Compton Verney House facts for kids
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Compton Verney House (grid reference SP312529) is a large country house built in the 1700s. It is located near Kineton in Warwickshire, England. The house sits next to a beautiful lake. Today, it is home to the Compton Verney Art Gallery, a place where you can see amazing art.
Compton Verney: A Quick Look
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This impressive building is a Grade I listed house, which means it's a very important historic building. It was first built in 1714 by Richard Verney, 11th Baron Willoughby de Broke. Later, it was made much bigger by George Verney, 12th Baron Willoughby de Broke. Then, in the 1760s, a famous architect named Robert Adam redesigned its inside for John Peyto-Verney.
The house is surrounded by over 120 acres (0.49 km2) of parkland. This park was designed in 1769 by a famous landscape architect called Lancelot "Capability" Brown. He was known for making natural-looking gardens.
The house and its huge estate were sold in 1921 by Richard Greville Verney. A rich businessman named Joseph Watson bought it. He became the first Baron Manton. After World War II, the house was empty for a while.
In 1993, a charity called the Peter Moores Foundation bought the house. It was in poor condition, but they restored it. They turned it into a modern art gallery. Now, the Compton Verney Art Gallery is run by a charity called the Compton Verney House Trust.
The gallery has several interesting art collections:
- Art from Naples, Italy, from the 1600s to 1800s.
- Medieval art from Northern Europe (1450-1650).
- British portraits, including paintings of famous kings and queens like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
- Ancient Chinese bronzes, some from as far back as the Neolithic period.
- British folk art, which is art made by ordinary people.
- A collection of folk art from around the world.
The Story of Compton Verney
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Early Days: Medieval Times
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The first manor house at Compton Verney was built around 1442. A writer named William Dugdale wrote about it in 1656. He said that Richard Verney, an early owner, built a large part of the house. He even put the coat of arms of King Henry VI inside the hall.
Tudor and Stuart Periods
The house grew bigger in the late 1500s. This happened after Sir Richard Verney married Margaret Greville. A drawing from around 1655 shows what the old house looked like. It had a great hall and a long south wing. It also had octagonal towers and kitchens.
In 1642, during the English Civil War, a list of the house's contents was made. It showed that the house had thirty rooms. These included bedrooms, an armoury, and servants' areas. The house was filled with valuable items like velvet and tapestries. The Verney family owned the house for many generations.
Georgian Era: Big Changes
In 1711, George Verney, the 12th Baron Willoughby de Broke, inherited the estate. He decided to rebuild the house and redesign the gardens. This was a time when many old houses were being updated. George hired architects John and William Townesend for the new design.
The house became a courtyard style, with the main rooms in the west and south wings. The servants' areas were on the north side. The Great Hall was still in the same place as the original medieval hall.
The Stable Block and Gardens
In 1735, stables were built north of the house by architect James Gibbs. You can still see them today. Fancy gardens were also added. A visitor in 1735 described the house as being made of stone. He said the gardens went up a hill and had views of four ponds. These ponds stretched for about a mile.
Later, John Peyto Verney, the 14th Baron, inherited the estate. He had more money and decided to make even bigger changes.
Robert Adam's Redesign
John hired Robert Adam, a famous Scottish architect. Adam planned huge changes. He decided to tear down three of the four sides of the old courtyard house. He added a grand entrance (a portico) to the east side. He also rebuilt the north and south wings, giving the house its current U-shape.
The building work happened from 1762 to 1768. Local stone was used from the estate. Adam changed the Great Staircase into a Saloon. He also added a library and an octagonal study.
Adam designed the decoration for only a few rooms, like the Hall and the Saloon. Other rooms were decorated by local artists. In the Hall, there were large paintings of landscapes. These were painted by an artist named Antonio Pietro Francesco Zucchi. These paintings were later sold, but their plaster frames remain. A famous painting by Johann Zoffany shows John, 14th Baron, and his family in the house.
Capability Brown's Landscape
In 1769, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown was hired to design the grounds. He was famous for creating natural-looking landscapes. He removed the old formal gardens and replaced them with grass and trees. He planted cedars and over 2,200 oak and ash trees. Brown also joined the lakes into one large body of water.
The Ice House
The Ice House was built in 1772 by Capability Brown. Ice houses were popular at the time. Wealthy families used them to store ice for food and desserts.
Ice was cut from the lake in winter and stored in the Ice House. It was built mostly underground to keep it cool. The Ice House at Compton Verney was restored in 2008.
19th Century Changes
After the 14th Baron died in 1816, the house passed to his family. The 16th Baron, Henry Peyto-Verney, made small changes. The lower lake was extended around 1815. A white granite obelisk was also built near the lake.
Later, the 18th Baron invited architect John Gibson to work on the house. He added a hunting frieze to the Hall ceiling. He also added new gates and lodges. He made big changes to the landscape too. He planted a long line of giant redwood trees (Wellingtonia) near the lake.
In the late 1800s, the estate faced financial problems. The house was rented out for several years.
20th Century and Today
The last Verney family member to live in the house was Richard Greville Verney, the 19th Baron. He sold the house in 1921.
A new owner, Joseph Watson, bought it. He was a soap manufacturer. He became the first Baron Manton. Sadly, he died shortly after buying the house. His son, Miles, 2nd Baron Manton, sold the house in 1929. He also sold some old stained glass from the chapel.
During the Second World War, the army used Compton Verney. The grounds were used for camouflage experiments. After the war, in 1945, no one lived in the house again.
In 1958, a local property owner bought it. Film companies sometimes used it for movies. For example, parts of the 1968 film A Midsummer Night's Dream were filmed there.
By the 1980s, Compton Verney was in very bad shape.
The Peter Moores Foundation
In 1993, the Peter Moores Foundation bought the property. This charity supports art. They restored the old building and turned it into an art museum. They added new exhibition spaces and visitor areas. Today, it holds the largest collection of British naive art in the UK.
Images for kids
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Old Compton Verney, view from south-east, drawn by William Dugdale (1605-1686)
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Old Compton Verney, detail of view from south-east, drawn by William Dugdale (1605-1686)
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Arms of Verney: Gules, three crosses recerclée or a chief vair ermine and ermines
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Coats of arms in stained glass windows of Old Compton Verney House, drawn by William Dugdale (1605-1686)
See also
- Compton Verney Art Gallery
