Landmark News
Spring 2013
2013 Diary
We have lots of free, family friendly activities scheduled for our Open Days this year; please check our website for full details. No booking required. Astley Castle - 15th century Living History Weekend Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June Experience the sights, sounds and smells of the 15th century as Wars of the Roses soldiers set up camp at the castle. A perfect day out for trainee knights and fair maidens. Astley Castle - A War in Words Friday 13th – Monday 16th September Costumes and photographs from the RSC Collection, depicting the Wars of the Roses through the words of Shakespeare and the imagination of modern directors and designers.
Open Days Full details of all our Open Days can be found on our website. Astley Castle, Warwickshire 28 June to 1 July * 12 to 16 September * Auchinleck House, Ayrshire 8 September The Banqueting House, near Newcastle upon Tyne 14 and 15 September Clavell Tower, Dorset 14 and 15 September Dolbelydr, Denbighshire 26 to 28 April * 12 to 16 September * Freston Tower, Suffolk 10 to 13 May * 12 to 16 September * Gothic Temple, Buckinghamshire 12 May+ 15 September + The Grange, Kent 17 to 20 May * 12 to 16 September *
Keeper’s Cottage, Bedfordshire 13 to 16 September * lundy island, bristol Channel 14 april Morpeth Castle, Northumberland 29 September Peake’s House, Colchester, Essex 14 and 15 September Queen Anne’s Summerhouse, Bedfordshire 15 to 17 May * 13 to 16 September * The Ruin, North Yorkshire 14 and 15 September The White House, Shropshire 14 and 15 September Wilmington Priory, East Sussex 12 to 15 April * 21 to 25 November * Woodspring Priory, Somerset 18 and 19 May
Opening Times are 10am to 4pm unless otherwise stated. * Denotes that the property is only open 10am to 1pm on the last day. + Please note there is a National Trust admission charge to Stowe Gardens.
Legacy Seminars Fox Hall, West Sussex 12 June, 11am-1pm
The Old Parsonage, Oxford 19 September, 11am-1pm
For more information about our Legacy Seminars, please contact Linda Millard on lmillard@landmarktrust.org.uk or 01628 825920.
Dolbelydr – Calligraphy demonstration 27th and 28th April Join Calligrapher Andrew Moore and find out more about this beautiful art form. Take away your own unique creation, whatever your linguistic persuasion. www.andymoorecalligraphy.com Queen Anne’s Summerhouse – Flying Art Sunday 16th June Make your own paper aeroplane with tried and tested designs or your own unique creation. The roof terrace makes the perfect launch site! The Shuttleworth Collection also hosts a Flying Day for which admission charges apply - please check their website for more details: www.shuttleworth.org Woodspring Priory – The Hidden Archaeology of Woodspring Priory Saturday 28th – Sunday 29th May Discover more about the history of Woodspring Priory and recent work by local archaeology groups. Enjoy displays, guided walks around the site and practical demonstrations of different types of fieldwork surveys.
The latest holiday and building restoration news from the Landmark Trust.
The China Tower: rooms with a view
W
e are delighted to announce the opening of our latest Landmark, The China Tower near Bicton, just east of the Exe estuary, for up to four people. This castellated folly was built in 1839 by Lady Louisa Rolle as a birthday surprise for her much older husband, Lord Rolle. It stands on a pine-covered knoll, part of the famed landscape created by the Rolles on their estate. The tower gets its name from Lady Rolle’s collection of fine china, some of which she displayed here. The Clinton Devon Estates commissioned the works to the tower with our input, and now look to us for help with its future use. After a cosy kitchen and shower room on
Meet Ed Donohue Ed Donohue took his first holiday with Landmark in 1984 and has managed Crownhill Fort since 2011. ‘It’s incredibly difficult to choose the part of my job I enjoy most’, says Ed, ‘but I can safely say no two days are ever the same.’ Maintenance of the 16 acre site can be a challenge, but Ed and his team’s dedication mean they invariably rise to the task. Ed often looks the part in vintage uniform, and is always happy to give Landmarkers private tours along the labyrinthine passages or fire the fort’s cannon for them.
“It’s incredibly difficult to choose the part of my job I enjoy most”
Shottesbrooke Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 3SW www.landmarktrust.org.uk Charity registered in England & Wales 243312 and Scotland SC039205
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The China Tower, near Bicton
the ground floor, a spiral staircase winds up the other three storeys, with a room on each. The top floor has the best views of all and has become the sitting room, with a wood burning stove. The central heating runs off renewable energy, captured by air source heat pumps. From the roof terrace, you can see the sea above the now lofty pines. This is a lovely part of Devon, a pocket of heathland and pretty villages on the edge of Dartmoor. You can still visit the Rolles’ beautiful botanical gardens nearby, and the dramatic red cliffs of this coastline are part of a World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast. We feel sure this will be a wonderful place to stay.
The China Tower unveiled
Call 01628 825925 Visit www.landmarktrust.org.uk Email bookings@landmarktrust.org.uk
A construction date for Bush Cottage
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erelict military buildings are among the hardest to provide with new uses. Landmark took on its first fortified building, Fort Clonque on Alderney, in 1969 and since then we have built up a body of experience in their care and conversion which is exceptional. The six military buildings in our care trace six centuries of British defence, and are all in spectacular coastal settings.
Welcome As you know we regularly open new buildings and this spring sees the delightful China Tower in Devon join our collection. What you may not know is that we also carry out a programme of major refurbishments. At the Music Room in Lancaster and Howthwaite in Cumbria, John Evetts, Landmark’s furnishing genius, has worked his magic. Redecorated and with new curtains and carpets – and a complete rearrangement of the upper floor at the Music Room – both are now transformed. The real pleasure of staying in a Landmark will always be the poetry of the building itself. But the prosaic things also matter and we want the experience to be as wonderful as possible. You should soon see improvements, starting with larger and fluffier towels which will be appearing at all Landmarks this year. We are also making our buildings warmer and renovating Landmark bathrooms. Those of you planning a stay at Church Cottage, Goddards, Langley Gatehouse, Lynch Lodge, Fort Clonque or Princelet Street will see and feel the results. A list of all recently improved buildings is available on our new website.
Making the fortified friendly
Bush Cottage, near Shrewsbury, is a charming cottage for up to 4 people.
Bush Cottage in Shropshire was given to Landmark in 2012 by one of our most loyal supporters, who looked forward to finding out more about its history. The documentary research took the cottage back to ‘at least’ 1660 but we commissioned dendrochronology, or tree ring analysis, to see if a construction date could be fixed. To all our delight, a firm construction date of 1548 has emerged. Simple buildings are often difficult to date without such analysis, but it is expensive
for the private owner. Dendrochronology is just one of our armoury of techniques for building analysis, necessary to understand the building before arriving at the scheme for its conservation. We usually have to absorb such costs long before an appeal is launched for a building’s rescue: here, we were only too pleased to complete our knowledge after its rescue, and provide a small token of thanks to its generous previous owner.
Bath Tower is one of eight towers built c1300 by Edward I as part of his fortifications around Caernarvon (a World Heritage Site since 1986). Thick walls, deep window embrasures and the rounded floor plan are typical of such medieval fortifications, and all add to the military atmosphere. Kingswear Castle near Dartmouth, built c.1500, was one of the first forts designed for the new science of artillery, with a ground floor gun platform. Increasing artillery range soon made it redundant. Rescued eventually by a wealthy Victorian bachelor, its battlements and stone-ribbed ceilings are a treat. Our Martello Tower at Aldeburgh was built in 1808 against Napoleon, whose invasion seemed imminent. Its cloverleaf floorplan is unique and once housed a garrison. They slept in hammocks, for which hooks still remain. The powder stores in the basement are there to explore, with an enclosed lantern against accidental sparks. Who knows what the garrison would have made of fish and chips on the rooftop gun terrace?
Crownhill Fort in Plymouth, West Blockhouse in Pembrokeshire and Fort Clonque were also all built in response to perceived French threats in the mid-19th century. Fort Clonque, built as a refuelling station in the Channel at the dawn of the steam age in the 1840s, became redundant almost immediately as steam ships’ range increased. Crownhill is one of the best preserved Palmerstonian forts, named after the then Prime Minister. The Landmark in the Officers’ Quarters occupies only a small part of this large complex and Landmarkers are free to roam the ramparts and parade ground. We are often asked to look at other military buildings at risk or in need of new heart. We always do so with hope and anticipation that it won’t be long before we find another bellicose building to turn to a more welcoming purpose. See our new website for lots more information on these fortified Landmarks.
Meikle Ascog and Higher Lettaford to be sold After a careful review of our buildings, we have decided that Higher Lettaford and Meikle Ascog will be put up for sale this spring. Both these building were originally acquired in connection with a more significant Landmark close by, and not
because they were themselves of outstanding importance or in jeopardy. In selling them we hope they will become family homes once again. All the income from the sales will be used for new building rescue projects. Martello Tower, Aldeburgh
Five Landmarks for historic city breaks
Enter our 2013 Film Competition and you could win £1,000 to spend on Landmark holidays.
Staying in a Landmark is both a wonderful experience and a way of contributing to an important cause. So please do make that booking, and help us continue our work in the years to come.
www.landmarktrust.org.uk/filmcomp
Warm wishes,
Dr Anna Keay, Director
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Oxford The Old Parsonage, Iffley For up to 6 people
London Princelet Street, Spitalfields For up to 6 people
Bath Marshal Wade’s House, Abbey Churchyard. For up to 4 people
Near Edinburgh Rosslyn Castle, Roslin For up to 7 people
Near London The Georgian House, Hampton Court Palace For up to 8 people
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The Music Room reborn Landmark not only maintains its buildings, it also has an extensive on-going programme of refurbishment and improvements. The Music Room in Lancaster was one of our earlier Landmarks, first restored by us in 1977. It was built in about 1730 as a garden pavilion, probably for Oliver Marton, a prosperous lawyer who lived nearby. He owned a large garden which the pavilion adorned, perhaps surveying an ornamental canal in the Dutch fashion.
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I
t is doubtful it was built for listening to music - indeed its name is probably a corruption of ‘Muses Room’ as nine plasterwork Muses decorate the walls of the main chamber on the first floor, an exceptional Baroque interior. Industrial buildings swallowed The Music Room in the 20th century, leading the great Nikolaus Pevsner in his Buildings of England series to fume that the main room was ‘now so decayed that there can be no hope of saving it. It is a disgrace.’ Fortunately, Landmark came along, and 6,000 skilled hours were invested in restoring the plasterwork alone. That was 35 years ago. Since then, The Music Room, the best feature of a charming little square tucked down Sun Street, has earned its keep as a Landmark for four, needing little more than ongoing maintenance. Eventually, the glorious chamber on the first floor, insufficiently enjoyed as a rather grand salon under the 1970s scheme, became a bedroom. However, we increasingly felt that the accommodation tucked under the roof on the second floor was cramped for four people. We also get regular pleas for more Landmarks for two. Thanks to your support for the Landmark Fund, we had a planned closure to survey thoroughly the magnificent Baroque plasterwork in the chamber on the first floor. Hairline cracks have now been repaired, and each nook and cranny carefully cleaned. We also decided to take advantage of this closure to reconfigure the top floor as one large living room and kitchen, to take full
advantage of the views of Lancaster’s interesting skyline and to recast The Music Room as a Landmark for two. The building was scaffolded through most of January and February, both to redecorate the exterior and also to help contractors Ducketts & Co get materials in and out of this tall building, which has narrow stairs at the top. We took advantage of this scaffolding to display large banners so passers-by could also enjoy pictures of the fine interior. On the top floor, modern partition walls have been reorganised to create a single large room plus bathroom instead of the former rather poky bedrooms. A new gas stove has been installed to boost the heating and for added cheer, and a brand new, larger kitchen introduced at one end. Insulation has been improved, including the performance of the sash windows by introducing draught proofing strips. The Roman gentleman in plastered profile, whose rather superior nose has surely seen military action, continues to preside from the wall. There is one further level: the large roof terrace, with wonderful views across Lancaster’s roofs and cupolas on one side, and of the brooding castle behind. The Muses seem hardly necessary, when you have such a private terrace to enjoy a glass of wine and the sunset, but they will be waiting cheerfully for you downstairs when you eventually retire. Specialist skills were required to repair the splendid Baroque plasterwork, work supported by the Landmark Fund.
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To donate call 01628 825920 or make a donation online at www.landmarktrust.org.uk
Emergency interventions at Belmont
Getting to know Llwyn Celyn Beneath this emergency scaffolding lies a late-medieval house of great significance.
Llwyn Celyn is a wonderful 15th-century hall house at the head of the lovely Llanthony Valley in the Brecon Beacons, hidden for years behind emergency scaffolding. We first heard about it in 2006 and finally acquired it in June 2012 thanks to grants from Cadw and the National Heritage Memorial Fund. Its farming owners have special permission to build a new home elsewhere on the land their family have farmed for generations.
T
he farmers’ new house is now being built, and not a moment too soon. Llwyn Celyn itself is propped, scaffolded and shrouded, but water runs through some of its oldest rooms. This is a house of enormous significance: according to Cadw, ‘it is the most important at risk, occupied historic house in Wales.’ This importance is clear to anyone who visits. Entered through a cross passage, the house retains its screen and service rooms. Smoke-blackened roof timbers show that the original hall was open to the roof, with a central hearth. Later, the hall was ceiled over and a staircase and chimney inserted. Hardly any changes have been made since. Rare timber elements survive: a dais bench fixed to the wall, fine doorways, remnants of a spere truss (the frame for a fixed screen in the hall), the original roof structure. The joinery is exceptionally high 6
“ the most important at risk, occupied historic house in Wales.” quality for such a house. Most intriguing of all is a further cross wing, probably used as a parlour, and perhaps also open to the roof. Such a double hall configuration would be highly unusual. Yet we know nothing of Llwyn Celyn’s history. We intend to commission dendrochronology in the hope of fixing a construction date. Our archaeologist, Richard Morriss, is already working on a Conservation Plan to inform the conservation scheme. And what was the role of this isolated, high status grouping,
until recently part of the Llanthony Priory estate? Surely the documents will yield its past. Such investigative work is essential to decide how best to approach the conservation of such an important survival. We are enormously grateful to the first Guardians and Patrons of Llwyn Celyn who have spontaneously elected to be a part of its story by giving so generously already towards these preliminary costs. We need more Guardians and Patrons to help fund the complex investigative work and the Conservation Plan as we work towards a costed repair scheme. Details about the Guardians scheme can be found in the Support Us section of our new website, or by calling Bruce Hall, Head of Development, on 01628 825920. We hope there will be more news to share by our next Newsletter.
Right: Renewed inspection of the Coade stone urns on the parapet revealed ongoing decay.
Left: This badly decayed chimney stack at Belmont has had to be taken down.
We have been closely monitoring the roof at Belmont and have now had to take emergency action.
lids have been removed and loose fragments carefully gathered up to be re-fixed once the urns can be safely removed.
The brick chimney stacks are built on plinths of local blue lias stone. This lias had decayed so badly on one chimney stack that collapse was imminent. Render had fallen off, reinforcing straps had rusted away and the pointing to the brickwork had also eroded. We have dismantled the chimney to prevent serious damage to the roof.
These emergency works re-emphasise the perilous state of this Grade II* house. We must meet our appeal target and start work soon.
The Coade stone urns are also deteriorating, and close inspection gave a fascinating insight into the Coade manufacturing process. The urns were made in two pre-cast halves, joined with Coade stone slip and then re-fired as one piece with their lids on. A vertical wrought iron dowel anchors each lid, and these have corroded, causing fractures in the urns and fragments to fall away. The urns are embedded in a modern concrete plinth and cutting them out at this stage would risk still more damage. For now, the
STOP PRESS: We are delighted to announce a grant of £100,000 towards the Belmont Appeal from the Garfield Weston Foundation. We have raised £730,000 towards our £1.8m target and are so grateful to more than 1,000 of you who have already donated. But the works described above are a clarion call to the urgency of getting works underway. Every contribution counts. Please make a donation today, online, by post or by phone.
Celebrating the work of John Fowles Belmont’s more recent renowned owner was author John Fowles, one of our most influential 20thcentury writers. As part of our collaboration with the Oxford Literary Festival, on 22nd March we hosted an afternoon Celebrating the Work of John Fowles, when a panel of academics and writers
discussed his novels, journals and his influence on other writers. John Fowles wanted Belmont to inspire other writers as it had done him, and we see the promotion of this intellectual legacy as an integral part of our guardianship of the house.
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Landmark News
Spring 2013
2013 Diary
We have lots of free, family friendly activities scheduled for our Open Days this year; please check our website for full details. No booking required. Astley Castle - 15th century Living History Weekend Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June Experience the sights, sounds and smells of the 15th century as Wars of the Roses soldiers set up camp at the castle. A perfect day out for trainee knights and fair maidens. Astley Castle - A War in Words Friday 13th – Monday 16th September Costumes and photographs from the RSC Collection, depicting the Wars of the Roses through the words of Shakespeare and the imagination of modern directors and designers.
Open Days Full details of all our Open Days can be found on our website. Astley Castle, Warwickshire 28 June to 1 July * 12 to 16 September * Auchinleck House, Ayrshire 8 September The Banqueting House, near Newcastle upon Tyne 14 and 15 September Clavell Tower, Dorset 14 and 15 September Dolbelydr, Denbighshire 26 to 28 April * 12 to 16 September * Freston Tower, Suffolk 10 to 13 May * 12 to 16 September * Gothic Temple, Buckinghamshire 12 May+ 15 September + The Grange, Kent 17 to 20 May * 12 to 16 September *
Keeper’s Cottage, Bedfordshire 13 to 16 September * lundy island, bristol Channel 14 april Morpeth Castle, Northumberland 29 September Peake’s House, Colchester, Essex 14 and 15 September Queen Anne’s Summerhouse, Bedfordshire 15 to 17 May * 13 to 16 September * The Ruin, North Yorkshire 14 and 15 September The White House, Shropshire 14 and 15 September Wilmington Priory, East Sussex 12 to 15 April * 21 to 25 November * Woodspring Priory, Somerset 18 and 19 May
Opening Times are 10am to 4pm unless otherwise stated. * Denotes that the property is only open 10am to 1pm on the last day. + Please note there is a National Trust admission charge to Stowe Gardens.
Legacy Seminars Fox Hall, West Sussex 12 June, 11am-1pm
The Old Parsonage, Oxford 19 September, 11am-1pm
For more information about our Legacy Seminars, please contact Linda Millard on lmillard@landmarktrust.org.uk or 01628 825920.
Dolbelydr – Calligraphy demonstration 27th and 28th April Join Calligrapher Andrew Moore and find out more about this beautiful art form. Take away your own unique creation, whatever your linguistic persuasion. www.andymoorecalligraphy.com Queen Anne’s Summerhouse – Flying Art Sunday 16th June Make your own paper aeroplane with tried and tested designs or your own unique creation. The roof terrace makes the perfect launch site! The Shuttleworth Collection also hosts a Flying Day for which admission charges apply - please check their website for more details: www.shuttleworth.org Woodspring Priory – The Hidden Archaeology of Woodspring Priory Saturday 28th – Sunday 29th May Discover more about the history of Woodspring Priory and recent work by local archaeology groups. Enjoy displays, guided walks around the site and practical demonstrations of different types of fieldwork surveys.
The latest holiday and building restoration news from the Landmark Trust.
The China Tower: rooms with a view
W
e are delighted to announce the opening of our latest Landmark, The China Tower near Bicton, just east of the Exe estuary, for up to four people. This castellated folly was built in 1839 by Lady Louisa Rolle as a birthday surprise for her much older husband, Lord Rolle. It stands on a pine-covered knoll, part of the famed landscape created by the Rolles on their estate. The tower gets its name from Lady Rolle’s collection of fine china, some of which she displayed here. The Clinton Devon Estates commissioned the works to the tower with our input, and now look to us for help with its future use. After a cosy kitchen and shower room on
Meet Ed Donohue Ed Donohue took his first holiday with Landmark in 1984 and has managed Crownhill Fort since 2011. ‘It’s incredibly difficult to choose the part of my job I enjoy most’, says Ed, ‘but I can safely say no two days are ever the same.’ Maintenance of the 16 acre site can be a challenge, but Ed and his team’s dedication mean they invariably rise to the task. Ed often looks the part in vintage uniform, and is always happy to give Landmarkers private tours along the labyrinthine passages or fire the fort’s cannon for them.
“It’s incredibly difficult to choose the part of my job I enjoy most”
Shottesbrooke Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 3SW www.landmarktrust.org.uk Charity registered in England & Wales 243312 and Scotland SC039205
8
The China Tower, near Bicton
the ground floor, a spiral staircase winds up the other three storeys, with a room on each. The top floor has the best views of all and has become the sitting room, with a wood burning stove. The central heating runs off renewable energy, captured by air source heat pumps. From the roof terrace, you can see the sea above the now lofty pines. This is a lovely part of Devon, a pocket of heathland and pretty villages on the edge of Dartmoor. You can still visit the Rolles’ beautiful botanical gardens nearby, and the dramatic red cliffs of this coastline are part of a World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast. We feel sure this will be a wonderful place to stay.
The China Tower unveiled