Verulam House, St Albans (17th century)

Verulam House was a building in St Albans, built by Francis Bacon to supplement his family home of Gorhambury.

[3] Bacon completed it around 1617, partly motivated by a drought which starved the advanced plumbing system built at Gorhambury by his father - Bacon stated that "since he could not carry the water to his house, he would carry his house to the water".

[4] He picked a site next to water gardens he had already constructed[5] and Aubrey writes that he was assisted in the designs by the father of the painter William Dobson.

[2] Bacon died childless and so his will conveyed Verulam House to trustees for the use of his secretary Thomas Meautys.

It then passed to Bacon's widow Anne's second husband Sir Harbottle Grimston, who assigned Verulam House to his son George upon the latter's marriage.