Pontrilas Court
Grade II* Manor House
Pontrilas Court is a Grade II* listed property, which is defined by English Heritage as ‘a particularly important building of more than special interest’
Pontrilas Court
Introduction
Pontrilas Court is a large stone mansion situated in 13 acres of land at Pontrilas in Herefordshire.
The village of Pontrilas lies next to the river Dore in south Herefordshire close to the Welsh border. Pontrilas Court is situated at the west end of the village at grid reference SO 395 274, and is marked on the 1904 Ordnance Survey map illustration.
This website is the result of research the history of Pontrilas Court with the objective of finding out as much as possible about the building’s past including:
- When the property was built.
- Who formerly owned and lived in the house.
- The history of the Baskervilles and other families at Pontrilas Court.
- What land used to belong to the house and information about the development of its gardens.
The site includes documentary research at the local record office and other archive repositories, commissioned and prepared in 2008.
This research has given an insight into the history of Pontrilas Court covering more than four centuries. The property was originally part of a larger estate with land in five Herefordshire parishes until 1840 when it was split into smaller holdings, Pontrilas Court having approximately half the pre-sale acreage. A number of farms were added to the estate until it reached over 1,600 acres and it was put up for sale again in 1919, with almost 11 acres allotted to Pontrilas Court. The property has been variously known as ‘the mansion house’, ‘Pontrilas House’ and, from 1881, Pontrilas Court. The neighbouring Pontrilas Farm would undoubtedly have contributed to the income of the property during its association with Pontrilas Court within the same estate.
The Baskerville family of Eardisley came to Pontrilas in the early 16th century and built Pontrilas Court between 1630-40. Their association with Pontrilas lasted for 150 years or so, to be followed by the Jackson and Shiffner families, related to each other by marriage, whose ownership of Pontrilas lasted a further 120 years. Subsequent ownership of the property has been traced to the present time.
For four centuries, Pontrilas Court has been home to many distinguished people during its history, many of whom have served in public office as members of parliament, magistrates and county officials.
Below is some research summary information and details about the ownership history (along with changes to connected lands) as well as property tenants can be found in the top right menu, or the large buttons below.
Property Overview
Pontrilas Court is a Grade II* listed building which is defined by English Heritage as ‘a particularly important building of more than special interest’. Only about 4% of all the listed buildings in England are accorded a Grade II* listing. The original listing description was written in 1952 when the property was described as follows:
‘Mid- and late c17 with c18 and mid- to late c19 alterations. Sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings, c20 tiled roof. Main range aligned south-west/north-east with service wing adjoining to north-east end and extending to north-west forming an L-plan; projecting porch to left of centre of main range to north-west front; two gable-end stacks and rear lateral stack to main range, axial stack to service wing. Two storeys, attics and cellars.’
A timber-framed dovecote with painted brick infill approximately 10 metres to the north-east of the property has a Grade II listing.
A detailed survey of Pontrilas Court was carried out by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME – the forerunner to English Heritage) in 1927 and published in 1931. The study included an examination of the interior and exterior of the building, detailed notes about its general appearance and architectural features, and information about its historical development, outbuildings and general condition which was described as ‘good’.
The RCHME survey described the house as an L-shaped plan with wings extending south-west and north-west. The SW wing, which included the main entrance, great hall and rooms either side, was built c1630-40, and the NW wing towards the end of the 17th century, with modern additions to each wing. Other references to 17th century features included mid-17th century moulded panelling in the small room beneath the stairs at Pontrilas Court (1919) the east end of the SW wing, and the late 17th century dovecote and stabling. These architectural reference points were useful in linking the structure of Pontrilas Court with the documentary research and provided the opportunity to identify which of the property’s owners had carried out these different phases of work.
An early set of sale particulars prepared in 1919 provided additional information about the appearance and layout of Pontrilas Court making it possible to detect physical changes to the property during the last ninety years. The sale particulars included some early photographs of the property (including the example shown above).
Of particular value were two beautifully drawn pen and ink views of the front and rear of Pontrilas Court drawn by S Fisher of Hereford. The prints were undated but are believed to date from the 19th century. Both the prints and photographs provide a valuable record of the building and gardens from well over a hundred years ago.
Gardens
When the Pontrilas estate was sold in 1839, the sale particulars described Pontrilas Court’s grounds as simply ‘gardens and fishponds’ occupying, with the house, almost four acres of land. The 19th-century drawing of Pontrilas Court illustrated below shows the garden at the rear of the house with extensive tree planting on either side of the lawn.
The 1904 Ordnance Survey map showed areas of marshland to the south, with both deciduous and coniferous wooded areas to the west of Pontrilas Court.
The 1919 sale particulars provided more detail: by then the gardens and grounds had extended to more than 10 acres with 3½ miles of fishing rights on the rivers Monnow and Dore. The gardens included two tennis courts and a wide variety of flowering shrubs and ornamental trees including a ‘very fine tulip tree’ believed to have been planted by the botanist George Bentham during his tenancy of Pontrilas Court in the mid-19th century (more details). There was a kitchen garden including glasshouses and vegetable garden, and a larch plantation across the river.
