Tretower Court
Tretower Court ( Welsh Llys a Chastell Tre-tŵr ) is a medieval manor house in Powys , Wales . Classified as a Grade I Heritage Site , the property is considered one of the finest medieval properties in Wales. It is located on the southern edge of the village of Tretower, which belongs to the municipality of Llanfihangel Cwmdu with Bwlch and Cathedine .
history
The first house was probably built around 1300, it forms the core of today's north wing. After Sir William Herbert handed Tretower Castle over to his half-brother Roger Vaughan around 1450 , he decided to build Tretower Court as a new, only slightly fortified mansion in place of the military outdated castle. He first built the west wing before the north wing was significantly rebuilt around 1460. The construction work was completed around 1480 by his son Thomas Vaughan , under whom the gate tower was built. In 1613 Charles Vaughan inherited Tretower Court. Around 1630 he converted the two-storey west wing, which now contained a kitchen, a passage and utility rooms. He also had the battlement on the south side of the courtyard roofed over, and the rooms in the north wing were also changed. The house remained in the possession of the Vaughan family until it was sold to the Parry family in 1783, who then used it as a farm. The western part of the north wing was initially used as a residential building, while other parts served as a barn and stables for geese and sheep. In 1928 the Brecknock Society bought the property, which in 1930 gave it to the state. Over the next few years, extensive restoration work began on the complex, which continued after the Second World War until the 1960s. Today the property is managed by Cadw and can be visited.
investment
Exterior
Tretower Court is located on the southern edge of the village of Tretower, south of the parish church and about 200 m east of Tretower Castle. The almost square complex made of unplastered quarry stone surrounds an inner courtyard, only the west wing protrudes over the square wall. On the north and west side there are two-storey residential wings with slate roofs and carefully crafted irregular windows. The west wing has an elaborately designed portal and a decorated window bay at the right end of the ground floor. On the courtyard side of the upper floor of the north wing and on part of the west wing there is an open, wooden gallery, which was reconstructed in the 20th century based on old models. On the east side, the courtyard is bordered by a wall with a battlement and the roofless ruins of a two-storey gate tower. On the south side there is also a wall with a covered battlement path that was provided in the 17th century, so that the wall looks like another wing of the building from the outside. On the south side of the building is a walled garden that was laid out in the 1990s based on medieval models. Opposite the east side with the gate tower is an elongated barn, probably built around 1480. Originally larger, it was connected to Tretower Court by walls, thus forming a forecourt. It originally contained additional living quarters for the Vaughan family and was rebuilt several times in later centuries.
inside rooms
The interiors were restored to their condition around 1470 with open wood and beamed ceilings, wooden partitions and open fireplaces, and show the lifestyle of a wealthy family of Welsh gentry at the time . The main living rooms, including a representative two-storey living hall, were located in the west wing, which also contained the kitchen on the ground floor and additional living rooms on the upper floor. On the first floor of the north wing there were utility rooms, a simple living hall, a living room for the administrator and a room that was probably used for court hearings. On the upper floor there was another living room and a bedroom.
Tretower Court in Literature and Film
In the 17th century, the poet Henry Vaughan , a nephew of the owner at the time, praised the property in his works. In 2002, the mansion was used as a location for the British historical film Anazapta .
Web links
- Internet presence of the castle and manor house
- British Listed Buildings: Tretower Court, Llanfihangel Cwmdu with Bwlch and Cathedine
Individual evidence
- ^ British Listed Buildings: Tretower Court, Llanfihangel Cwmdu with Bwlch and Cathedine. Retrieved November 21, 2015 .
- ^ Adrian Pettifer: Welsh Castles. A Guide by Counties . Boydell, Woodbridge 2000, ISBN 978-0-85115-778-8 , p. 17
- ↑ Breacon Beacons Tourism: Tretower Court and Castle. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 23, 2015 ; accessed on November 21, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ British Listed Buildings: Tretower Court Barn. Retrieved November 21, 2015 .
- ^ IMDb: Anazapta. Retrieved November 21, 2015 .
Coordinates: 51 ° 52 '58.4 " N , 3 ° 10' 59.2" W.