Rodmarton Manor

{{Infobox building

| name = Rodmarton Manor

| image = Rodmarton Manor. - panoramio.jpg

| image_caption =

| building_type = Country house

| architectural_style = Arts and Crafts movement

| classification = Grade I listed building

| location = Rodmarton, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire

| location_country = England

| start_date = 1909

| completion_date = 1926-1929

| owner = Biddulph family

| roof = Stone slate

| material = Stone

| floor_count = 2

| architect = Ernest Barnsley

| website = {{URL|rodmarton-manor.co.uk/}}

}}

Rodmarton Manor is a large country house, in Rodmarton, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, built for the Biddulph family. It is a Grade I listed building. It was constructed in the early 20th century in an Arts and Crafts style, to a design by Ernest Barnsley. After Ernest's death in 1925, it was completed by Sidney Barnsley, his brother, and then by Norman Jewson, Ernest's son-in-law. All the construction materials were obtained locally, and hand worked by local craftsmen.

The three wings of the house are angled around a central, circular, lawned courtyard. The east wing, originally for servants, has been converted into flats, whilst the central "public" wing was not lived in by the family, instead being used for community teaching and events. Crafts were taught in the building and the vast majority of the furniture was commissioned for the house and built locally. The southern gardens used hedges to create specific spaces, giving the impression of exterior "rooms" next to the house, with an extensive kitchen garden which provided much of the food for the house. The house was described by the designer Charles Ashbee as the single best example of the Arts and Crafts movement.

During World War II, the house was used as an evacuation point for a London Catholic school, and a maternity house due to the shortage of midwives.

History

In 1894, Claud Biddulph, youngest son of the politician Sir Michael Biddulph, was given {{convert|500|acre}} of land by his father and in 1906, he committed £5000 (worth approximately £2 million in 2015)Comparing average earnings between 1894 and 2015, £5000 is valued at approximately £2,076,000.00 by [http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/ MeasuringWorth.com] per year to building a house. Biddulph and his wife, Margaret, were passionate about the Arts and Crafts movement, a design movement focused on restoring traditional approaches to decorative craftwork and fine art, so he commissioned architect Ernest Barnsley to create the house in that style. Biddulph referred to the manor as a "cottage in the country".{{cite book|isbn=978-1448191246|last1=Tinniswood|first1=Adrian|title=The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kcyCwAAQBAJ|publisher=Random House|page=109|language=en|date=2 June 2016}} The Biddulphs originally hoped for a large village house, a focal point for the village community, who would work on craft projects in the house.{{cite news|last1=Richardson|first1=Tim|title=Rodmarton Manor: original and still the best|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9331574/Rodmarton-Manor-original-and-still-the-best.html|access-date=26 August 2016|work=The Telegraph|date=15 June 2012}} Barnsley had settled in the Cotswolds in 1893 with his brother, leaving their successful Birmingham architecture firm behind, to focus on traditional crafting methods without machines.{{cite news|last1=Powell|first1=Kenneth|title=A house built on the rock of idealism|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4718155/A-house-built-on-the-rock-of-idealism.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226192753/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4718155/A-house-built-on-the-rock-of-idealism.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 February 2016|access-date=29 August 2016|work=The Telegraph|date=13 August 1999}}

Building began in 1909, using oak from the estate, metalwork from local blacksmiths, and stone quarried locally, brought to the site by a private railway line. Barnsley insisted that no machines would be used, so instead of using a saw powered by steam engine, the wood was hand-sawn in a saw pit. The east wing was completed by 1915, and the Biddulphs moved into them, with the reception rooms finished around the same time. Despite the grandeur of the building, the Biddulph's lived in some small rooms and fitted the large reception rooms for community use. Biddulph also built some cottages at the site of the old manor house at Rodmarton around the same time.{{cite web|last1=Baggs|first1=A. P.|last2=Jurica|first2=A. R. J.|last3=Sheils|first3=W. J.|title=Rodmarton|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/glos/vol11/pp234-236|website=British History Online|publisher=Victoria County History|access-date=29 August 2016|location=London|date=1976}}

As the Biddulphs were interested in the Arts and Crafts movement, using the manor house to give classes for villagers in crafts such as woodwork and embroidery. There were also plays and musical events for the villagers, including puppet shows for the children. Construction was paused during World War I and Barnsley died in 1926. The final part of the build was completed between 1926 and 1929 under the supervision of his brother, Sidney and his son-in-law, Norman Jewson. The built took a total of 23 years, largely due to the traditional methods being used, but also as no contractor was hired to manage the build.

During World War II, Rodmarton Manor was used as an evacuation point for Sisters of Marie-Auxiliatrice school in Finchley,{{cite book|last1=Lewis-Jones|first1=June|title=The Cotswolds At War: A Young Yeoman's Life and Travels 1835-37|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yk6IAwAAQBAJ|publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited|language=en|date=11 June 2013|page=36|isbn=9781445625706}} with over 150 children living there. Biddulph also offered the house rent free to act as a maternity house from 1943 until the end of World War II,{{cite news|title=Maternity home for Cirencester|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000513/19430825/024/0002|access-date=29 August 2016|work=Western Daily Press|date=25 August 1943|page=2}} due to the shortage of midwives who could attend people at their homes.{{cite news|title=Cotswold gleaning|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000518/19430828/040/0004|access-date=29 August 2016|newspaper=Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic|date=28 August 1943}} When Anthony Biddulph took over the house in 1954 on the death of his father, he decided to convert the east wing into flats, living in the "public" wing.

House

File:Monkey Downpipe (10597440386).jpg

Rodmarton Manor is a country house built between 1909 and 1929, built from local materials, worked by local craftsmen. It was built as three wings, viewed in plan as three sides of an octagon, around a large circular courtyard, covered in grass which is designed to be reminiscent of a village green. The majority of the building is two storeys high and made of coursed cut stone, the plinth is offset and the quoins are flush. The roof is made of stone slate, with grouped chimneystacks.{{cite web|title=Rodmarton Manor - Rodmarton - Gloucestershire - England {{!}} British Listed Buildings|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-129447-rodmarton-manor-rodmarton-gloucestershir#.V8P-UZMrKbV|website=www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk|access-date=29 August 2016}}

The north facade has a gabled porch bay which includes an arched doorway with a stone monogram above. On each side of the entrance bay, there are two gables, with bays where the wings are set at an angle. The north-west wing includes a chapel, with a twin-arched loggia and its own porch. The east wing was previously the service wing. The building's rainwater pipes are embossed with animals and flowers.

Inside the Rodmarton Manor, there are 74 rooms of which 19 are bedrooms, all named after local fields. The porch bay leads to the "public" wing, with a long hall which runs for the wing's full length. Off the hall is the drawing room,{{cite book|last1=Coleman|first1=Brian D.|title=Historic arts & crafts homes of Great Britain|date=2005|publisher=G. Smith|location=Salt Lake City|isbn=9781586855314|pages=92–112|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kcrdEGxPIk4C|chapter=Rodmarton House}} which decorated with hanging tapestries, designed by Hilda Sexton. The drawing room connects through to a large library, originally a ballroom, which was regularly used for performances. The library connects to the formal dining room, which was not used often due to the distance from the kitchen. The furniture throughout was all commissioned specifically for the house and built by local workshops, including some by Alfred Hoare Powell.{{cite journal|last1=Sarsby|first1=Jacqueline|title=Alfred Powell: Idealism and Realism in the Cotswolds|journal=Journal of Design History|date=1997|volume=10|issue=4|page=390|doi=10.1093/jdh/10.4.375|jstor=1316209}} The building was designated Grade I listed status on 4 June 1952 and was described by Charles Ashbee as the single best example of the Arts and Crafts movement.{{cite news|last1=Ecott|first1=Tim|title=Crafty old Cotswolds|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2005/mar/12/unitedkingdom.culturaltrips.guardiansaturdaytravelsection|access-date=29 August 2016|work=The Guardian|date=12 March 2005}}

Gardens

File:Rodmarton Summer House, Cotswolds, England (10088400994).jpg

The gardens are Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.{{NHLE|num=1000779|desc=Rodmarton Manor|access-date=21 September 2016|mode=cs2}} The gardens of the house were also created in line with the Arts and Crafts movement, providing food for the house. Influenced strongly by Margaret Bidulph, who had studied at Studley Horticultural College, where she had met her future head gardener William Scrubey.{{cite book|last1=Plumptre|first1=George|title=The English Country House Garden: Traditional Retreats to Contemporary Masterpieces|date=2014|publisher=Frances Lincoln|isbn=9781781011881|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1cjNBgAAQBAJ|chapter=Rodmarton Manor}} Scrubey and Margaret Biddulph would go on to plant the gardens together.{{cite web|title=Rodmarton Manor|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1000779|website=Historic England|access-date=16 September 2016}} The terrace and gardens south to the south of the house include yew hedges to create specific spaces, mixed with Portuguese laurels and roses, giving the impression of exterior rooms next to the house. Nearby is an area of topiary, clipped in domes and tiers. At the far end of the south terrace is a ha-ha, leading to a cherry orchard and tennis courts, although only one tennis court remains, the others have been converted in a croquet lawn and a swimming pool.

The northern garden includes a small pavilion and a small pond with seating areas. It also includes a {{convert|70|by|50|m}} kitchen garden, with fruit trees. At {{convert|75|m}} long and {{convert|15|m}} wide, the largest part is known as the Long Garden, between a wall and a yew hedge, with a long flagstone path through a lawn with the pool in the centre and leading up to the pavilion at the end. On the other side of the yew hedge is the Leisure Garden, designed to be a garden which does not need weeding, from which there are paths to the "Troughery", the Sunken Garden, the Winter Garden and back to the Terrace. The "Troughery" is a small garden which creates features from stone troughs and staddle stones, surrounded by topiary.{{cite web|last1=Ross|first1=David|title=Rodmarton Manor|url=http://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=3756|website=Britain Express|access-date=26 August 2016}}

Notes

References

Category:Grade I listed houses in Gloucestershire

Category:Houses completed in 1929

Category:Country houses in Gloucestershire

Category:Historic house museums in Gloucestershire

Category:Gardens in Gloucestershire

Category:Decorative arts museums in England

Category:Arts and Crafts movement

Category:Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Gloucestershire