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| Manor House with gatehouse over the moat |
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| View over the moat |
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| Hall and Moat |
The Brockhampton Estate lies about 2 miles East of Bromyard on the A44. It comprises the late 14th century timber-framed manor house at Lower Brockhampton, Brockhampton Court which was rebuilt in the Tudor style in 1893, and a 1,700 acre farmed estate. On this page I cover just the manor house and its gatehouse over the moat. The property has been in the care of the National Trust since 1946 having been bequeathed by Colonel John Lutley. In 200 the National Trust undertook a restoration using traditional wattle and daub construction. I was fortunate to arrive on a bright day and had the whole place virtually to myself as it is well off the tourist trail. There is a Farm shop close to the old hall and the Old Apple Store tea-room by the entrance gates about mile up the road.
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| Manor House with gatehouse over the moat |
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| View over the moat |
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| Hall and Moat |
Some National Trust properties allow photography indoors without flash or a tripod and up until now this has meant that there was little chance of getting a good shot. The advent of digital cameras such as the Sony NEX-6, with features for taking low-light images hand-held allowed me to take two interior shots as shown below.
The Brockhampton family are documented as being in this area in the 12th century and the chapel is believed to have been begun about 1189. In the late 14th century, John Domoulton, a descendant of the original family built the moated manor house. The house is now L-shaped with the Great Hall and parlour forming the short side of the L and a 16th century stone built extension forming the longer side. The gatehouse was added in the early 16th century. In the 18th century, Bartholomew Barnetby inherited the estate. He commissioned a new house, Brockhampton House designed by Thomas Farnolls Pritchard. Lower Brockhamton Hall became a farmhouse and the old Norman Chapel was used for farming purposes.
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| Gatehouse | The main room downstairs from the gallery | |
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| A bedroom | Ruined medieval chapel |
Wikipedia article on Lower Brockhampton
1.0 Strict 