I visited Lyveden Manor House and the New Bield (New Build) this week. These were two houses about a mile apart, one a manor house and the other a half built “Secret House”. Too close to the main house for use as a hunting lodge, keeping a secret house was a custom of the 16th century. Often within a mile of the main house, the secret house was a place where the head of the household would retire for a few days with a minimum of servants, while the principal house was thoroughly cleaned and, bearing in mind the sanitation of the time, fumigated. Secret Houses were probably never intended for full-time occupation. Here are pictures of the manor house (first photo) and the New Field (second photo):
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