Abbey Dore Court is a
country house in
Abbey Dore
Abbey Dore ( cy, Abaty Deur) is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, known for Dore Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, which was expanded in the 13th century.
The name Abbey Dore came into being in the 18th century, combi ...
,
Herefordshire
Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
It was built in the
Golden Valley in 1861 for Thomas Freke Lewis. It includes the former
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
, the Red Lion Inn which was built in the early 1800s. The property was owned by the Partridge family and then later by the Prothero family of Malpas Court. The house is now surrounded by a significant plantsman's garden created by the present owner, Charis Ward, since 1976.
In 2010, the house underwent significant renovation and internal modernisation in order to be let for holiday rentals.
The garden was open to the public as was the Stables Tearoom in the cobbled courtyard, but these are now undergoing renovations.
Dore Abbey
Dore Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in the village of Abbey Dore in the Golden Valley, Herefordshire, England. A large part of the original medieval building has been used since the 16th century as the parish church, with remaining parts eith ...
, the 1147
Cistercian abbey, which is still used as the village place of worship, is nearby.
In April 2010 and September 2011, Abbey Dore Court was the subject of a
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
television documentary presented by hotelier
Ruth Watson
Ruth (or its variants) may refer to:
Places
France
* Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France
Switzerland
* Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny
United States
* Ruth, Alabama
* Ruth, Ar ...
as part of her ''
Country House Rescue
''Country House Rescue'' is an observational documentary series which airs on British terrestrial television channel, Channel 4. The series has also aired on BBC Canada, ABC1 in Australia and Living in New Zealand and in South Africa.
In each e ...
'' series.
The property was sold in 2018 and is now privately owned.
Owners of Abbey Dore Court
The Red Lion Inn which still forms part of Abbey Dore Court dates back to the early 1800s. In 1821 it was inherited by John Higford (1771-1852) as part of an estate in
Abbey Dore
Abbey Dore ( cy, Abaty Deur) is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, known for Dore Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, which was expanded in the 13th century.
The name Abbey Dore came into being in the 18th century, combi ...
consisting of 1434 acres. He had been born John Parsons but had changed his name to Higford at the time of his inheritance. In 1852 he died and in his will the property was left to his cousin Captain Thomas Freke Lewis.
Captain Thomas Freke Lewis (1831-1908) in about 1861 added a Victorian Wing as well as Italian mosaic floors, moulded ceilings, a ballroom, a Jacobean staircase and a 1621 fireplace, all of which survive today. He was born in 1831 in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. His father was the Reverend Francis Lewis. He joined the Royal Monmouth Militia and then in 1855 was promoted to Lieutenant in the 23rd Foot
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...
. He subsequently became a Captain.
In 1858 he married Jane Anne Harris (1838-1899) but the couple had no children. Thomas was regarded as a fine sportsman and at one time was Master of the
Herefordshire
Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...
Hounds. In 1875 he advertised the property for sale but subsequently decided not to sell it. The advertisement is shown.
His wife Jane died in 1899 and it was thought that he continued to be a widower. It was expected that as he had no children that his nephew Archer George Prothero would inherit his estates. However when he died in 1908 his Will revealed that he had a wife whom he had married in 1904 and two children. They inherited the property and in 1909 it was sold. The purchaser was William Bailey Partridge of
Bacton, Herefordshire. He died shortly after this and his younger son Captain Richard Partridge became the owner of the property.
Captain Richard Crawshay Bailey Partridge (1876-1918) who was unmarried was killed in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in 1918. He was awarded the
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC ...
and the
Croix de Guerre. There is a memorial window in St Mary’s Church in
Abbey Dore
Abbey Dore ( cy, Abaty Deur) is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, known for Dore Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, which was expanded in the 13th century.
The name Abbey Dore came into being in the 18th century, combi ...
with an inscription.
In 1919 the house was advertised for sale and was sold to Lewis’s nephew (mentioned above) Lieutenant Colonel Archer George Prothero (1869-1929) who had frequently visited the estate when he was a child to see his uncle. He lived there with his wife Lavinia for ten years and in 1929 he died. His obituary was in “The Times” and can be read at this reference. As he had no children the estate was inherited by his eldest sister Evelyn Mary Frances Wiseman-Clarke. When she died in 1958 she left it to her son Freke William Wiseman-Clarke.
In 1967, it was sold to the Ward family
[Abbey Dore Court website]
Online reference
before selling it in 2018.
References
External links
Official site
{{Authority control
Gardens in Herefordshire
Tourist attractions in Herefordshire
Country houses in Herefordshire