Museums

John Harvey Thursby was the owner of Abington from 1736 to until his death in 1764. He resided at Abington with his wife Honor and their 11 children.

He was an MP for Wootton Bassett and then Stamford during his lifetime. The Thursby family remodelled Abington for their needs. In 1669 John Bernard sold Abington to William Thursby for £13,750. He began making alternations and improvements to the house and estate. During the 1670s the end of the Great Hall cross-wing was demolished and a new south front and principal staircase constructed.

Charles Philips was a successful British portrait painter who was popular with the nobility from 1708-1747.

A place to live

In this section of the exhibition discover how the house changed over time and who lived there. Find out about the first concrete modernist house in England and what it’s like to live in Abington today. You can also find out which of Shakespeare’s descendants lived at Abington Manor.

History of the building