Hazelbury Manor
Encyclopedia
Hazelbury Manor is a Grade I listed manor house
, parts of which date back to the 14th century, in the hamlet
of Hazelbury
in Wiltshire
, England
.
with minstrel's gallery, dining room
, drawing room
, kitchens, a master bedroom and seven further bedrooms. The facilities include an integral office, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and other assorted buildings.
The manor was purchased by the Speke family in the early 17th century and passed to the Northey family in the early 18th century. In the early 20th century George Kidston bought it and restored its 16th century structure with the help of the architect Harold Brakspear, at the same time enlarging the house considerably in an architecturally sensitive fashion. George Kidston also wrote a book on its history. The manor is not open to the public.
, and colourful herbaceous border
s. Later (1980s) additions include a circle of menhir
s and a laburnum
walk.
are sometimes held on the grounds in summer. The plays are part of Shakespeare Live
, an annual outdoor production in the region that is for charity.
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...
, parts of which date back to the 14th century, in the hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
of Hazelbury
Hazelbury, Wiltshire
Hazelbury is a hamlet in the parish of Box in Wiltshire, England. It is home to Hazelbury Manor, a 14th century building in grounds of , of which are landscaped gardens.- References :* http://www.information-britain.co.uk/showPlace.cfm?Place_ID=7857...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Manor
The manor contains a great hallGreat hall
A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
with minstrel's gallery, dining room
Dining room
A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level...
, drawing room
Drawing room
A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the sixteenth-century terms "withdrawing room" and "withdrawing chamber", which remained in use through the seventeenth century, and made its first written appearance in 1642...
, kitchens, a master bedroom and seven further bedrooms. The facilities include an integral office, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and other assorted buildings.
The manor was purchased by the Speke family in the early 17th century and passed to the Northey family in the early 18th century. In the early 20th century George Kidston bought it and restored its 16th century structure with the help of the architect Harold Brakspear, at the same time enlarging the house considerably in an architecturally sensitive fashion. George Kidston also wrote a book on its history. The manor is not open to the public.
Gardens
The manor is set in 186 acre (0.75271596 km²) of land, 8 of which are landscaped gardens. The gardens are Edwardian-style and were laid out by George Kidston in the 1920s. They contain topiaryTopiary
Topiary is the horticultural practice of training live perennial plants, by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, perhaps geometric or fanciful; and the term also refers to plants which have been shaped in this way. It can be...
, and colourful herbaceous border
Herbaceous border
A herbaceous border is a collection of perennial herbaceous plants arranged closely together, usually to create a dramatic effect through colour, shape or large scale. The term herbaceous border is mostly in use in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth...
s. Later (1980s) additions include a circle of menhir
Menhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
s and a laburnum
Laburnum
Laburnum is a genus of two species of small trees in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, Laburnum anagyroides and L. alpinum . They are native to the mountains of southern Europe from France to the Balkan Peninsula...
walk.
Plays
PlaysPlay (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
are sometimes held on the grounds in summer. The plays are part of Shakespeare Live
Shakespeare live
Shakespeare Live is the largest exclusively Shakespeare based outdoor production in the South West of England. Now entering its 20th year they have raised over £50,000 for various local charities over the years...
, an annual outdoor production in the region that is for charity.