Calwich Abbey, previously Calwich Priory, was in turn the name of a medieval Augustinian priory and two successive country houses built on the same site near

Ellastone Ellastone is a rural village in the West Midlands of England on the Staffordshire side of the River Dove, between Uttoxeter and Ashbourne in north Staffordshire. Geography Ellastone lies on the River Dove and is a hive of fluvial activity. ...

, Staffordshire.

Calwich Priory

It was founded circa 1130 as a satellite cell of Kenilworth Priory and was dedicated to St Margaret. In 1349 it became independent from Kenilworth with the right to elect its own prior. It was always a small and relatively poor establishment. After the death of the prior in 1530 only one canon remained in residence and in 1532 the house was suppressed and handed over to

Rocester Abbey Rocester Abbey was a medieval monastic house at Rocester, Staffordshire, England of which there is now no trace above ground level. The Augustinian abbey of St. Mary, Rocester was founded in Dovedale between 1141 and 1146 by Richard Bacon, a ha ...

for disposal. By 1543 the property had been acquired by the Fleetwood family, who converted the priory buildings into a dwelling house.

Calwich Abbey country house

Disused stable block of Calwich Abbey - geograph

The estate was purchased from the Fleetwoods by Bernard Granville. He demolished the priory house and built a new house nearer the stream which he turned into a lake. Granville died childless in 1775, bequeathing the property to his nephew, the Reverend John D'Ewes, who assumed the surname Granville on inheriting the estate. He also left the estate in 1826 to a nephew, Court D'Ewes, who similarly adopted the surname Granville. This house hosted visits by

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Anna Seward Anna Seward (12 December 1742 ld style: 1 December 1742./ref>Often wrongly given as 1747.25 March 1809) was an English Romantic poet, often called the Swan of Lichfield. She benefited from her father's progressive views on female education. Li ...

and the philosopher,

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

. The estate was then acquired by the Duncombe family in the 1840s, who rebuilt the house in 1849–50 on higher ground in a Jacobean style by architect

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred t ...

. It was constructed of ashlar with slate roofs in two storeys to an irregular floor plan. Much of the house was demolished in 1927. The remaining building and stables, although Grade II listed, is in a derelict state. A fishing temple, built next to the river, survives. In May 2015 Calwich Abbey Estate was offered for sale and in June 2015 it was announced that it had been bought by Garrick Sayers for £2 million.http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Garrick-ll-save-pound-2m-country-pile/story-26621261-detail/story.html#ixzz3c0HiXK1B

References

{{Monasteries in Staffordshire , state=expanded Grade II listed buildings in Staffordshire Monasteries in Staffordshire Demolished buildings and structures in England Buildings and structures demolished in 1927

Calwich Priory

Calwich Abbey country house

See also

References