Wyastone Leys
| Wyastone Leys | |
| Herefordshire | |
|---|---|
 Front elevation of the house | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SO53091573 |
| Location: | 51°50’18"N, 2°40’56"W |
| History | |
| Built 1821 and 1838 | |
| For: | Richard Blakemore |
| Country house | |
| Information | |
Wyastone Leys is a country house estate near Ganarew, in the south-western corner of The Doward, in Herefordshire. The house and estate has also been known as The Leys or Lays House.
The house is found two miles from Monmouth and eight miles from Ross-on-Wye, close by the River Wye. It is just 50 yards from the county border between Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, and close by the bounds of Gloucestershire also.
Wyastone Leys is a Grade II listed building. It and its surrounding buildings are now occupied by Nimbus Records, who were the first producers of compact discs in the United Kingdom. In the woodland of Little Doward Hill above the house, the Forestry Commission planted, in 1959, a pattern of trees with contrasting foliage in the shape of the letters 'ER', to mark the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The house and grounds
The original house, The Leys, was built in 1795 by S. O. Attley of London.
It was bought around 1820 by Richard Blakemore. The turnpiking of the road between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye in 1821, creating a new road higher up the hillside than the old road, allowed Blakemore to extend the estate. Blakemore also bought the Hadnock estate on the other side of the River Wye, demolished Hadnock House, and used the materials to rebuild and extend the Leys, between 1821 and 1838.[1][2] He also demolished cottages on the estate, to improve the views; converted the old Ross road into a private driveway; planted woodland to screen the house from the new road; and added walls, railings and an entrance lodge. A 320-acre deer park was created on Little Doward Hill, stocked with deer brought in from Llantrithyd in Glamorgan, and an observatory was built on the hilltop.[1][2]
The house was rebuilt in 1861 for John Bannerman of Manchester, by William Burn.[3] The 1861 sale catalogue mentions extensive pleasure grounds, gardens, conservatories, vineries and an additional house for the gardener.[2][4] Bannerman added new lodges, stables, kennels, and a belvedere,[1] and renamed the estate Wyastone Leys.[5][6] The deer park was abandoned, and the observatory removed, in the early 20th century.[1]
The house now is a three-storey building with a 2-storey service wing. A small shaped gable above the entrance bay bears the Bannerman family coat of arms. Features include a block tower and turrets, slate roofs and a four storey clock tower with a clock face on three sides. The interior has been largely altered to accommodate business and domestic uses; a long drawing room at rear of the ground floor retains some fine restored stucco ceiling ornament.[5]
Despite being in Herefordshire, the house and grounds often hosted Monmouthshire hunt meetings, as parts of the original estate are in Monmouthshire.[7]
In 1953, the Forestry Commission decided to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II by planting trees with contrasting foliage in the shape of a crown and the letters ER (for Elizabeth Regina) in the woodland above the house. The pattern can still be seen.[8]
On television
The house and grounds were used as a production location for the BBC series Torchwood in 2007[9] and in 2015 for the Guy Ritchie epic adventure film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Wyastone Leys) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Herefordshire Through Time: Wyastone Leys. Accessed 27 March 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales — THE LEYS; WYASTONE LEYS". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/21157/details/THE+LEYS%3B+WYASTONE+LEYS/. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ↑ Keith Kissack, Monmouth and its Buildings, Logaston Press, 2003, ISBN 1 904396 01 1, p.24
- ↑ Alan Sutton Publishing, Monmouth and the River Wye in Old Photographs, Alan Sutton Publishing, 1989, ISBN 0-86299-481-0, page 126
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 National Heritage List 1099455: Wyastone Leys, Ganarew
- ↑ "John Bannerman Esq Deceased", The Times (London, England): 13 Col A, 28 March 1871
- ↑ "Hunting Appointments", The Morning Post (London, England): 7, 5 February 1881
- ↑ Coronation Commemoration- Wyastone Leys, Monmouth
- ↑ "Wyastone Estate". Dr Who Location Guides. http://www.doctorwholocations.net/locations/wyastoneestate. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
