Burton Court, Eardisland
{{Short description|Grade II* listed country manor house in the Parish of Eardisland, England}}
{{For|the park in Chelsea, London|Burton’s Court}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox Historic building
|name = Burton Court
|image = Burton Court - geograph.org.uk - 171518.jpg
|caption = Burton Court
|map_type =Herefordshire
|coordinates = {{coord|52.209984|-2.845847|display=inline,title}}
|location = Eardisland, Herefordshire
|location_country = England
|architect =
|client =
|engineer =
|construction_start_date =
|completion_date =Early 14th century, 18th century
|date_demolished =
|cost =
|structural_system =
|style =
|size =
}}
Burton Court is a Grade II* listed English country manor house in the Parish of Eardisland, southwest of Leominster, Herefordshire, England. The manor dates to at least the 11th century and the current house to the early 14th and 18th century. It lies along the A44 road, about {{convert|1|mi|km}} south of Eardisland in the northern part of the hamlet of Lower Burton. It is now run as a wedding and private hire venue. Burton Court featured in Simon Jenkins's book England's Thousand Best Houses.
History
The name Burton is believed to be of Saxon origin, derived from Burh and ton, meaning "fortified dwelling place". The manor of Burton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, with the name Beuretune, where it was valued at 2 "hydes".{{cite book|last=Morris|first=John|title=Domesday Book: Herefordshire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VEcIAQAAMAAJ|year=1983|publisher=Phillimore|isbn=978-0-85033-469-2|page=28}}{{cite web|url=http://www.burtoncourt.com/new/burton_court_history.html|title=History|publisher=Burton Court.com|access-date=22 February 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322211633/http://www.burtoncourt.com/new/burton_court_history.html|archive-date=22 March 2012}} The manor was documented during the reign of Edward III in 1331; Henry of Monmouth, later to become Henry V, possibly stationed his troops there while surveying the movements of Owain Glyndŵr, the last Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales.
File:Burton Court, near Eardisland - geograph.org.uk - 635065.jpg
The house was home of the St. Owens (until 1427), Downtons (through marriage), Cotes, Crofts, Jervase Smith (d. 1627),
{{cite book|last1=Duncumb|first1=John|last2=Cooke|first2=William|last3=Watkins|first3=Morgan George|author4=John Hobson Matthews|title=Collections towards the history and antiquities of the county of Hereford ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t4gcAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA127|accessdate=22 February 2012|edition=Public domain|year=1882|publisher=Printed by Wright|page=1}} Brewsters (mid-late 17th century until 1865), and Clowes (mid 19th and mid-20th centuries).{{cite book|last=Emery|first=Anthony|title=Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500: East Anglia, Central England, and Wales|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FRw9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA525|year=2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-58131-8|page=525}} A notable Brewster was Dr. William Brewster (fl.1665), a scholar with a considerable collection of books, now housed in Hereford Cathedral. In 1960, it was bought by Lieutenant Commander Simpson and has been home to the Simpson family since.{{cite book|last1=Sproule|first1=Anna|last2=Pollard|first2=Michael|title=The country house guide: family homes in the Historic Houses Association|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VyebPXiIx40C|year=1988|publisher=Century|isbn=978-0-7126-1844-1|page=294}}
Architecture and fittings
Burke's Guide to Country Houses: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire (1978) mentions that the house was partly rebuilt in the 18th century, probably for William Matthews.{{cite book|last1=Bence-Jones|first1=Mark|last2=Reid|first2=Peter|title=Burke's Guide to Country Houses: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjM3AQAAIAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Burke's Peerage|page=12}} His grandson, John Matthews, commissioned James Wyatt to construct Belmont House. However, this is confusing, given that the Brewster family were known to have occupied the estate until 1865.
Burton Court contains architectural pieces from the Norman, Medieval, Regency and Victorian periods. The hall dates to the early 14th century,{{cite book|last=Long|first=Peter|title=The Hidden Places of England|date=July 2004|publisher=Travel Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-904434-12-2|page=274}} but much of the house remaining today was added in the 18th century.{{cite book|last=Pevsner|first=Nikolaus|title=The Buildings of England: Herefordshire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_dNAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=22 February 2012|year=1963|publisher=Penguin Books|location=Harmondsworth |page=120}}{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-149825-burton-court-eardisland|title=Burton Court, Eardisland|publisher=British Listed Buildings|accessdate=23 February 2012}} Remodeling occurred in 1808, which was followed by restorations in 1865, and also in 1912 when the architect Clough Williams-Ellis added the Tudor Revival front. The house is framed in timber. Exterior brick work has been stuccoed. There is a dovecote with a lantern roof.{{cite book|last=Mee|first=Arthur|authorlink = Arthur Mee|title=Herefordshire, the western gate of middle England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXUKAQAAMAAJ|year=1938|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|page=60}} Windows of note are a two-storey bay and an elliptically shaped one. Additional exterior elements are stone mullioning, Doric pilasters, and a moulded architrave. Inside, there are purlins, an overdoor, and a cantilevered stair.
The great hall's dimensions are {{convert|35|ft}} long, {{convert|24|ft}} wide, and {{convert|32|ft}} in height. A railway room contains a working model railway. There are collections of ship models, natural history items,{{cite book|last=Aird|first=Alisdair|title=The Good Guide to Britain 2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6WebJd3RaOAC|year=2000|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0-09-187095-9|page=315}} and European and Oriental costumes and curios.{{cite book|author=Automobile Association (Great Britain)|title=AA book of British villages: a guide to 700 of the most interesting and attractive villages in Britain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TF8JAQAAIAAJ|year=1980|publisher=Drive Publications for the Automobile Association|pages=158, 159}} The furnishings are mainly of the Victoria era.
Grounds
Situated in an elevated position overlooking the Herefordshire countryside, a mile south of the River Arrow,{{cite book|author=Royal Entomological Society of London|title=Journal of entomology: General entomology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b81BAQAAIAAJ|year=1930|publisher=Royal Entomological Society of London|page=99}} the house was built on the site of an ancient camp.{{cite book|last1=Cooke|first1=Mordecai Cubitt|last2=Taylor|first2=John Ellor|title=Hardwicke's science-gossip: an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature|url=https://archive.org/details/hardwickesscienc25cook|accessdate=22 February 2012|edition=Public domain|date=1 January 1890|publisher=Robert Hardwicke|pages=[https://archive.org/details/hardwickesscienc25cook/page/231 231]–}} A {{convert|72|ft}} deep well is on the property, as well as symmetrical oak trees.
References
{{Commons category|Burton Court, Eardisland}}
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.burtoncourt.com Official site]
Category:Houses completed in the 11th century
Category:Houses completed in the 14th century
Category:Houses completed in the 18th century
Category:Country houses in Herefordshire
Category:Grade II* listed houses
Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Herefordshire
Category:Manor houses in England