Listed Building record MDO14035 - The Manor House, Church Street, Abbotsbury

Detached Manor House. Late sixteenth century front range, with attached north-west and north- east ranges, late sixteenth century. Seventeenth century north-west wing, with attached staircase-block to south. Rubble-stone and ashlar walls. Slate and stone slab roofs.

"The front block and N.W. wing were built in the 16th c., the middle part of the house a little later and the S.W. wing added in the 17th c." The house retains a number of 16th c. and 17th c. windows and similar features.

A house was built or adapted from part of the monastic buildings afterthe Abbey site was bought by Sir Giles Strangways in 1543. The house was besieged and largely destroyed in 1644 by the Parliamentary Party.(2) [Para 2 Possibly applies to this house]. <2>

Description contained in para 1 Auth 2 correct. The building is constructed of stone and the central and southern extensions are obviously later in construction. The roof is mainly modern. In the interior are stone fireplaces with four centred heads and the south west wing has a moulded ceiling with Tudor roses. The house is in a good state of preservation. <3>

[No additional information]. <3.1>

Manor House, with formerly full manorial rights. <3.2>

On the west side of the central block is an exterior 17th c. stone stairway said to have come from Kingston Russell House. <3.3>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1903 (Map). SWX1540.

[SY 57718524] Manor House [GT]

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 8-9 (Monograph). SDO97.

'(5) THE OLD MANOR HOUSE, 50 yards N.W. of the church, is of two storeys with cellars and attics; the walls are of rubble and ashlar and the roofs are covered with stone slates and slates. The front block and the N.W. wing were built late in the 16th century; the middle part of the house was built a little later and the S.W. wing was added in the 17th century. The house retains a number of 16th and 17th century stone-mullioned windows of one to five lights. The front (Plate 39) has a two-storeyed gabled porch with the original doorway replaced by a window. The S.W. wing retains two 17th century doorways. Inside the building there are two 18th century staircases and some panelling of the same period. There are three original stone fireplaces with four-centred heads. The S.W. wing has a roof of collar-beam type, ceiled below the collars. The external staircase leading to the garden is of stone and of mid 17th century date; the landing is semi-circular and has panelled pedestals and balusters; the pedestals have draped festoons and the balusters have foliage swags; the staircase was formerly at Kingston Russell. The S. wall of the adjoining house, the vicarage, is mediaeval and contains a 14th century window. '

<3> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 23/03/1955 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<3.1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1863, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 2, 714 (Monograph). SWX1269.

<3.2> Hutchings, C D, Oral: C D Hutchings, Clerk of Works, Strangways Estates Ltd, Abbotsbury (Verbal communication). SDO19778.

<3.3> Fox Strangways, J, Oral: Hon J Fox Strangways (owner) (Verbal communication). SDO20149.

<4> Randall, C, 2019, Manor House, Abbotsbury, Dorset. An Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SDO16463.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450371 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2024 2:40PM