England, is the country house of the prime minister. Built around 1565 by William Hawtrey, it served as a place of confinement for Lady Mary Grey, a great-granddaughter of King Henry VII, between 1565 and 1567. Through the centuries, the house passed through several families, including the Wooleys, the Crokes and the Thurbanes. In 1715, the owner married John Russell, a grandson of Oliver Cromwell.

Chequers is known for its connection to the Cromwells and contains a large collection of Cromwell memorabilia. In the 19th century, Henry Rhodes made alterations to the house in the Gothic style, ripping out the Tudor panelling and windows to install battlements with pinnacles. Bertram Astley restored the house to its Elizabethan origins between 1892 and 1901, with the help of Reginald Blomfield and John Birch. Arthur Lee and his wife Ruth took the house on a long lease in 1909, immediately starting a restoration of the interior.

Chequers houses one of the largest collections of art and memorabilia pertaining to Oliver Cromwell in the country, as well as many other national antiques and books. The collection is not open to the public. During the First World War, the house became a hospital and then a convalescent home for officers. In 1921, it was given to the nation as a country retreat for the serving prime minister under the Chequers Estate Act 1917.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons