New Wardour Castle
Encyclopedia
New Wardour Castle is an English country house
at Wardour
, near Tisbury
in Wiltshire
, built for the Arundell family
. The house is of a Palladian style, designed by the architect James Paine with additional pieces from Giacomo Quarenghi
, who was a principal architect of the Imperial Russian
capital city Saint Petersburg
.
The house's construction began in 1769 and was completed in 1776, with additional buildings being added in the 1970s and 1980s.
New Wardour Castle is approximately 1.5 miles (2 km) from Old Wardour Castle
, which was left as a landscape feature of the original parkland. This was formerly the home of the Arundell family before it was destroyed in the Civil War
.
ashlar with hipped
Welsh
slate
roofs and comprises a square main block with flanking pavilions. The north front has a rusticated
basement below a piano nobile
with mezzanine
and attic floor over.
The house also includes a Roman Catholic chapel and a rare rotunda
staircase. There are also many painted ceilings and ornate fireplaces, typical of the building period.
staircase is 144 feet (44 m) round and was designed by James Paine.
The ground floor of the rotunda
staircase features a black and white marble floor with exits to the north and south and sweeping staircases either side. The stairs can sometimes be fitted with glass uplighter candle lamps and a stair carpet.
The first floor consists of a wooden floor with Roman columns rising to the vaulted ceiling. The surrounding balustrade is made from fine leadwork with Gold leaf gilded flowers and topped by a wooden handrail
. Leading off from the 1st floor are four fine alcoves with tall wooden doors.
Also on the first floor, there is a pipe organ
in wood, ivory
and gold
.
The ceiling is a high circular dome with a central window decorated with reliefs of musical instruments.
in 1788, to the designs of John Soane
. From its beginnings, it served the needs of a substantial local recusant
community and still has regular Sunday services, as well as sometimes being used for musical events.
in 1764, however these proved too expensive and revised by George Ingham in 1773 before Capability Brown
was brought in and undertook extensive earth moving and tree planting between 1775 and 1783.
The current garden includes a ha-ha
, a walled garden
with a swimming pool and a Camelia
house. There is a long driveway, which passes the Hexagon cottage and leads up to the rear of the building and the chapel.
There is also a Temple, built as a folly
, in a distinct area of the grounds referred to as the Temple Garden.
, the building was rented and became the home of Cranbourne Chase School
. The school built new classrooms, studio dormitories and a dining-room extension on the south-eastern side of the main house, along with three staff houses to the west.
The school eventually closed in 1990. In 1992 the house along with five cottages, six tennis courts, and a swimming pool in the walled garden, was sold for under £1 million to Nigel Tuersley, and was converted into 10 luxury apartments by designer John Pawson
, with Tuersley living in Apartment 1, which occupies the two main floors of the central block. The extensions and accommodation added by the school were mostly demolished.
The building has been designated by English Heritage
as a grade I listed building, with its grounds being grade II* listed. It was used in the filming of the television mini-series First Born
(1998), and in the filming of Billy Elliot
, a movie released in 2000.
Jasper Conran recently purchased the house, and plans to live between this house and Ven House.
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
at Wardour
Wardour, Wiltshire
Wardour is a settlement in Wiltshire, England, five miles to the south of Hindon. Formerly a parish in its own right, it is now part of the civil parish of Tisbury.The ruins of Wardour Castle are a prominent feature...
, near Tisbury
Tisbury, Wiltshire
The large village of Tisbury lies approximately west of Salisbury in the English county of Wiltshire.With a population at the 2001 census of 2,056 it is an important local centre for communities around the upper River Nadder and Vale of Wardour...
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...
, built for the Arundell family
Baron Arundell of Wardour
Baron Arundell of Wardour, in the County of Wiltshire, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1605 for Thomas Arundell, known as "Thomas the Valiant". He was the grandson of Sir Thomas Arundell and Margaret Howard, sister of Queen Catherine Howard. Arundell had already been...
. The house is of a Palladian style, designed by the architect James Paine with additional pieces from Giacomo Quarenghi
Giacomo Quarenghi
Giacomo Quarenghi was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of Palladian architecture in Imperial Russia, particularly in Saint Petersburg.- Career in Italy :...
, who was a principal architect of the Imperial Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
capital city Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
The house's construction began in 1769 and was completed in 1776, with additional buildings being added in the 1970s and 1980s.
New Wardour Castle is approximately 1.5 miles (2 km) from Old Wardour Castle
Wardour Castle
Wardour Castle is located at Wardour, near Tisbury in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Salisbury. The original castle was partially destroyed during the Civil War...
, which was left as a landscape feature of the original parkland. This was formerly the home of the Arundell family before it was destroyed in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Building Structure
The building is constructed from limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
ashlar with hipped
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
Welsh
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...
slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs and comprises a square main block with flanking pavilions. The north front has a rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
basement below a piano nobile
Piano nobile
The piano nobile is the principal floor of a large house, usually built in one of the styles of classical renaissance architecture...
with mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
and attic floor over.
The house also includes a Roman Catholic chapel and a rare rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
staircase. There are also many painted ceilings and ornate fireplaces, typical of the building period.
Rotunda Staircase
In total the rotundaRotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
staircase is 144 feet (44 m) round and was designed by James Paine.
The ground floor of the rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
staircase features a black and white marble floor with exits to the north and south and sweeping staircases either side. The stairs can sometimes be fitted with glass uplighter candle lamps and a stair carpet.
The first floor consists of a wooden floor with Roman columns rising to the vaulted ceiling. The surrounding balustrade is made from fine leadwork with Gold leaf gilded flowers and topped by a wooden handrail
Handrail
A handrail is a rail that is designed to be grasped by the hand so as to provide stability or support. Handrails are commonly used while ascending or descending stairways and escalators in order to prevent injurious falls. Other applications include bathroom handrails—which help to prevent falls on...
. Leading off from the 1st floor are four fine alcoves with tall wooden doors.
Also on the first floor, there is a pipe organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
in wood, ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
.
The ceiling is a high circular dome with a central window decorated with reliefs of musical instruments.
All Saints' Chapel
The former Roman Catholic chapel which belonged to the house is known as All Saints Chapel, Wardour. It was enlarged by Henry Arundell, 8th Baron Arundell of WardourHenry Arundell, 8th Baron Arundell of Wardour
Henry Arundell, 8th Baron Arundell of Wardour was a British nobleman in the 18th century. A portrait was painted of him by the famous artist Sir Joshua Reynolds....
in 1788, to the designs of John Soane
John Soane
Sir John Soane, RA was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. His architectural works are distinguished by their clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions and skilful use of light sources...
. From its beginnings, it served the needs of a substantial local recusant
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
community and still has regular Sunday services, as well as sometimes being used for musical events.
Parkland and garden
The original plans for the grounds were suggested by Richard WoodsRichard Woods
Edward "Richard" Woods, CNZM is Chairman of the Board of the Environmental Risk Management Authority, a New Zealand Government Agency that ensures compliance with the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act - HSNO Act 1996...
in 1764, however these proved too expensive and revised by George Ingham in 1773 before Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
was brought in and undertook extensive earth moving and tree planting between 1775 and 1783.
The current garden includes a ha-ha
Ha-ha (garden)
Ha-ha is a term in garden design that refers to a trench, one side of which is concealed from view, designed to allow an unobstructed view from a garden, pleasure-ground, or park, while maintaining a physical barrier in one direction, usually to keep livestock out that are kept on an expansive...
, a walled garden
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
with a swimming pool and a Camelia
Camelia
-Awards:* Anugerah Industri Muzik 1998** Best New Artist**Best Vocal Performance in an Album for "Camelia"-Personal life:She was married to Mohd Ehsan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce until their divorce in 1999. She then married a prominent local developer who is a Datuk in 2010. This makes her formal...
house. There is a long driveway, which passes the Hexagon cottage and leads up to the rear of the building and the chapel.
There is also a Temple, built as a folly
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
, in a distinct area of the grounds referred to as the Temple Garden.
Recent history
After the death in 1944 of John Francis, 16th and last Lord Arundell of WardourBaron Arundell of Wardour
Baron Arundell of Wardour, in the County of Wiltshire, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1605 for Thomas Arundell, known as "Thomas the Valiant". He was the grandson of Sir Thomas Arundell and Margaret Howard, sister of Queen Catherine Howard. Arundell had already been...
, the building was rented and became the home of Cranbourne Chase School
Cranbourne Chase School
Cranborne Chase School for Girls was an independent boarding school originally opened in Crichel House in Moor Crichel, Dorset. In 1960, the school moved to the New Wardour Castle near Tisbury, Wiltshire....
. The school built new classrooms, studio dormitories and a dining-room extension on the south-eastern side of the main house, along with three staff houses to the west.
The school eventually closed in 1990. In 1992 the house along with five cottages, six tennis courts, and a swimming pool in the walled garden, was sold for under £1 million to Nigel Tuersley, and was converted into 10 luxury apartments by designer John Pawson
John Pawson
John Pawson is a British designer associated with the minimalist aesthetic.-Biography:Pawson studied at Eton College and the Architectural Association School of Architecture and is married to Catherine and has two children, Caius and Benedict.-Selected projects:London's Cannelle Cake Shop, several...
, with Tuersley living in Apartment 1, which occupies the two main floors of the central block. The extensions and accommodation added by the school were mostly demolished.
The building has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade I listed building, with its grounds being grade II* listed. It was used in the filming of the television mini-series First Born
First Born
First Born is a British television serial produced by the BBC in 1988.Charles Dance starred as genetic researcher Edward Forester, whose work leads him to create a man-gorilla hybrid, using his own sperm and cells taken from a female gorilla...
(1998), and in the filming of Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
, a movie released in 2000.
Jasper Conran recently purchased the house, and plans to live between this house and Ven House.