Building record 130/8/1 - Post Medieval/Modern Manor House (Winchester House School)

{1} Winchester House school was founded in 1870's in St Leonards-on-Sea and moved to Brackley in 1918; it was located at Brackley Lodge initially and then later moved to Manor House in 1922. The school is still utilising the building today.
Baker states that ‘the manor house which succeeded the castle has disappeared, the present building, plain in character and moderate in size was probably formed out of the offices. It stands in the upper part of the High Street and is still used for holding the manorial court’. However the earliest architectural evidence from the 'tithe house' is only of the C17th while in the early C16th this property comprised simply a series of ordinary tenements.
In 1760 the Tithe House stood in adjacent plots on the west side of the upper part of High Street and by 1830 the property was called Manor House. The earliest architectural evidence from the Tithe House is only of the C17th while in the early C16th the property only consisted of a series of tenements.

{3} 1875-7 rebuilding of large mansion in Elizabethan style for the Third Earl of Ellesmere; some survival of original building eg C16th road porch.

{4} 1875-7 rebuilding of large mansion in Elizabethan style for the Third Earl of Ellesmere. 2 storeys and attics in coursed rubble with ashlar quoins and dressings, gabled stone slated and tiled roof, with gabled dormers, tall clustered shafts to chimneystacks. Casement windows, mainly lattice, with stone mullions and transoms, chamfered reveals, some dripmoulds. South courtyard front has some half timbering and plaster infilling to top floor backed by brickwork. Tower and turret west of main garden. Stone gabled porch. C16 road porch: 4 centred arch, dripmould, original door.

{6} The Manor House (now Winchester House School and not part of the property), was much enlarged between 1875 and 1878 and only a doorway and a mullioned window survive from the C17th house.
The now much larger house was a one-storeyed dormered C17th house of which only the doorway and the mullioned window to its left survive (now the chapel). Enlargement was carried out by Lord Ellesmere in 1875-8. It is also in the Jacobean style and has gables and mullioned and transomed windows.

{8} The Manor House itself was a one-storeyed C17th building of which only fragments survive today in the fabric of Winchester House School on the opposite side of the High Street.

{9} Three photos dated 02.07.1993, also photo dated 11.12.1991;

<1> Ballinger J.; Foard G., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Brackley, (unchecked) (Digital archive). SNN100499.

<2> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.117-18 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP53NE13 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<4> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 2/6 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<5> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), H17 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<6> The National Trust, 1987, Brackley Park, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Survey, p.3 (checked) (Report). SNN108200.

<7> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 1996-2013, Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group Newsletter, Issue 117 p.3 (unchecked) (Newsletter). SNN55360.

<8> MASTERS P., 1999, An Archaeological Watching Brief at Brackley Park, Brackley, Northamptonshire, (checked) (Report). SNN43763.

<9> Photographs of buildings in Brackley (Photographs). SNN112141.

Record last edited

Oct 14 2020 2:03PM