The Manor House
General information
LocationCastle Combe, Wiltshire, SN14 7HR, United Kingdom
Coordinates51°29′37″N 2°13′56″W / 51.4937°N 2.2322°W / 51.4937; -2.2322
Opening1947
OwnerExclusive Hotels and Venues
Website
www.exclusive.co.uk/the-manor-house/

The Manor House is a 17th-century country house hotel in Castle Combe, Wiltshire in the south of England.[1][2]

History

The Manor House is noteworthy for several reasons throughout history. Its land is the site of a Norman castle settlement which hosted a number of Lords, the most famous of whom was Sir John Oldcastle, the figure on which the character of Sir John Falstaff is based in the late 16th-century Shakespeare play Henry IV, Part 1.[3]

It was the home of English geologist and political economist George Poulett Scrope in the 19th century. He lived at The Manor House from the start in 1821 of his first marriage until the death of his wife Emma (the great-granddaughter of Sir Robert Long) in 1866; his wife's family had owned the land since the 14th century.[4][5] Scrope had the house heavily rebuilt between 1826 and 1830.[6] He was also responsible for the creation of the formal gardens, where a summerhouse incorporates fragments of medieval stone,[7] and a 15th-century church bell-cote shelters a garden seat.[8] The gardens to the east of the house were remodelled in Italian style by a later owner, E. C. Lowndes, who made further alterations to the house in the 1870s.[7][9]

During the Second World War, the New Zealand Forestry Officers used The Manor House as their headquarters, while a part of it was used as a hospital.[10] In 1947, the owner of the Castle Combe estate sold the houses of the estate, and The Manor House became a country club. After 18 months, the club left the premises, and the house was shortly thereafter sold to Bobbie Allen, an amateur hotelier, and her husband (the Major). Over time, they established The Manor House as a country house hotel, run almost as a club. One source indicates that the conversion to a hotel occurred shortly after the war.[11]

A quite glamorous clientele ensued. Certain of the London hotels would refer guests in search of authentic England to The Manor House. Bobbie Allen was a horsewoman, and the grounds of The Manor House were known for their suitability for riding. Mrs. Allen was from Lancashire and was known for her directness. She wrote a book about her experiences, From Claridge's to Castle Combe, self-published in 1968, which reflects her character and the post-War era of the community and the hotel.[12]

After many years, the Allens sold The Manor House to Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Clegg[13] who, in 1988, sold it to the corporation which now owns the property. By the time it was listed as a Grade II building in 1960, it was already operating as a hotel.[9]

Some sources state that Margaret Thatcher wrote at least some of her memoirs, The Downing Street Years, in the manor's Full Glass bar.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ "Hotel of the week: Manor House Hotel, Wiltshire". The First Post. London, United Kingdom. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
  2. ↑ "Historic UK - Manor House Hotel and Golf Club". Historic UK - The history and heritage accommodation guide. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
  3. ↑ Sir John Falstaff History, retrieved 25 March 2010
  4. ↑ Page, L.E.. ed. 1970-1990. Dictionary of Scientific Biography. New York: Scribner, p. 261.
  5. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - Dictionary of Scientific Biography: 'Scrope, George Julius Caesar.', 2008
  6. ↑ Orbach, Julian; Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (2021). Wiltshire. The Buildings Of England. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-300-25120-3. OCLC 1201298091.
  7. 1 2 Historic England. "Summerhouse in Italian Garden north east of The Manor House (1363579)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  8. ↑ Historic England. "Bellcote to east side of Italian Garden of The Manor House (1283574)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  9. 1 2 Historic England. "Manor House (1199055)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Castle Combe". Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Manor House and Golf Club, retrieved 23 March 2021
  12. ↑ Allen, Bobbie (1968). From Claridge's to Castle Combe. Bath, England: The Mendip Press.
  13. ↑ Fielding, Dodge (1976). Fielding's Selected Favorites: Hotels & Inns, Europe 1976. Fielding Publications. p. 90. ISBN 0688611834.
  14. ↑ Manor House, retrieved 23 March 2021
  15. ↑ The Rough Guide to the Great West Way, retrieved 23 March 2021
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