Great Chalfield Manor (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Atworth.
In the historic county of Wiltshire.
Modern Authority of Wiltshire.
1974 county of Wiltshire.
Medieval County of Wiltshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: ST86026318
Latitude 51.36760° Longitude -2.20233°

Great Chalfield Manor has been described as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are masonry footings remains.

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

Great Chalfield Manor House was built by Thomas Tropenell in c. 1480, on the site of a ruined fortified house. Of the earlier building all that remains are the bases of the east and north curtain walls, the lower part of a circular tower at the north-east angle, and traces of a half round tower to the west near the bridge. Within the curtain at the north-east corner is the parish church of Great Chalfield. Tropenell's house was considerably altered about 1550; among the alterations was probably that of the long west wing for use as stables and servants' quarters. By 1837 a quadrangle of domestic offices had disappeared and other parts were in ruins, and in 1840 the building was adapted as a farmhouse. Between 1905 and 1912 the house was thoroughly restored under the supervision of (Sir) Harold Brakspear. The work included the rebuilding of the solar, the reconstruction of a 16th-century stone chimney-piece from original fragments recovered from a rockery, and the insertion of a staircase in the east wing. The principal front and entrance are on the north and are approached by a bridge over a moat and by a gateway at the northern end of the west wing. The front remains much as it originally was, with the hall in the centre, two projecting gabled wings with oriel windows, and, on the inner side of each, lesser gables, the western forming the porch. The south front, which originally had a southward extension, has been partly reconstructed to the original pattern, including a timber-framed portion on the west. On the apexes of the gables are carved the figures of armed knights. Inside the house are many 15th- and 16th-century features, including the original main timbers of the hall bearing the Tropenell motto, stone groined ceilings with the Tropenell arms, and panelling, chimney-pieces and decorated plaster-work dating from the mid-16th century. (In 1837 plans were made by Sir Harry Burrard Neale for the restoration of Chalfield manor. T. L. Walker, a pupil of A. C. Pugin, made elaborate drawings and descriptions of the house which were later used by Sir Harold Brakspear in his restoration work. For these and other details see R. F. Fuller, Guide to Great Chalfield Manor, published by the National Trust.) (VCH 1953)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1263049
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 208088.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) ST86SE530.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- National Trust
  Great Chalfield Manor
  Wikipedia entry
Books
- Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 3 Southern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 569-74
  Cooper, Nicholas, 1999, Houses of the Gentry, 1480-1680 (Yale University Press) passim
  Pugh, R.B. and Crittall, Elizabeth (ed), 1953, 'Parishes: Great Chalfield' VCH Wiltshire Vol. 7 p. 61-2 online transcription
  Walker, T.L., 1873, History and Antiquities of the Manor House and Church at Great Chalfield, Wiltshire (Supplement to Pugin's Examples of Gothic Architecture )
Periodical Articles
- Tipping, H. Avray, 1914 Aug. 15 and 29, Country Life p. 230-7, 294-301
  Davies, J. Silvester, 1900, 'The manor and church of Great Chalfield' Transactions of Bristol and Gloucester Archaeological Society Vol. 23 p. 193-261 online copy
Guidebooks
- 2007, Great Chalfield Manor Guide Book (National Trust)
  Floyd, R., 1980, Great Chalfield Manor Guide Book (National Trust)
  Fuller, R.F., Guide to Great Chalfield Manor (National Trust)

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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