Barnston Manor
Gate with stone building in background and trees in the foreground
Barnston Manor in 2004
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeManor house
ClassificationGrade I
LocationChurch Knowle, Dorset, England
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates50°38′0″N 2°5′57″W / 50.63333°N 2.09917°W / 50.63333; -2.09917
Construction started13th century
Technical details
MaterialStone

Barnston Manor is a 13th-century manor house and farm near Church Knowle in Dorset, England. The house is a Grade I listed building, and some farm buildings at the property are also Grade II listed.

History

Barnston Manor was built in the 13th century, around 0.75 miles (1.2 km) from Church Knowle in Dorset, England.[1][2] It is on the site of a former Saxon house, which may also have been preceded by a Roman house on the site.[3] Barnston Manor is believed to be one of the oldest houses in Dorset.[4] It has been owned by the same family for 700 years;[4] in the 16th-century it was owned by local MP John Clavell, and in the 17th-century it was lived in by his descendants, until they built Smedmore House.[3]

One chimney in the house is believed to have been added in the 15th century.[1] In the 16th century, Barnston Manor was expanded with the addition of a west wing,[1] as well as stone fireplaces.[2] Since the 16th century, there have been no major upgrades to the building.[1] The former hall in the east wing has been converted into a kitchen and a dairy.[1] The north wing was formerly a chantry chapel, and contains a memorial to the Clavell family.[3] It is believed that the house had a garderobe wing, but this no longer exists.[5] It is also believed to have had a gatehouse and enclosed courtyard until the 19th-century.[6] Barnston Manor contains around 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) of land.[4]

Barnston Manor was later used as a farm;[1] a farm building[7] and two barns[8][9] on the estate are Grade II listed buildings.[4] In 1959, Barnston Manor became a Grade I listed building.[2] In 2018, the building was put up for sale for £1.5 million.[4]

Architecture

Barnston Manor is built in a T-shape.[1] It is built from rubble stone, with ashlar for the outside front walls, and a slate roof.[2] It is architecturally similar to Old Soar Manor in Kent.[10] The house contains a number of 13th century windows,[1][2] and the south wing is designed as to maximise light.[10] The east wing has a 16th-century stone fireplace, a stone spiral staircase, and 16th-century timbers in the roof.[2] The height of the hall was reduced in the 16th century.[10] The timbers in the west wing roof have been replaced, and the west wing walls are now covered in plaster.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset. Vol. 2. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1970. pp. 41–49. Retrieved 9 March 2021 via British History Online.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1120351)". National Heritage List for England.
  3. 1 2 3 "Church Knowle "A lovable little place"". Dorset Life. April 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "700-hundred-year itch: one of Dorset's oldest houses for sale — unmodernised". Evening Standard. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  5. Barnston Manor, Dorset, and Aydon Castle, Northumberland: A Re-assessment of Two Late Thirteenth-Century Houses
  6. Emery, Anthony (2006). Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500. Vol. 3. Cambridge University Press. p. 465. ISBN 9781139449199.
  7. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1120352)". National Heritage List for England.
  8. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1303798)". National Heritage List for England.
  9. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1323385)". National Heritage List for England.
  10. 1 2 3 Newman, John; Pevnser, Nikolaus (1972). Dorset. Yale University Press. p. 156. ISBN 9780300095982.
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