Saturday 13 March 2021

An Elizabethan Hunting Lodge

Set high on a Cotswold escarpment, surrounded by steeply wooded valleys, this Hunting Lodge was built in 1550 by Sir Nicholas Poyntz; he reused the stones from nearby Kingswood Abbey following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 - 1541.  A simple square shaped building with a reception area on the ground floor, a banqueting hall to the first floor and bedrooms at the top. Originally the roof would have been flat with four corner turrets to enable visiting ladies to watch the hunting in comfort. Apart from the changes to the roof, this eastern side elevation survives intact.

The doorway is classically detailed having fluted Doric columns beneath a triangular pediment with a roundel in the middle showing the Poyntz family arms.

This pleasing architecture shows one of the earliest examples of the classical order being used in an English building. 


The hunting lodge was remodelled in 1790 by renowned architect James Wyatt for the Clutterbuck family, who turned the lodge into an elegant home.

In the current environment the interior of the property is closed to visitors, so let's head off and wander through the grounds.

The garden is a haven of wild flowers throughout the year. In January and February it is the snowdrops that hold centre stage, but they have now mostly been displaced by drifts of wild daffodils. In a couple of months the banks and woodlands will be covered in profusions of bluebells and wild garlic. Come September and it will be the turn of hundreds of wild cyclamen showing off their dainty pink faces.

 Growing amidst the daffodils we discovered some minature Iris tuberosa - "snake's head iris". 
 
(the flower is even smaller than this image) 
 
 Early flowering Prunus mume.
 I am very grateful to my blog friend Yoko, who lives in Japan, for telling me its name.

The Clutterbuck family introduced this Georgian carriage entrance driveway and also landscaped the surrounding grounds.

   Various pathways wind their way down into the valley bottom...............
.....where a small lake and a Georgian crinkle crankle wall are currently being restored.
We returned home from Newark Park feeling refreshed and ready for our lunch.

35 comments:

  1. What a lovely place to visit, made even better by the sun shining. I like the crinkle crankle wall. I once stayed in a hunting lodge in Scotland, not as grand as this one but still very nice.

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    1. I think that artisan builders from the past were far more adventurous with their brickwork than today.

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  2. That outing would refresh me too. The flowers are lovely but I especially like the photo of the carriage way. Looks like a stroll someone would take who is into Nature Bathing.

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    1. The sunshine and the flowers make such a difference to how you are feeling.

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  3. That's a wonderful Green Man above the garden door!

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    1. I have one that is very similar but mine is a Green Lady!!!

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  4. What a lovely place to wander. The family name Clutterbuck makes me smile. The symmetry of classical architecture with the fluted columns and pediment is very attractive. I'm glad you linked to the crinkle crankle wall post because I'd never heard of the term. Very interesting. There is a clipped cedar edge I drive by occasionally, about 20 feet high, that very much resembles the crinkle crankle wall with its curved portions.

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    1. A clipped yew hedge resembling a crinkle crankle wall sounds lovely.

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  5. What a wonderful spot with wildflowers throughout the year. A lovely day to enjoy it.

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    1. It is situated in a very beautiful location.

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  6. How pleasing that you could go out and view these gardens and scenery.
    Love the daffodils, the pathway how pleasant to see all these photos.
    Thanks Rosemary.

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    1. Glad that you enjoyed seeing them Margaret and welcome back from your travels.

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    2. Thank you Rosemary. lovely to be back.

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  7. This is a very fine hunting lodge indeed. One can imagine the banqueting hall behind those attractive windows on the second floor. Thank you for the link to Crinkle Crankle wall - so very interesting. I have never heard of one before, but now I will be sure to know what it is if it ever happens. We are going on a small garden tour of early Australian gardens in the Blue Mountains soon (Covid permitting). Perhaps I will see one there? The grounds and the daffodils all look lovely in the sunshine, a very pleasant Mothering Day excursion.

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    1. Crinkle crankle walls here date back to the 1600s but I do know that Thomas Jefferson copied the idea and incorporated them into the architecture of the University of Virginia, and called them serpentine walls.

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  8. It is hard to imagine how much attention was given to hunting, but I suppose it was the sport of kings.

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    1. Yes, Sir Nicholas Poyntz was an English courtier during the latter part of Henry VIII's reign. I hope to visit yet another Hunting Lodge which is also close to our home soon.

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  9. It boggles the mind to contemplate the ladies ensconced at the corners of the building cheering on the slaughter. I am sure that a hunt in Elizabethan times was far from clinical!

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    1. I doubt if the ladies would actually been able to witness much of the hunt as it all took place within such dense woodlands - medieval perceptions were very different to those held today.

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  10. Hello Rosemary, What a fine hunting lodge, and the grounds are incredible--just the place for a ramble. The carriageway particularly is enchanting. It is too bad that Kingswood Abbey had to be lost (along with all the other buildings destroyed during the dissolution)--I wonder if there are any images of it.
    --Jim

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    1. Hello Jimn - the Gatehouse survives, and you can see about it here:-
      https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kingswood-abbey-gatehouse/history/
      It would be lovely to be able to see the horse and coaches travelling up that carriageway to the property.

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  11. Dear Rosemary,
    What is growing in the pots which are placed on either side of the steps going up to the door which has that beautiful pediment. It looks like someone has been cutting the plants back to encourage new growth or is someone harvesting herbs.

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    1. Dear Gina - I didn't really study those pots, but I imagine that you are correct. They look like pots of herbaceous perennials that have had their old growth cut to enable the new growth to flourish which it looks as if it is already doing.

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  12. Beautiful photos, Rosemary! It must be Boot Country as I see not one but two boot-scrapers by the door. No waiting in line necessary!

    Your link back to an earlier post was so timely for this household as we were wondering about the restoration of Chatsworth House only a few nights ago (and too lazy to look it up) - we were watching a mid-80s Sherlock Holmes and spotted the exterior of Chatsworth, which was looking very sad and grimy. The clean and facelift was money handsomely spent!

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    1. Dear Pipistrello - it is good to know that the link back proved to be useful - thank you for letting me know. Sadly the doorway into the lodge was firmly shut, but we were happy just to be out of doors walking in the bright sunshine amongst the flowers.

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  13. Beautiful place. I noticed all our walled gardens are shut and have been since the start. Getting out in (hopefully quiet) nature, especially in spring, is a refreshment for the mind.

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    1. There were no problem in this wall garden or for that matter the whole landscape. All visits are booked online and checked off on a list before entry.

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  14. Dear Rosemary - Elizabethan Hunting Lodge is my favorite type of architecture, so British, refined, and beautiful. The garden sounds fantastic – the carpet of snowdrops or bluebells has been my longing. The Prunus mume looks gorgeous cultivar. (Thanks for mentioning about me.) "Snake’s head iris" is new to me. Is it natural to bloom at this time of year? “Fringed iris” on my post usually bloom late spring to early summer.

    Yoko

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    1. Hello Yoko - the iris is native to Yugoslavia, Turkey & Greece and not wild here. I haven't ever seen this particular iris before but imagine that it might be blooming slightly earlier than normal. I am pleased that you enjoyed the architecture of the Hunting Lodge.

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  15. I like this square and sturdy architecture and the amazing garden that has a lot of interest to the eyes all year round.

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    1. I admire it too Jane, so pleased that you liked it as well.

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