Bewley Court

Details

LACOCK BEWLEY LANE ST 96 NW 3/5 Bewley Court 20.12.60 I

Manor House, C14 to early C15, restored and extended c1920 by Sir H.Brakspear. Rubble stone with ashlar dressings and stone slate roofs. Two storeys, L-plan with C14 hall range, built out on south front in early C15, east end cross wing, apparently early C15 but possibly on C14 core, the north end added 1920 together with built-out ranges flanking the rear court. Hall range has coped west gable and west stack, rebuilt 1920, the west wall formerly timber-framed. The south front contains unusual enclosed stair from original upper end of hall to chamber over porch. Battlemented near-symmetrical front with centre 2-light cross window, buttresses each side and south west angle buttress. Porch projects to right, flush with cross wing gable. Battlemented with south west angle buttress, cusped 2-light upper window and broad Tudor-arched entry in moulded surround with raised piers and brattished cornice. Moulded Tudor arched inner doorway, studded plank doors. Cross wing has coped gable and stone oriel with Perpendicular style lights, supported on a buttress between single lights. The oriel is a reconstruction of 1920. South east angle buttress. East front is apparently C15 but with 2-window range of 3-light flush mullion windows of C18 type flanking a fine corbelled side-wall stack with circular shaft, dated by Brakspear to the C14. Buttresses each side of stack and small ground floor windows each side of supporting pier. A ridge stack marks former end wall. Two-window range beyond with ridge and end stacks is of c1920, but with re-used chamfered recessed mullion windows. Single storey range across north end. Rear court has built-out fronts of c1920 in C15 and C17 style, reusing old stonework. Interior: outstanding 3-bay great hall with raised 2-tier cruck trusses on carved brattished corbels. Brattished wall-plate and carved roundels on curved windbraces. The hall was originally of 2-bays with 2-storey west end and timber-framed partition, so that the fine moulded archways in present centre of side walls were originally at dais end of hall. In original hall, unusual recessed wall panels, the horizontal upper mouldings linked to the corbels of the centre truss. C20 north wall fireplace. At west end, in former 2-storey section, a resited Tudor-arched fireplace. At east end, a C20 stone screen, based on fragmentary evidence. Screens passage has coved cornice, 2 fine moulded doorways to cross wing and moulded north end doorway. South east room is largely reconstructed, north east room, former kitchen, has large Tudor- arched fireplace and some C17 incised panelled doors each side. From hall centre, south side arch gives on to foot of stairs, moulded stair arch to left, moulded doorway to right into chapel, reconstructed 1920. Stairway has moulded intermediate arch to take thrust from hall truss and moulded upper doorway with original door. Wind-braced roof over porch. Cross wing has fine wind- braced roof, exposed in south room. Moulded stone arch to oriel. Resited c1700 fireplace. Other resited fireplaces in north wing. House belonged to Collard family in C13 and to T. Calstone c1400. An inventory of T. Calstone, P.R.O. E 154/1/31, of 1417 suggests that already the house had its present plan. In C16 owned by Sharington family of Lacock. H. Brakspear surveyed the house and gives plans and photographs prior to his restoration for Col.R. Cooper in Wilts Arch. Mag, 37 1912, 391-9. (Wiltshire Buildings Record; M. Wood, The English Medieval House, 1965) - -

Listing NGR: ST9263068509

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

315438

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Wood, E, The English Medieval House, (1965)
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine in Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, Vol. 37, (1912), 391-9

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