On the Saturday we packed, tidied up and left the caravan about 1.00 pm. D has become interested in architecture in recent months and was keen to visit Lower Brockhampton and see the manor house and gatehouse. It is on the route home so we didn't even need to detour!
Brockhampton Estate, now in the care of the National Trust, covers 687 hectares (1,700 acres) and contains 21 acres of orchards including the National Trust's largest orchard. The estate contains a good variety of wildlife and historic farming breeds, for example, Hereford Cattle and Hebrides Sheep
The timber framed manor house dates back to the late C14th and the gatehouse was built 1530-40.
There is evidence of a settlement at Brockhampton since the Domesday Book of 1086. The estate was named after the original owners.
The Domultons built the manor house in 1425 from timbers sourced from the estate. In the first half of the C16th it was owned by the Habingtons. Mary Habington married Richard Barneby in 1552 and, as there were no male heirs, inherited the estate. The Barneby Family owned the house for the following 400 years. The estate was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1946 as there were no heirs.
The manor house and gatehouse are limewashed every five years. Limewashing preserves the timbers from pollutants and insect attack and is a technique that has been used for centuries on historic buildings.
The Gatehouse was built by the Habingtons in 1543 and it is likely that is was a symbol of wealth rather than being intended for defensive purposes. It is thought it was used for illegal Catholic masses between 1559 and 1791.
The original chapel on the estate would have been made of timber and daub (a mix of mud and dung which when set hardened). It was probably built in 1166 and the octagonal font dates from this time too.
The Domultons, owners of the new manor house, in the early 1400s may have rebuilt the chapel and added the large East Window. The chapel was constructed of local stone and excavations have revealed that it once had a roof of tiles with ceramic green glazed tiles on the ridge tops. The walls would have been plastered with limewash.
The earliest documentary evidence shows the clergy conducted services from 1308 until 1402. The absence of clergy from 1402 until 1757 suggests it may have become a "chapel of ease" (a privately owned chapel) for those people who could not make the journey to the church in nearby Bromyard.
There is a graveyard next to the chapel containing many burials and it is believed these were the residents of a lost medieval village. The chapel was abandoned in 1799 when John Barnaby had a new church constructed next to the new manor house. Thereafter the old manor house was occupied by tenants.
The manor house is now open again but we didn't go in. Brockhampton was much busier than I had anticipated (note weekends are not a good day to visit!) and there were loads of people going into the house.
We sat outside the cafe for a cup of tea and a slice of orange and poppy seed cake which was delicious. I know people often rave about NT cakes but if I am honest I often find them a little dry but this wasn't!
Its Damson Picking time - we purchased a 4kg bag and picked nearly that amount. They were slightly unripe but that will be better for jam making!
Since getting home I have made jam and a Damson cobbler and still have 1kg plus left which I plan to freeze so we can have more Damson Cobblers in the winter. I use the recipe on the BBC Good Food website and it makes a delicious pudding served with cream or custard.
Some photos from D from inside the Gatehouse. I got half way up the steep narrow stairs and thought yes I can get up but will I get down? so I let D visit alone. There are times when I hate getting older!
I hope everyone is staying safe and well.
Photos taken by me with a Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and those marked *D taken by my son with a Canon SX50HS bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate most of my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).
Reference: National Trust Guide Book to Brockhampton and information from the National Trust pages on Brockhampton.
14 comments:
How lovely for you that D shares your love of architecture? I think it's always good to have a like minded kindred spirit when you're exploring architecture, almost all things for that matter! I'm quite envious of all your damsons it was coming home along the Welsh Marches one year that we stopped off and bought boxes of damsons plums and other fruits, brought them home and that started my homemade wine making habit which lasted a few years with some delicious results! Timothy looks rather well behaved and composed today I hope he isn't scheming? We both know what these small bears can be like! I most certainly could have helped you out with that orange and poppy seed cake I think that must be one of my favourite combinations not when I make that often but when I do it doesn't last long at all
Rustic Pumpkin - Thanks so much and David and I do share a lot of interests which is useful for days out! However, he still doesn't like churches much! Well not the interior!
Herefordshire is really good for damsons and apples etc :) I used to make homemade wines too but mine were nowhere near as successful as Dad's! I did make damson once but it was too sweet and so Dad mixed it with his which was too dry and we divided the bottles between us. Tbh in the end I only used conentrates as they worked better!
Mmm. re: Timothy I wonder if he is!!! The treat of Benedict coming with me instead may put paid to that - lol!!
It was a very good cake! I have found its best to go for the cake that is whole and therefore probably fresher than the others!
This has a free open day under the Heritage Scheme this month and Keith and I hope to go. There seems to be disabled access and Keith can get out to step over a doorway threshold etc and walk if necessary. Bet it will be busy though. It's a beautiful house and I've been wanting to go there ever since we moved close enough. Glad you enjoyed your visit.
Bovey Belle - Thanks so much. I hope you can go and enjoy. Long drive down but on the level by the manor house. Yes I would think it would be busy. When we went the first time it was much quieter but that may have been a Friday in September? A lot of people going in house and I heard peope and children coughing so we were careful where we visited!
Oh, damsons, so long since I've seen any either in orchards or on a market stall. Damson jam is a favourite along with plum and greengage. I remember visiting Brockhampton in the pouring rain on our way back from a holiday years ago. We went in the house but I don't remember the gate house being open and we didn't see the chapel ruins or the orchard. I think another visit may be planned for next year. Fascinating history about both buildings and ruins. A lovely way to spend the last day of your short break:)
Rosie - thanks so much. I love damson jam too - damsons always remind me of my childhood and trips to Herefordshire. Sorry you saw it in the rain. Do hope you can go back next year. It is a lovely property. I want to see the new orchard at some stage but no time on this visit. David always willing to do something on the way home. OH always just wants to get home once journey started but it made the break seem a bit longer. Ane believe me in no rush to get home re: next door! Still not sure when we will be able to go again tbh and weather not looking good either for next 2 weeks!
it's very photogenic isn't it.....
The Quacks of Life - Thanks Pete and oh yes it is :)
I love Brockhampton, although on our last visit we were saddened that the top café was currently closed.
CherryPie - Thank you - not sure where the top cafe is but the one by manor house was open.
This is a really interesting place - I love the main building and it's really pretty, but feel it's a shame that the timbers have been whitewashed over. I suppose the brick part was built at a later date (I did read most of what you wrote but I can't retain it all!!!)? Great that they are restoring the orchards.
Have you frozen damsons before? Because I found that plums start to discolour as soon as I cut them open so when I froze some that were destoned they came out looking black where the air had discoloured them - ended up throwing them away as the taste became rather unpleasant as well. Greengages are the worst for doing this! Cherries seem to do something similar too.
Millymollymandy Thanks so much. I felt that about timbers until I read why they did it. I can't remember abut the brick part - will ahve to re-read my post - lol! One of joys of old age you remember less!!!!
Heck! Have frozen over 1kg now! Websites suggested they were freezeable :( But I didn't destone them. I am hoping to make another damson cobbler. Jam I made a bit overset. stupidly used a pasta pot to make jam and as so big jam mix not deep enough for new sugar thermometer to be accurate I think. Still jsut about edible. Must use smaller saucepan next time as I do love damson jam! I used to make a lot of jam but I am now very out of practice!
Don’t panic about the damsons as you didn’t cut them open - do you destone first when making jam? I tried not doing so first time as recipe said they would float to the surface, but that didn’t happen! I also find damson jam really easy to overset. I use the blob on a cold saucer test rather than jam thermometer - so often the jam liquid isn’t deep enough, cos you have to allow a lot of space when it all bubbles up!
Still think the half timbered building could have black timbers washed with some anti fungal/bug stuff, ok a bit more work but it would look so much nicer.
I haven’t been on main computer so can’t reply to your comment on my post - thanks and I will try to remember tomorrow! I can comment on yours from iPad though!
Millymollymandy - thanks so much. No I didn't because as you say recipe says they float to top! lol they don't. We did remove them but lost a lot of jam in the process. I would havae left them tbh as I do with the pudding and just tell people to look out for them.
It did overset a bit again. I tried to do the wrinkle on the saucer as well! Yes that was the problem I had I used to deep a pot and so jam thermometer not really covering all the jam. Should have used a smaller saucepan! Apologies if they said this in reply to your last comment - difficult to go back and check!
I have a feeling I read somewhere that the black and white look is quite a recent thing and they wouldn't have looked like that when built. But I amy be wrong.
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