More information : (ST 73161811) Manor House (NR) (site of) (NAT) (1)
REMAINS OF THE MANOR HOUSE, now destroyed, are found in
Stalbridge Park, 200 yds. W. of the church, on a gentle declivity
with extensive views to the S. across the Stour valley. From
Hutchins's engraving (Ill, opp. 670) the former house appears
to have been of c. 1600. In Leland's time the manor house had
been on the S. side of the church and the 17th-century building
must therefore have been erected on a new site; it was demolished
in 1822 and nothing remains except the park wall, a 17th-century
gateway, earthworks, a walled kitchen garden and some fragments
of stonework that are built into an adjacent farmhouse.
The Park Wall is of dry-laid coursed rubble, some 10 ft. high.
with rounded capping and a projecting drip-course. The Park
Gateway (73311827) is of the 17th century and consists of two
stout ashlar piers, in which alternate courses are rusticated,
capped by modillion cornices above which rise stone lion-head
crests (Plate 66). The gates are of wrought iron with
spear-headed uprights and a top rail sweeping down in a segmental
curve from the hinges to the meeting stiles. Inside the gateway
the road is flanked by an avenue of elm trees. The site of the
17th-century house (73161812) is a flat terrace (80 yds. by 50
yds.) defined by scarps to the N.W. and S.E. and by a bank to the
N.E.
Earthworks N.E. of the house are probably the remains of formal
gardens which were destroyed soon after 1745, when the park was
enlarged, walled and landscaped; the earthworks cover about 4
acres and comprise a number of low scarps, banks and ditches
defining flat rectangular areas. The Kitchen Gardens, immediatley
S.W. of the house site have a dry stone wall enclosing about
half an acre.
Park Farm, house, about 50 yds. N.W. of the manor house site,
is of two storeys with attics and has rendered walls and
stone-slated roofs; it is probably of the first half of the 19th
century. The S. front is symmetrical and of five bays, with a
central doorway and mullioned and transomed two-light windows in
both storeys; at the base is a rubble plinth with an ashlar
capping. In the middle bay the capping is hollow chamfered and
roll-moulded and this is presumably a fragment from the manor
house; the same mouldings occur more consistently in the plinths
of the E. and W. walls; elsewhere the capping is chamfered. The
middle bay of the S. front has a 19th-century ashlar porch,
on each side of which is reset an early 17th-century shell-headed
stone niche. (2)
Stalbridge 17th century park wall forms a continous circuit
some 6,800m. in total length. It is generally in a very good
state of repair, and represents a fine example of high quality
dry-stone walling on a major scale. Full extend defined on O.S.
6".
The Park Gateway at ST 73311829 remains as described. Both the
ashlar-piers, and the iron gate, being in a good state of
preservation.
The site of the 17th century house centred at ST 7318-1810
consists of a rectangular platform internally 48.0m.
north-east-south west by 70.0m. transversely. It is bounded on
the south west by a scarp up to 1.0m. high and on the north west
and south east by vestigial scarps up to 0.4m. high. The north
east side is flanked by a substantial earthen bank up to 1.7m.
high, recognisable on Hutchins original engraving of the house.
A second levelled platform at ST 73001800 measures internally
50.0m. north east-south west by 60.0m. transversly.
It is bounded on the downhill sides by a scarp up to 1.1m. high
and is terraced 0.6m. into the slope on the uphill south west
side. The site can be dated to 150 years plus by the tree ring
growth of felled trees on the platform. It seems therefore
probable that this platform is at least contemporary with the
former.
Surveyed at 1:2500 on A.M.'s:
ST 7217, 7218, 7317, 7318. (3)
An estate map of 1781-2 shows the Old Park at Stalbridge as being an area enclosing only some 40 acres, to the North of Park (Home) Farm. This is still traceable on the ground, and may represent the Abbot of Sherborne's park boundary. (4)
Mentioned. (5)
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