Trumpington Local History Group meetings: Visit to Anstey Hall, 15 May 2012

Trumpington Village Sign unveiled June 2010, designed by Sheila Betts.

Trumpington Local History Group
Visit to Anstey Hall, Trumpington:
15 May 2012

Anstey Hall is on the site of a Medieval manor which had itself been rebuilt by Edmund Bacchus
in the early 17th century. The hall was owned by the Thompson family from 1637-1748, the
Anstey family from 1748-1838 and the Foster family from 1838-1941 when it was requisitioned
and then purchased by the government. The current property was probably built by Anthony
Thompson in the late 17th century, probably around the core of the earlier building. Thompson's
design was extended in the late 19th century and the interior was remodelled in 1909. A number
of local people worked at the hall when it was used as government offices after World War 2,
one or two of whom were present on the tour. John de Bruyne said that he purchased the hall in
the late 1990s, after a nail-biting sealed-bid auction. He mentioned having carried out research
into its history and offered to give a future talk on that theme.

John welcomed us in the Reception Hall, with pine panelling which had previously been covered
in layers of Ministry-regulation green paint over an earlier eggshell blue colour wash. He had
developed the hall as a wedding venue, including a flexible choice of reception rooms and
refurbished bedrooms. He led us into the Library, laid out as a lecture room (as it had been in
Ministry days), with panelling, bookcases, an elaborate ceiling and view into the garden. He said
that the walnut panelling in the Saloon Bar had been installed by Rattee and Kett around 1910.

The rear façade of the house included a mixture of styles of brickwork, with the lower courses
probably dating from the 1680s. Upstairs, the corridors and rooms were full of paintings,
including de Bruyne family portraits which John used as the impetus for recollections and
anecdotes about his ancestors and some of the individuals associated with the hall. He reminded
us that his father, Dr Norman de Bruyne, had invented Araldite adhesive, after doing research at
Trinity College and the Cavendish Laboratory under Rutherford and Thompson. He mentioned
that some of the outbuildings had been designed by Alfred Waterhouse, who had been working
for the Fosters on their bank in Cambridge (now Lloyds Bank, Sidney Street). We walked
through the Ballroom, an attractive venue with colourful Murano glass chandeliers. John showed
us a number of the bedrooms on the first floor and in the attic, with views over the grounds, all
with an impressive variety of fittings.

It was fascinating seeing how the hall is evolving and we look forward to another opportunity to
visit.

Members of the Local History
Group visited Anstey Hall on 15
May 2012 at the kind invitation of
John de Bruyne, who entertained us
with a guided tour of the interior.

The previous visit by the Group was
in June 1999, when John was just
beginning his long-term renovation
project.

Notes and photographs by Andrew
Roberts.