Cornwell, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Cornwell is a village and civil parish about 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Chipping Norton in West Oxfordshire
.
of Saint Peter
was originally Norman
, and the chancel
arch survives form this time. Most of the windows are Decorated Gothic and Perpendicular Gothic additions. The church was rebuilt in 1830 and 1882, when the present west window was added. The south door has a porch with a sundial
.
The manor house
dates from the 16th or 17th century, with a dining room and library panelled in about 1640 and 17th century stables and dovecote
. It was the home of Sir Thomas Penyston, 1st Baronet and his family occupied the house until the 19th century. A new front was built onto the house in about 1750, and the drawing room has a fireplace in the style of Robert Adam
. In 1939 the architect Clough Williams-Ellis
restored the house, added a ballroom and laid out the gardens.
Some of the cottages in the village are 17th century. In 1939 Williams-Ellis, who had designed Portmeirion
in north Wales
, remodelled all the cottages in Cornwell and remodelled the former village school in neo-Georgian
style as the Village Hall
.
West Oxfordshire
West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....
.
History
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
was originally Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
, and the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch survives form this time. Most of the windows are Decorated Gothic and Perpendicular Gothic additions. The church was rebuilt in 1830 and 1882, when the present west window was added. The south door has a porch with a sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
.
The manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
dates from the 16th or 17th century, with a dining room and library panelled in about 1640 and 17th century stables and dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
. It was the home of Sir Thomas Penyston, 1st Baronet and his family occupied the house until the 19th century. A new front was built onto the house in about 1750, and the drawing room has a fireplace in the style of Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
. In 1939 the architect Clough Williams-Ellis
Clough Williams-Ellis
Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis, CBE, MC was an English-born Welsh architect known chiefly as creator of the Italianate village of Portmeirion in North Wales.-Origins, education and early career:...
restored the house, added a ballroom and laid out the gardens.
Some of the cottages in the village are 17th century. In 1939 Williams-Ellis, who had designed Portmeirion
Portmeirion
Portmeirion is a popular tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village and is now owned by a charitable trust....
in north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, remodelled all the cottages in Cornwell and remodelled the former village school in neo-Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
style as the Village Hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
.