Reference
Z449/1/15
Title
Sale catalogue of Willington Manor
Date free text
May 1995
Production date
From: 1529 To: 1995
Scope and Content
Sale catalogue of Willington Manor.
- agents: Hamptons of 6 Arlington Street, St.James', London and 4 Victoria Street, St.Albans [Hertfordshire];
- description: "Much of the exceptionally rich history of The Manor is evidenced in the fabric and garden walls of the present house. A new Manor house was built about 1529/1530 by Sir John Gostwick - one time Master of the Horse to Cardinal Wolsey, later in the service of King Henry VIII as Treasurer and Receiver-General of the First Fruits and Tenths at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. On the 21st October 1541 King Henry VIII held a Council Meeting in the Manor and stayed the night; Thomas Cromwell is understood to have been a frequent visitor. In 1986 a timber frieze was discovered in Bedroom 6 - more fully described below. English Heritage, the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments and the Victoria and Albert Museum have been most impressed (attributing the work to the School of Torregiano - who fled to England following a fight with Michelangelo - and was responsible for carvings to Henry VII's tomb in Westminster Abbey, with further work at Hampton Court Palace and King's College Chapel, Cambridge. The Gostwick family retained the property until 1731, when the fifth Baronet transferred the entire estate to Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, in settlement of debts. The Gostwick family tombs are in the nearby church of St.Lawrence. A major fire in the early 18th Century was reputed to have destroyed over 40 rooms- the original Dovecote and Stables are now in the keeping of the National Trust. In 1776 the Duke of Bedford purchased the estate from the Marlboroughs, refurbishing the house adding the Georgian front evident today. the present owners acquired the property in 1984, from the family of Lord Godber, who had owned the property for some 80 years. Considerable research and documentation has been gained by the present owners. This beautiful Manor house is predominantly Georgian in character, with well balanced principal elevations in mellow brick work, Rose and Wisteria clad, with sash windows under peg-tile roofs. The long principal drive approach (the house also enjoys a secondary access passing the, now converted, former farm buildings) leads to the main house. the principal rooms all enjoy outlooks over the formal and informal gardens, to open countryside beyond. The present owners undertook an exceptionally thorough programme of restoration and modernisation from 1985-1990 work including the stripping of the roofs, relining, with reinstatement of original tiles; installation of damp-proof course to the main walls…treatment against timber infestation…the complete replacement of plumbing and heating systems…the renewal of all electrical circuits etc. The kitchen and bathrooms were discreetly brought to 20th Century standards. Interior decoration throughout has painstakingly matched the character of the rooms. With unusually high ceilings for their age, a number of rooms display original Oak timbers";
- layout: ground floor: inner lobby (11 feet 9 inches by 10 feet 2 inches); SE drawing room (16 feet 3 inches by 16 feet); SW/SE sitting room (17 feet by 14 feet 5 inches); SW dining room (17 feet 8 inches by 17 feet 10 inches); inner lobby; apple store; boiler room; kitchen (16 feet 6 inches by 17 feet); further kitchen annexe (11 feet 11 inches by 7 feet 5 inches);
- layout: first floor: six bedrooms (two with en-suite bathrooms); bathroom - the carving in Bedroom 6 is described as: "believed to depict Sir John Gostwick and his wife or family, with delicate lettering "JG" in Tudor Scroll, and elegant carving incorporating Dolphins and Tudor Roses";
- outside: brewhouse; double garage; trap house; lawned gardens; raised pond with dolphin fountain; summerhouse; small fish pond; gardener's wc; Tudor brick walls (Grade II listed) around rear gardens; orchard of apple, pear and plum trees; small nuttery; kitchen garden; paved breakfast terrace; stable buildings;
- photographs [colour]: exterior front, with church in background; drawing room; dining room; kitchen; bathroom; sitting room; bedroom; drive; gardens with fountain; walled garden showing church in distance;
- no plans;
- £650,000
Level of description
item