Woodchester Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Woodchester Mansion |
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View of the south front
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Location | Nympsfield, Gloucestershire, England |
| Construction started | 1858 |
| Completed | 1870 (partially) |
| Client | William Leigh |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Cotswold stone /vaulting |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Benjamin Bucknall |
Woodchester Mansion is a large, unfinished house in Nympsfield, Gloucestershire, England. It was designed in the Gothic Revival style, which was popular in the 1800s. The mansion stands where an older house, called Spring Park, used to be.
What makes Woodchester Mansion special is that it was never fully finished. The builders stopped working in the 1870s. From the outside, it looks complete, but inside, many floors, walls, and even whole rooms are missing! It has stayed this way for over 150 years.
The person who started building the mansion was William Leigh. He bought the land in 1854 for a lot of money. He then tore down the old house that belonged to the Ducie family. Today, the mansion is a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very important historic building that needs to be protected.
The mansion is also home to about 200 greater horseshoe bats. These bats live in the attic and have been studied by scientists since the 1950s.
Contents
A Look Back: The Mansion's History
The story of Woodchester Mansion begins with an even older house. The original manor house for the area was in the village of Woodchester. In 1564, a man named George Huntley became the owner.
Creating a Deer Park
George Huntley decided to create a large deer park. This was a special area where deer were kept for hunting. He bought land and also used some common farming land to make the park. A long wall, about seven miles long, was built around the park. By 1610, a hunting lodge was built inside the park.
The Ducie Family's Influence
The Huntley family spent so much money on the park that they almost went broke. So, in 1631, the park and manor were sold to Sir Robert Ducie. Later, the Ducie family decided to build a grand country house. They also wanted to turn the deer park into a beautiful landscaped park.
It's a bit of a mystery why they chose this spot for the house. The valley sides are very steep, so the sun doesn't shine on the house for much of the year. Also, the house was built halfway down the valley, which meant the views weren't as amazing as they could have been from a higher spot. It wasn't easy to get to either. Maybe they liked it because it was a quiet, isolated place.
The Ducie family decided to make the hunting lodge bigger and create a formal garden. The house, called Spring Park, was finished by 1750. Important people like Frederick, Prince of Wales and George III even visited it!
Changing the Landscape
Later, the gardens were changed to look more natural. This was done by John Speyers, who worked with a famous landscape designer named Capability Brown. They turned small fishponds into a series of lakes.
The house itself was also changed several times. But in 1840, the owner, the 2nd Earl Ducie, wanted more changes. The cost was too high, so he sold the estate to William Leigh.
William Leigh's Vision
William Leigh was a rich merchant from Liverpool. He had recently become a Roman Catholic. He was also interested in the Gothic Revival style of architecture. This style looked back to medieval castles and cathedrals. Leigh wanted his new house to reflect these ideas.
He first asked a famous architect, Augustus Pugin, to draw plans. But Pugin became ill in 1846, and the project stopped. William Leigh then gave land to a group of Roman Catholic priests for a monastery and church. After that, he hired Charles Francis Hansom to design the mansion.
However, in 1857, Leigh made a surprising choice. He hired Benjamin Bucknall, a young and less experienced architect who had been Hansom's assistant. Bucknall studied Gothic Revival architecture carefully. Woodchester Mansion became his most important work.
Construction of Woodchester Mansion began in 1858. It continued until 1870. In 1873, William Leigh died, and all work on the mansion stopped completely.
William Leigh's family didn't seem to like the design as much as he did. After he died, they asked another architect, James Wilson, to suggest a new design. Wilson proposed a fancy Italianate style. But the cost to finish a new mansion was too much for the family. This shows they didn't share their father's dream for the house. Wilson even thought the location was not good.
Wilson wrote that the house's spot was "low, damp, and has much shut-in on the south, west and north." He felt that the nearby high bank would always make the house damp.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Bucknall moved to Algiers. The reason he left is not known, but he must have been very sad that his grand design was left unfinished. In 1878, he wrote to Leigh's son: "there is nothing more sad to the sight than an unfinished work."
In 1894, a religious leader named Cardinal Vaughan visited the house. The drawing room was updated, but after that, the house was often empty. William Leigh's grandson, Vincent Leigh, lived in part of the house for a short time. His sisters lived in the gatehouse.
The 20th Century and Beyond
In 1938, William Leigh's granddaughters sold the house and the remaining land. They sold it to a charity that helped people with mental health issues. The charity planned to turn the mansion into a hospital, but this never happened.
During World War II, the grounds were used by Canadian and American soldiers. The mansion itself was used by a teacher training college. After the war, it was left empty and open to the weather. Luckily, because it was in an isolated spot, it wasn't damaged by vandals.
Local people helped make sure the mansion didn't fall apart completely. Eventually, Stroud District Council bought the mansion and some land around it. In 1992, they leased it to the Woodchester Mansion Trust. This trust works to restore the mansion and open it to the public.
The mansion is open to visitors from April to October, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holiday Mondays. Volunteers help run the mansion. The Trust also teaches people how to restore old stone buildings.
Exploring the Parkland and Buildings
The beautiful parkland around the mansion is owned by the National Trust. It is open to everyone as part of Woodchester Park.
Woodchester Park has several other interesting buildings. These include a gatehouse, a boathouse, some cottages, and an ice house. There are also several large lakes with many paths for walking through the fields and woods. Much of Woodchester village used to be part of Woodchester Park.
You can enter the park for free, but there is a car park that charges a fee. It's located at the western end of the park, off the B4066 road. Toilets for mansion visitors are near the mansion and are open when the mansion is open. There is an entrance fee to go inside the mansion itself.
Images for kids
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Gargoyle at Woodchester Mansion
