Burton Court, Eardisland
- Not to be confused with Burton Court, Linton
| Burton Court | |
| Herefordshire | |
|---|---|
 Burton Court | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SO42285719 |
| Location: | 52°12’36"N, 2°50’46"W |
| Village: | Eardisland |
| History | |
| Built Early 14th century, 18th century | |
| Country house | |
| Information | |
| Website: | burtoncourt.com |
Burton Court is a Grade II* listed country manor house in the Parish of Eardisland, south-west of Leominster, in Herefordshire. The manor dates to at least the 11th century and the current house to the early 14th and 18th century.
The house stands close to the A44 road, about a mile south of Eardisland in the northern part of the hamlet of Lower Burton. It is now run as a wedding and private hire venue. Burton Court featured in Simon Jenkins's book England's Thousand Best Houses.
History
The manor of Burton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, with the name Beuretune, where it was valued at 2 hydes.[1] The manor was documented during the reign of Edward III in 1331; Henry of Monmouth, later to become Henry V, possibly stationed his troops there while surveying the movements of the rebel Owain Glyndŵr.[1]
The house is associated with the St Owen family (until 1427), the Downton family (through marriage), and the families of Cotes, Croft, Jervase Smith (d. 1627), [2] Brewsters (mid-late 17th century until 1865), and Clowes (mid 19th and mid-20th centuries).[1][3]
In 1960, the house was bought by Lt Cmdr Simpson and has been home to the Simpson family since.[4]
Architecture and fittings
Burke's Guide to Country Houses: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire (1978) mentions that the house was partly rebuilt in the 18th century, probably for William Matthews.[5] His grandson, John Matthews, commissioned James Wyatt to construct Belmont House,[5]
Burton Court contains architectural pieces from the Norman, Mediæval, Regency and Victorian periods. The hall dates to the early 14th century,[6] but much of the house remaining today was added in the 18th century.[7][8]
Remodelling was carried out in 1808, which was followed by restorations in 1865, and also in 1912 when the architect Clough Williams-Ellis added the Tudor Revival front.[6][7] The house is framed in timber. Exterior brick work has been stuccoed. There is a dovecote with a lantern roof.[9] Windows of note are a two-storey bay and an elliptically shaped one. Additional exterior elements are stone mullioning, Doric pilasters, and a moulded architrave. Inside, there are purlins, an overdoor, and a cantilevered stair.
The central feature is the Great Hall, at 35 feet long by 24 feet wide, and 32 feet in height.
A railway room contains a working model railway. There are collections of ship models, natural history items,[10] and European and Oriental costumes and curios.[11] The furnishings are mainly of the Victoria era.[4]
Grounds
Situated in an elevated position overlooking the Herefordshire countryside, a mile south of the River Arrow, the house was built on the site of an ancient camp.[12] A well 72 feet deep well is on the property,[3] as well as symmetrical oak trees.[12]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Burton Court, Eardisland) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Burton Court: House & Gardens
- ↑ Duncumb, John; Cooke, William; Watkins, Morgan George; John Hobson Matthews: '[url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t4gcAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA127 Collections towards the history and antiquities of the county of Hereford]' page 127
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Emery, Anthony: 'Greater Mediæval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500: East Anglia, Central England, and Wales' (Cambridge University Press, 2000) ISBN 978-0-521-58131-8; pages 525–}}
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sproule, Anna; Pollard, Michael: 'The country house guide: family homes in the Historic Houses Association ' (24 March 1988) ISBN 978-0-7126-1844-1; page 294
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bence-Jones, Mark; Reid, Peter: 'Burke's Guide to Country Houses: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire' (Burke's Peerage, 1978) page 12
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Long, Peter: 'The Hidden Places of England' (Travel Publishing Ltd, 2004) ISBN 978-1-904434-12-2; page 274
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Herefordshire, 1963; 2012 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-12575-7page 120
- ↑ Burton Court, Eardisland - British Listed Buildings
- ↑ Mee, Arthur: The King's England: Herefordshire (Hodder & Stoughton)
- ↑ Aird, Alisdair (4 January 2000). The Good Guide to Britain 2000. Random House. p. 315. ISBN 978-0-09-187095-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=6WebJd3RaOAC. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ↑ Automobile Association (Great Britain) (1980). AA book of British villages: a guide to 700 of the most interesting and attractive villages in Britain. Drive Publications for the Automobile Association. pp. 158, 159. https://books.google.com/books?id=TF8JAQAAIAAJ. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Cooke, Mordecai Cubitt; Taylor, John Ellor: 'Hardwicke's science-gossip: an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature' (Robert Hardwicke, 1890) pages=231–