Scolton Manor is a
Victorian country house
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
and
country park
A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.
United Kingdom
History
In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised cou ...
located in
Pembrokeshire,
West Wales
West Wales ( cy, Gorllewin Cymru) is not clearly defined as a particular region of Wales. Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, which historically comprised the Welsh principality of '' Dehe ...
northeast of
Haverfordwest and on the borders of the
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro) is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales.
It was established as a National Park in 1952. It is one of three national parks in Wales, the others ...
. Built as a home, it is now a
museum and is a
Grade II* listed building. The stable court, some to the north, is also a Grade II listed building and both are owned by
Pembrokeshire County Council.
The house, grounds and a number of exhibits are open to the public.
History
Designed by local architects William and James Owen, Scolton Manor was built in 1840
and occupied from 1842 by the Higgon family. The house replaced a former building owned by the same family which had burned down in the mid-eighteenth century. Prominent amongst Pembrokeshire society, three Higgon family members held the position of
High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Pembrokeshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilitie ...
, including the last resident, Lt Col John Henry Victor Higgon (1902-1987). It is a country house built in a neo-classical style, with unpainted stucco, with a slated, hipped roofs and flat overhanging eaves.
[
Taken over by Pembrokeshire County Council, the grounds have become a country park and the house has been restored. Both are open to the public. Scolton Manor is home to Pembrokeshire's County Museum Service.
]
Exhibitions
House and outbuildings
The exhibition hall displays the broad-ranging history of Pembrokeshire including natural history, geology, employment and trade, life during World War II and the Gwalia
Gwalia is an archaic Welsh name for Wales. It derives from the Medieval Latin ''Wallia'', which in turn is a Latinisation of the English 'Wales'. (For the Germanic etymology of this name see Walha.) Although never as widely used as ''Cymru'', G ...
stores. The David Burton-Richardson Collection and Archive of paintings, drawings and artefacts relating to the artist's life is housed at Scolton Manor Museum. "From Now to Zero", a retrospective exhibition of David Burton-Richardson's works was held in 2005.
The outbuildings display collections reflecting Pembrokeshire country life, including stables and carriages, the traditional skills of carpenter and blacksmith, the relationship between the poacher and gamekeeper and a Gulbenkian-nominated VARDA gypsy caravan.
Grounds
The grounds include a Victorian walled garden, the Pembrokeshire Beekeeping Centre, opened in July 2014 at the same time as the inauguration of the walled garden, a pineapple house, which in 2018 produced what is believed to be the first pineapple grown in Wales for over 100 years and ''Margaret'', a Fox Walker & Co 0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. This was the most common wheel arrangemen ...
locomotive supplied to the Maenclochog
Maenclochog () is a village, parish and community in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward comprising a wider area of four surrounding communities. Maenclochog Community includes the small settlement of Lla ...
and Rosebush railway in 1878.
References
External links
Scolton Manor at Pembrokeshire Cultural Services
{{coord, 51, 51, 38.27, N, 4, 55, 13.65, W, region:GB, display=title
Victorian architecture in the United Kingdom
Historic house museums in Wales
Museums in Pembrokeshire
Country houses in Pembrokeshire
Grade II* listed buildings in Pembrokeshire