Burton Court, Eardisland

Coordinates: 52°12′36″N 2°50′45″W / 52.209984°N 2.845847°W / 52.209984; -2.845847
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Burton Court
Burton Court
Burton Court, Eardisland is located in Herefordshire
Burton Court, Eardisland
Location within Herefordshire
General information
LocationEardisland, Herefordshire
CountryEngland
Coordinates52°12′36″N 2°50′45″W / 52.209984°N 2.845847°W / 52.209984; -2.845847
CompletedEarly 14th century, 18th century

Burton Court is a

Lower Burton. It is now run as a Herefordshire wedding and private hire venue. Burton Court featured in Simon Jenkins's book England's Thousand Best Houses
.

History

The name Burton is believed to be of Saxon origin, derived from Burh and ton, meaning "fortified dwelling place". The

Edward III in 1331; Henry of Monmouth, later to become Henry V, possibly stationed his troops there while surveying the movements of Owain Glyndŵr, the last Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales.[2]

The house is associated with the St. Owens (until 1427), Downtons (through marriage), Cotes, Crofts, Jervase Smith (d. 1627), [3] Brewsters (mid-late 17th century until 1865), and Clowes (mid 19th and mid-20th centuries).[2][4] A notable Brewster was Dr. William Brewster (fl.1665), a scholar with a considerable collection of books, now housed in Hereford Cathedral. In 1960, it was bought by Lt Cmdr Simpson and has been home to the Simpson family since.[5]

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.[6] His grandson, John Matthews, commissioned James Wyatt to construct Belmont House.[6] However, this is confusing, given that the Brewster family were known to have occupied the estate until 1865.[2]

Burton Court contains architectural pieces from the Norman, Medieval, Regency and Victorian periods. The hall dates to the early 14th century,[7] but much of the house remaining today was added in the 18th century.[8][9] Remodeling occurred in 1808, which was followed by restorations in 1865, and also in 1912 when the architect Clough Williams-Ellis added the Tudor Revival front.[7][8] The house is framed in timber. Exterior brick work has been stuccoed. There is a dovecote with a lantern roof.[10] 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 great hall's dimensions are 35 feet (11 m) long, 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, and 32 feet (9.8 m) in height. A railway room contains a working model railway. There are collections of ship models, natural history items,[11] and European and Oriental costumes and curios.[12] The furnishings are mainly of the Victoria era.[5]

Grounds

Situated in an elevated position overlooking the Herefordshire countryside, a mile south of the River Arrow,[13] the house was built on the site of an ancient camp.[14] A 72 feet (22 m) deep well is on the property,[4] as well as symmetrical oak trees.[14]

References

  1. .
  2. ^ a b c d "History". Burton Court.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  3. ^ Duncumb, John; Cooke, William; Watkins, Morgan George; John Hobson Matthews (1882). Collections towards the history and antiquities of the county of Hereford ... (Public domain ed.). Printed by Wright. p. 1. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ a b Bence-Jones, Mark; Reid, Peter (1978). Burke's Guide to Country Houses: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire. Burke's Peerage. p. 12.
  7. ^ .
  8. ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus (1963). The Buildings of England: Herefordshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 120. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  9. ^ "Burton Court, Eardisland". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  10. ^ Mee, Arthur (1938). Herefordshire, the western gate of middle England. Hodder and Stoughton. p. 60.
  11. .
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Royal Entomological Society of London (1930). Journal of entomology: General entomology. Royal Entomological Society of London. p. 99.
  14. ^ a b Cooke, Mordecai Cubitt; Taylor, John Ellor (1 January 1890). Hardwicke's science-gossip: an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature (Public domain ed.). Robert Hardwicke. pp. 231. Retrieved 22 February 2012.

External links