Christchurch Mansion
Former name | Withipoll House[1] |
---|---|
Established | 1885 |
Location | Christchurch Park Ipswich, England |
Coordinates | 52°03′38″N 1°09′30″E / 52.06062°N 1.15823°E |
Visitors | 53,201 (2019) |
Website | ipswich |
Christchurch Mansion is a substantial
History
Christchurch Park was originally the grounds of the
"Frugalitatem sic servas, ut dissipationem non incurras."[4]
His granddaughter Elizabeth Withypoll married Leicester Devereux, 6th Viscount Hereford and the mansion passed to the Devereux family, who rebuilt the upper floors after a fire in about 1670, when the main porch was also added.[5] In 1734, Claude Fonnereau purchased the mansion from Price Devereux, 10th Viscount Hereford
W.C. Fonnereau in 1848 laid out and developed Fonnereau Road as a superior residential area. In 1894 the mansion was bought by
The restoration of the Mansion for its public opening was the work of the Ipswich architect John Shewell Corder, and its redevelopment as a Museum was undertaken by Frank Woolnough, Curator of the Ipswich Corporation Museum 1893–1920. Woolnough, an active member of the Museums Association and of the Savage Club, also developed its use as a venue for annual meetings of various Societies, and for educational purposes. During this time it was also the home of the archaeological galleries of Miss Nina Layard, over which she had honorary curatorship.[9] Under curator Guy Maynard (1920–1952) the enlargement of the fine and decorative art and furniture collections continued. The Thomas Gainsborough Bicentenary Exhibition of 1927, including also works by George Frost and John Constable, showcased the mansion as the home of a collection of national importance. The structure was further enlarged with the addition of the new Wolsey Art Gallery at the rear, and an entire two-storey wing rescued in 1924 from the demolition of a Tudor merchant's house.[10]
In 2019, the museum hosted Made in Suffolk, an exclusive exhibition dedicated to the Suffolk global superstar
In 2021, three costumes from Marvel Studios' Black Panther were displayed as part of the Power of Stories exhibition. The outfits of T’Challa, Shuri and Okoye featured in the ground-breaking film were displayed alongside Marvel comics, historic museum objects and local stories. The exhibition won a Temporary Exhibition of the Year award at the Museum and Heritage Awards.
Notable works
- Lady Drury's Closet
- Golding Constable's Kitchen Garden
- A collection of seventy-seven pastels by Blanche Georgiana Vulliamy of First World War searchlights[12]
Media appearance
- It was the location for two episodes of BBC One's Antiques Roadshow filmed in 2020 and transmitted in January and March 2021.[13][14]
Notes
- ^ Last will of Edmund Withipoll, written 1.v.1582 (P.C.C. 1582).
- ^ Historic England. "Christchurch Mansion (1037784)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
- ^ First will of Edmund Withipoll, written 6.iv.1568 (P.C.C. 1606).
- ^ "You are observing frugality in order not to fall into waste."
- ^ Norwich, 595
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "Felix Thornley Cobbold MP JP". Felix Cobbold Trust. Archived from the original on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ "Christchurch Park - A Chronological History". Ipswich Borough Council. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- Suffolk Institute of Archaeology XXXVIII, Part 2 (1994), 38, pp. 164–92. (Incomplete scan, first pages missing).
- ^ Historic England. "Christchurch Mansion (1000227)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
- ^ "Ed Sheeran: Made in Suffolk". Ipswich Museums. 21 June 2019. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ Obscure Secure booklet (Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service, 2014) online at obscuresecureproject.files.wordpress.com, accessed 3 February 2018
- bbc.co.uk. 17 January 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Christchurch Mansion 2, Antiques Roadshow, Series 43". bbc.co.uk. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
References
- Ipswich Borough Council. (1989) Christchurch Mansion and Park Ipswich: An Illustrated Souvenir. Ipswich: Ipswich Borough Council. ISBN 0-906688-09-4
- ISBN 0-333-22037-4
External links
- Christchurch Mansion Official website
- Christchurch Park history at Ipswich Council at the Library of Congress Web Archives (archived 7 January 2015)
- Friends of the Ipswich Museums
- Chrastchurch Mansion at britainexpress.com
- Map sources for Christchurch Mansion