Lower Brockhampton Manor, the Manor House itself to the right and the gatehouse to the left, bridging the moat surrounding the manor
Lower Brockhampton Manor was built in 1425 and had just turned 600 years old, when I visited it. It is now owned by the National Trust and apart from the Manor itself it also has 1700 acres of farmland and forests. It is 50 years younger than Knightstone Manor and shows – like all medieval manors – many similarities with it. Walking around I recognised many features.
But whereas the main body of Knightstone was built of stone, here we have a typical half-timbered house, a little bit crooked because of the timbers being warped over time and with different parts of the building leaning towards one side or another.
Here the moat surrounding the manor can be seen more clearly.
Brockhampton is moated, which gives it a very romantic setting. And it was probably more for charm than for any defensive purpose. Just like Stokesay Castle, it was more about displaying the family’s wealth and importance than to really defend it from any marauding invaders.
The timber-framed gatehouse that bridges the moat was added a hundred years later, in the 1530s. It added to the status and today it is a very charming part of the estate and very photogenic. It was an important reason, why I decided to visit it. Brockhampton Estate is around 30 minutes east of Lynch Court, where we live at present.
The gatehouse built in the 1530s seen from the inside the moat. Notice that in typical Herefordshire style the first floor is protruding beyond the ground floor.
Looking in to the courtyard through the gatehouseAnother part of the moat with the ruins of the Norman Church in the background
The Norman Chapel, of which only the ruins remain, was built around 1180, long before the present Manor was erected
The Manor was like many houses in medieval times (cf Knightstone Manor) built in a valley. Later it became fashionable to build them on higher ground with a view of the surrounding landscape. Approaching Lower Brockhampton Manor I drove through higher ground and said hello to some lazy sheep. A later generation of the family moved away from the Lower Brockhampton Manor and built a more modern manor on higher ground, not far from where this photo was captured
Part of the moat around the back of the manor
The Great Hall at Brockhampton Manor. There is a galleried landing which also served as a Minstrels’ Gallery. Knightstone Manor had a similar Minstrels’ Gallery but it was later converted into a wardrobe and finally a bathroom and the entrance hall was separated from the Great Hall. At Brockhampton, in a similar way, the original screen separating the entrance from the main living areas was replaced by the wall we are now looking at. Traditionally the entrance was never placed at the middle but instead at the right side of the Hall. So it was at Knightstone, so it was in my previous post about Stokesay Castle and so it is here at Brockhampton
