Burford House
| Burford House | |
| Shropshire | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Burford House and formal gardens | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SO581677 |
| Location: | 52°18’22"N, 2°36’53"W |
| Village: | Burford |
| History | |
| Built 1728 | |
| Country house | |
| Information | |
Burford House is a grand Georgian country house at Burford in Shropshire, set in seven acres of ornamental gardens. The gardens today have been converted to serve as a garden centre and the house as the Burford House Shopping Emporium.
The house is in the corner of the county: one point in the garden, where the Ledwych Brook meets the River Teme, is the spot where three counties meet: Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.
History
The Burford estate had been in the hands of the Cornwall family since the Middle Ages. Around 1720, the estate was sold to William Bowles, a member of Parliament and proprietor of the Vauxhall glass works. In 1728, Bowles built the current house. At the same time, the gardens were improved and expanded, and by the 19th century they were extensive, including an avenue and a garden house.
The estate was purchased by Mr John Treasure and his brother in 1954, who reduced the house in size, completely replanted the gardens, and opened the grounds to the public in 1958.
The gardens
Within the garden the National Clematis Collection was installed: the gardens were once home to one of the best collections of clematis in the country. However, in time it was neglected and allowed to decay, as were all the gardens of the house.
Today the four acres of gardens are being lovingly restored with the help of volunteers known as the ‘Burford House Garden Angels’, working since 2013.
Clematis collection
Amongst the tasks taken on by the 'Angels' is the restoring of the clematis collection. The gardens were once home to around 300 different varieties of clematis and were designed and laid out in their current form by the late John Treasure in the 1950s. There are now around 200 different varieties of clematis within the gardens; sometimes as many as 50 in flower at one time.
One of the garden’s great wonders is the giant Wisteria Macrobotrys ‘Burford’, which in May cascades spectacularly down the back of the house. Planted originally in 1960, it fills the air with divine perfume and the racemes hang two feet in length.
The house
The house is an early Georgian red brick house with a brick parapet. The north front is a 3-storey 6-window range of tall 9/9 sashes to ground and first floors, and 6/6 second-floor sashes, all with gauged brick lintels. In the early nineteenth century a central projecting porch was installed, in the Doric order.
The east and west sides of the house have twentieth century multi-pane casements and windows. To the rear is a 3-storey 5-window range of 6/6 sashes with gauged brick lintels and another projecting porch.[1]
Church
Burford's parish church, St Mary's, was originally part of the estate and now stands beside it. Its history and that of the estate is told in the collection of Cornwall family monuments in the church.
St Mary's contains a fascinating triptych beside the communion table. The earliest part of the Church is Anglo-Saxon, but with extensive Victorian restoration.
Outside links
- National Heritage List 1383418: Burford House
- The Garden Store at Burford House
- Gatehouse Gazetteer – Burford House
Refernces
- ↑ National Heritage List 1383418: Burford House