The two North lodges at the entrance of the drive leading up to Claydon House were made out of its ruins, when two thirds of it was demolished in 1791 by Mary, Baroness Fermanagh.
Ambitious to a fault, Ralph 2nd Earl was one of the largest landowners in Buckinghamshire of his time. He used his wealth to fund his political career, and re-model the Jacobean House at Claydon to be an impressive (and intimidating) venue for entertaining. Ralph 2nd Earl sought to make Claydon even grander than its rival neighbour, Stowe.
It would appear that Ralph 2nd Earl had more money than sense. He spent a substantial amount of his extensive wealth on lavish decors proposed to him by his less than trustworthy Architect, Luke Lightfoot. Eventually after years of extravagant spending on personal pleasures, political gain and building cost’s Ralph 2nd Earl was in terrible debt, so he escaped to France to avoid being arrested.
When Ralph, 2nd Earl did eventually come out of exile and return to Claydon, he held an ‘Election Breakfast’ in his grand house. This was the only event where Claydon was ever used for its true purpose.