The National Trust owns the delightful Avebury Manor in Wiltshire; however, as with some of their other properties, it is leased by tenants, so only some of the property may be viewed and since access is limited, ‘timed tickets’ are issued.
The Manor has ecclesiastical roots, and parts of the building date from the 12th century Benedictine Priory, which was nearby. King Henry III had granted the manor to William de Tankerville, the Chamberlain of Normandy, who swiftly granted it to the Abbey of St-Georges-de-Boscherville in Normandy, a religious house which was founded under the Rule of Saint Benedict. The main building was built in the 16th century by William Durch, the current south front of the house being dated to 1602. A succession of owners, some with dubious business practices (Sir William Sharington, Master of the Mint at Bristol, was stripped of the manor for ‘clipping’ the coinage) lead to Colonel and Mrs L.C.D. Jenner in 1907, who laid out some beautiful Edwardian gardens, including superb examples of topiary. A photograph dated 1922 shows most of the rendered walls covered in ivy. This rendering clothes strong structural ‘bones’ of limestone and sarsen stone, which have stood the test of time. Similarly, some of the original, leaded glazing has survived almost untouched.
With a house of this age, it is almost certain that there will be a fund of ghost stories. It is said that there is a ‘white lady’, the ghost of a young Civil War widow, who follows visitors around the house and gardens. However, the most ‘notable’ apparition is that of Sir John Stavell, who died immediately after the English Civil War when the manor was stripped from him by Oliver Cromwell – Sir John’s ghost is said to be immediately preceded by a very strong smell of roses!
Avebury Manor has not been without recent controversy, however. In the late 1980s, the house was bought by a Mr Ken King, a businessman who had – let us say – some rather unusual business habits. Many of the locals were up in arms, when it was announced that Mr King would be converting the property into an Elizabethan theme park, with waxworks and instruments of torture; he expected this to bring in 100,000 visitors per year. How this would have been accomplished in a tiny village with just one, narrow, through road (complete with three 90 degree bends) and almost zero parking is beyond me. The effect on the UN-designated World Heritage Site does not bear thinking about.
Fortunately, for almost all concerned, the plan foundered, Mr King went broke (again), and the National Trust acquired the property. The rest, as they say, is history………..
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