Thank you - and in that case, I shall move the clarification down here
as an answer. Also, if you would like to see how the manor has been
used in other works, the novel "Wintercombe" by Pamela Bell used Great
Chalfield Manor as its setting. There might be some details about the
house there which may be of use to you.
You may get some extra information from English Heritage:
Designed Landscapes, Archaeology and Survey Division
23 Savile Row, London, W1X 1AB
Phone - 0171 973 3000
The strange thing about the above is that the U.K. Database of
Historic Parks and Gardens refers to the connection to English
Heritage, but English Heritage has no searchable information about
Great Chafield Manor or even anything about the Chafields on their
website. So they may possess information which is not readily
available except through private request??
You can also contact the manor directly at:
Tel. 01225 782239 Fax 01225 783379
Well, your first criteria, that the house is still habitable is easy
enough to meet since the house is still used as a residence by the
descendents of Robert Fuller even though the house belongs to the
National Trust. There is also a company called "The Garden Party"
which uses the house as its base of operations and permits guests
signed onto its tours to stay on the premisis if they choose.
Since I have no idea just what information your guide book contains, I
will simply provide all that I have found about the place.
It is considered one of England's most perfect Medieval houses and is
quite typical of the English manor house as they were being built over
most of the country with the exception of the far north. Even there
the architectural styles displayed little "visual" or "cosmetic"
difference. The differences were mostly hidden and had to do with
interior circulation and layout determined mostly by climatic
differences between the border regions and the rest of England.
The house, which is located just north of Holt, is also accompanied by
a good collection of out buildings including a church, gatehouse,
barn, mill, bridge and moat.
The house was rebuilt by Thomas Tropnell between 1467 and 1480 around
a previously existing courtyard. The earlier house built by the
Percey family had by that time fallen into disrepair. The remains of
that earlier house can be found in the curtain walls and tower bases
that enclose the church.
Trapnell made a fortune in the War of the Roses when a new middle
class replaced the old collapsing feudal nobility. The house is built
of domestic yellow stone (known as Corsham stone). Due to the fact
there was a great deal of insecurity at the time, the house also
included an architectural feature more common to earlier ages which
was a curtain wall, a defensible gatehouse, and a narrow moat giving
it some of the aspects of a "castle." No traces of the "curtain wall"
remain but you still have to cross the moat to reach the outer
courtyard. From there, an archway leads into the forcourt and the
house itself.
The house has a conventional Medieval "Great Hall." The hall rises
two stories and is lighted by windows from both sides. It is flanked
by two gabled wings containing elaborate oriel windows.
The exterior has excellent detailing in the stone mullioned windows,
arches, gables and buttresses. The gable ends are carved with some
strange figures. There are griffins, soldiers, a crusader lion and a
monkey. Many are carved to be viewed against the skyline and look
very lifelike from a distance. One of the soldiers is designed to
carry a flagpole, another is in 15th century armor with a helment and
a sword. Another figure actually sits cross legged on the top of a
gable and one soldier has lost his head. He didn't lose it to time,
it was carved that way.
Because the house is perfectly proportioned, it has the look of being
much larger than it really is. So in reality, it actually falls under
the classification of "moderate sizedl" still habital manor houses you
are looking for.
The main (north) front of the house is still as Tropnell left it in
1480. The south front was restored (quite carefully) and the south
wing added about 1910. The west wing was originally a farm building
and facing it across the courtyard is the small 14th or 15th century
church. The south chapel of the church was rebuilt by Tropnell. He
also added the bellcote and the spire.
The house interior follows a very late Medieval plan. The vaulted
porch leads directly into the timbered Great Hall. The hall is
screened from the pantry and kitchen beyond as well as the bed chamber
above it. There is a separate dining room beyond the screens between
the wall and the kitchens. The dining room also has a "suspected"
muraled portrait of Tropnell. Actually, this fresco had been
whitewashed over and was not rediscoverd till 1978 and depicts a
bearded man. They seem to think the odds are good that the person
portrayed is in fact, Tropnell.
At the other end of the hall, you will find a spiral staircase leading
to the solar. Here you will find a feature called "squints." These
are hollowed out masks with little open eyeholes and mouths which
allowed the ladies to look out on things taking place below them in
the Great Hall. It is claimed one of these masks might be King Midas.
Originally it had a crown and long donkey-like ears. Another of the
masks represents a laughing bishop, wearing his miter backwards. The
third mask is a laughing face also.
There was originally a low wicket gate at the entry of the hall which
forced one to duck their head when coming in. If your intentions were
hostile, that gave the door warden first blow at your exposed neck. A
delightful feature that must have made the guests feel all warm and
cozy.
Throughout the house there are carved details such as gargoyles and
other ornaments and there is a pair of wrestlers carved near the gate.
There is also some timber framing at the rear of the structure.
If you want to describe the property as it originally was and that is
the time setting of your book, the manor was originally surrounded by
dense woods as part of its protection. It was during the 18th century
when England lost a lot of its trees to shipbuilding that the woods
were cut.
Another detail of the time which may be of assistance in accurate
descriptions is the fact that the moat was not only there for defense,
but was also the source of power for the mill. The water wheel is
still in place today. The 900 yard long lead was actually engineered
in Saxon times and runs from Little Chalfield to Great Chalfield manor
and was used as the source for Trapnell's water supply. It also fed
the fish pond which was an important source of winter food.
The manor also houses a 980 page parchment book which was probably
fairly well known to the residents of the time. It is known as the
"Tropnell Cartulary." It records developments at Great Chalfield
dating back to details the Percy family in 1356. The book can still
be viewed if you apply to do so.
The estate was recorded in the Domesday Book as the property of Ernulf
de Hesding, Comte de Perche. The property was owned by various
branches of the Percy family until the 16th century. In the Civil
War, the house was used by Parliamentary troops and actually withstood
a short siege.
The 1st Duke of Kington acquired the estate when he married an heiress
but it was sold by his son in 1770. The property then remained in the
hands of the Neale family until 1878 when it was acquired by the
Fuller family.
You may find it interesting that the land boundries and the field
names are still exactly as they were on a map dating from 1794.
The original parts remaining (from the 1480 rebuild) include
everything except for the east wing which was rebuilt in 1838 and the
south wing from 1910. However, the north wall of the east wing is
still original which preserved the oriel window. Inside the main
hall, the solar and the screen, masks and carvings are all intact.
I imagine much of this duplicates what you already have and would
hardly be worth the amount you offered. So, instead of posting it as
an answer, I'm simply going to put it here as a clarification in case
another researcher can come up with more detail for you.
Some of the above came from the trip to the library and other material
was gleaned from the websites below.
http://www.britannia.com/history/wilts/mm-wilts1.html - Wiltshire:
Medieval Manor Houses (part 1)
webpage includes a small photo of the house.
http://www.film-locations.co.uk/greatchalfield.htm - Great Chalfield -
you will find a good photo of manor reflected into the moat.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/traveltrade/propertydetails.cfm?property_id=48
- From the National Trust - you will find two images of the manor.
The one at the top of the page displays one of the beautiful windows.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~villages/wiltshire/the_chalfields.htm
- The Chalfields - some general information
Search Google - But most information was found in a series of tour
brochures at OSU library, some out of print and dating back to the
early 70s. Most of them had to do with the gardens, which seem to be
quite famous, rather than with the house proper. But I hope I have
provided enough "color" details that you can write about the place
with some feeling of familiarity.
Cheers
digsalot |
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