Paycocke's House and Gardens facts for kids
Paycocke's House and Gardens is a super old house in Coggeshall, Essex, England. It's a great example of a Tudor merchant's home and garden. A rich cloth merchant named Thomas Paycocke built it. This amazing house almost got destroyed in the 1800s. Luckily, Lord Noel Buxton saved and fixed it up in the early 1900s. Now, the National Trust takes care of it. People often say it's a beautiful half-timbered house, famous for its detailed wooden carvings.
Contents
The Story of Paycocke's House
Who Was Thomas Paycocke?
Thomas Paycocke was a very successful businessman in the late 1400s. He was a skilled craftsman who made a lot of money from the wool trade. Back then, selling wool was super important in places like Coggeshall. Thomas used this to become very wealthy. He built Paycocke's House not just to live in, but also to process wool. The fancy details of the house also showed off how rich and important he was in Coggeshall.
How the House Was Built
The house grew from an older building that belonged to Thomas Paycocke's dad, John Paycocke. John was also quite rich. He built the first part of the house around 1500 as a wedding gift for Thomas and his wife, Margaret. If you look closely at the wood carvings, you can still see their initials: T.P. and M.P.!
John Paycocke passed away in 1505. His children inherited his land. Thomas Paycocke then added a new part to the house in 1509. Records show that Thomas stayed very wealthy. When he died in 1518, he left a huge amount of money, about £1500, just in cash! That's not even counting his other valuable things.
The House Falls Apart
The Paycocke family owned the house until 1584, when the last male heir died. After that, the house was sold to the Buxton family. Later, in 1746, the Buxton family split the big house into three smaller cottages. They then sold these cottages. Over time, the cottages became very old and damaged.
Saving Paycocke's House
In 1906, a historian named G. F. Beaumont spoke out against the house being destroyed. Because of this, Lord Noel Buxton bought the house. He was actually a descendant of the Buxton family who owned the house way back in the 1500s! Lord Buxton worked hard to restore the house. He fixed many of the old carvings. After he finished, he gave the house to the National Trust to look after.
The Gardens at Paycocke's House
A Place for Work and Beauty
The area where the gardens are now used to be an industrial yard. Thomas Paycocke and other merchants used it for their businesses. The gardens were always an important part of Paycocke's House. The Noel family had redesigned them in a special style called Arts and Crafts.
Restoring the Gardens
The National Trust started restoring the gardens in 2008. They brought them back to their original Arts and Crafts style. This means the gardens now look much like they did when the Noel family first designed them.
Images for kids
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Paycocke's House viewed from West Street, Coggeshall
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The view of the house from the restored Arts and Crafts garden
