The romance of OWLPEN MANOR in the Cotswolds
OWLPEN MANOR, home of Sir Nicholas and Lady Mander and their family of five children, has long been recognised as one of the most romantic Tudor manor houses in southern England. Set in a picturesque valley among bluebell woods right under the Cotswold hills, it has formal terraced gardens and magnificent yews of the 17th century.
The house dates from 1450 to 1616, with some Cotswold Arts and Crafts restoration of 1926, when the house was saved from ruin after nearly 100 years of dereliction. Today the interiors contain a series of unique painted textiles and Mander family portraits and collections, as well as a representative collection of Cotswold Arts and Crafts furniture and fittings.
- Magnificent Tudor Great Hall. Jacobean Solar/Parlour wing dated 1616.
- Elegant early Georgian Little Parlour and doorcase remodelled in 1719.
- The Great Chamber contains unique painted cloth wall-hangings with scenes from the life of Joseph and his brothers, dated about 1700.
- Among the ghosts recorded at Owlpen is that of Queen Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, who stayed at Owlpen in May 1471, on her way to defeat at the Battle of Tewkesbury in the Wars of the Roses. She is said to keep returning to the house where she spent her last happy night before her defeat, exile and widowhood.
- Inside the manor house are Mander family collections, including furniture, textiles and pictures. There is a collection of Cotswold Arts and Crafts furniture, plasterwork and associated items by Sidney Barnsley, Norman Jewson and Ernest Gimson, among others. Panelling and Tudor wall-paintings.
- The manor house was repaired by the outstanding Cotswold Arts and Crafts architect Norman Jewson in 1926, after it had become a Sleeping Beauty, dwarfed behind enormous yews and uninhabited for over 100 years.
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OWLPEN MANOR |
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OPENING ARRANGEMENTS
2008 |
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OPEN from 1st May to 30th September
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays only
No Bank Holiday Opening |
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Restaurant and Gardens open from
12 noon to 5pm |
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Manor House open from 2pm - 5pm
(last admission at 4.30 p.m.) |
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ENTRY CHARGES 2008
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Adults: £5.50 |
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Children (4-14): £2.50 |
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Family (2 adults and 4 children): £15.25 |
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Discount available for pre-booked groups of 25 or more persons:
Gardens and grounds only: £3.50
Gardens and grounds only (children): £1.50 |
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Notice of large groups and coaches essential.
Please note that no picnics are permitted within the grounds at Owlpen.
Dogs are not allowed.
Children must be supervised at all times.
Wheelchair access is difficult and therefore not recommended due to steep stairs, uneven floors and narrow doorways - also the gardens are terraced and have steep steps. However, there is good access to the tea lawn with wonderful views over the Mill pond.
Free parking provided.
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Conferences, receptions, weddings, corporate entertaining and filming: ask Estate Office for details. |
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THE GARDENS
Owlpen's terraced gardens are developed around an early formal garden on a manorial scale, reordered in 1723.
It is a charming hillside garden on seven hanging terraces of the 16th/17th centuries, with magnificent yew topiary, old roses and box parterres. The garden is a historic survival of great interest and rarity.
The "Old English"-style garden was much admired by many of the foremost garden designers of the 20th century, including Gertrude Jekyll, Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe and Vita Sackville-West.
There is a circular walk around the early Georgian mill pond, fed by seven springs, believed to represent the medieval stew ponds.
The walled kitchen garden is a delightful feature.
MORE ABOUT OWLPEN MANOR ON THIS SITE:
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