Tag: wessex attractions

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Wessex Attractions: Nuffield Place

Nuffield Place is an Art Deco house in the Oxfordshire Chilterns, which was once the home of the noted philanthropists Lord and Lady Nuffield. It features an Arts and Crafts style garden. a second-hand bookshop, and a shop selling memorabilia related to Lord Nuffield’s car marques; Morris, Wolseley, Riley and MG.

Lord Nuffield was born William Morris (1877-1963, not to be confused with his namesake, the author of News From Nowhere). At the age of 14, he became an apprentice at an Oxford bicycle repair shop, where he developed a passion for engineering. He worked his way up from bicycles to motorbikes to cars, creating his first car, the Morris Bullnose in 1913. Because of its heritage, Nuffield Place is a popular destination for classic car rallies.

The house is maintained by the National Trust, and preserved as it was when Lord and Lady Nuffield lived there, between 1933 and 1963. It is not ostentatious; despite the Nuffields’ great wealth, they were people of simple tastes, giving most of their money to charity (and to the British Union of Fascists, though the National Trust’s website is strangely silent about that part!) Rather, it stands as a living museum of how a comfortably-off family would have lived in the mid-20th century. It is also home to the only roadworthy vehicle in the National Trust’s collection, a 1939 Wolseley Eight formerly owned by Lady Nuffield.

The four acres of garden contain three lawns, a rock garden, and a variety of winding paths. The National Trust is using old photos to restore it to the way it would have looked in the 1950s.

The house is on the Ridgeway Trail, and is served by the Oxford Bus Company’s Connector 23 bus route between Henley-on-Thames (the nearest railway station), Wallingford and Didcot. The Satnav postcode is RG9 5RY.

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Wessex Attractions: Knightshayes

Knightshayes is a 19th century Gothic revival mansion in Tiverton, the work of the controversial architect William Burges (1827-81). It was built between 1869 and 1873, when the Gothic revival style was already going out of fashion. By the end of the 19th century, the style was frowned upon in much the same way that mid-20th century brutalist architecture is today.

The House was the seat of the Heathcoat-Amory family until the death of Sir John Heathcoat-Amory in 1972, when it was handed to the National Trust, which still maintains it.

The house was believed to contain a self-portrait by Rembrandt. However, whilst the portrait was bought by the Heathcoat-Amorys in good faith, art experts have recently concluded that it is a copy. with the original being displayed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The house’s extensive gardens are another attractive feature, particularly in the springtime. Its 2½ acre walled kitchen garden produces a wide variety of crops, including many rare varieties of tomato. which are harvested and sold in the cafe and shop.

The satnav postcode is EX16 7RH (follow the brown tourist signs from Tiverton), and Dartline bus route 398 from Tiverton to Dulverton passes within a mile of the house.

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Essential Wessex: Berry Pomeroy Castle

With its beautiful woodland setting and Hammer Horror design, Berry Pomeroy Castle in South Devon is a popular destination for lovers of the gothic. But it has much to offer anyone interested in history and heritage. Originally thought to be of Norman origin, due to a mention of a manor on the same site in the Domesday Book, it was actually built during the Wars of the Roses by the Yorkist Pomeroy family and later extended by the Seymour family.

Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, bought it from the then-impoverished Pomeroys in 1547, adding a mansion to the original fortress,It was further extended early in the 17th century, but fell into disrepair in the 18th, It became known as a romantic ruin, a magnet for landscape painters and authors of gothic novels such as The Castle of Berry Pomeroy by Edward Montague, an 1806 tale presumably modelled on Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764). Its popularity was boosted by a reputation for being the most haunted castle in England.

Today, Berry Pomeroy Castle is maintained by English Heritage. It is open at weekends from 10am to 4pm, and admission costs £7 for adults and £4.20 for children. Visitors can explore the kitchens, and climbing the staircase to the first floor of the medieval gatehouse reveals a large 15th century painting of the Adoration of the Magi on one of the walls.

The postcode, for satnav purposes, is TQ9 6LJ. Sadly, the only bus route to serve the castle. the 149 from Totnes to Torquay, does not run at weekends.

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Wessex Attractions: Blackfriars, Gloucester

Blackfriars is a former Dominican priory located on Southgate Street in Gloucester. It was founded in 1239, during the reign of Henry III, on the site of a former Norman castle; and was one of the first friaries to be established in England. Dominicans were colloquially known as “black friars” due to the colour of their habits, as distinct from the Franciscan “grey friars” and the Carmelite “white friars”, both of whom also had friaries in Gloucester.

During the reign of Henry VIII, the priory was dissolved as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In the 19th century, the buildings were converted into housing, and a bottling plant. They remain one of the most complete examples of a medieval monastery surviving today, and came under the guardianship of English Heritage in 1960. They are now leased to Gloucester City Council for weddings, events and conferences. See their website for more details. The Gloucester History Festival, which takes place in September, is a popular event that celebrates the history and culture of the city. The festival includes lectures, tours, and reenactments, and attracts visitors from all over the world.

Gloucester City Council has invested in the renovation of the priory buildings, ensuring that they are maintained for future generations to enjoy, including the restoration of the Great Hall, which is one of the largest surviving medieval halls in the country.

The renovation of Blackfriars also includes the creation of new spaces for art exhibitions and community events. The new spaces will allow the priory to continue to be a vital part of the cultural and community life of Gloucester.

Blackfriars is located within half a mile of the main bus and rail stations in Gloucester, and the postcode for satnav purposes is GL1 2HS.

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Wessex Attractions: Coleridge Cottage

Coleridge Cottage is the name now given to the cottage in Nether Stowey, Somerset where Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) lived from 1797-9, and where he wrote some of his best-known works including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Frost at Midnight and Kubla Khan (the latter interrupted by the visit of the infamous “man from Porlock”). In 1891, it was converted into an inn with the present Coleridge Cottage name, and it was donated to the National Trust in 1909.

Coleridge Cottage looks fairly unassuming from the street, but like the TARDIS, it’s bigger on the inside. It has been preserved as a living history museum where you can experience how the poet and his wife Sara would have lived. You can draw water from the well, relax in the reading room, and try writing with a quill pen.

The garden features an orchard and a wildflower meadow. There are willow animals hidden among the flowers, In the Garden Room, you can learn more about how checking out the Quantocks inspired the poet. The National Trust has also recreated the lime tree bower that Coleridge described as “my prison” in the poem of that name.

Coleridge Cottage is closed at the time of writing, but will reopen on 22 March 2023. Admission costs £7.50 for adults and £3.75 for children. The satnav postcode is TA5 1NQ, and Buses of Somerset routes 14 and 15 stop at The Clocktower, two minutes walk away.