Poundsbridge Manor, nicknamed "The Picture House", is an oak timber-framed house built in 1593 by
John and Brian Durtnall for their father William, Rector of
Penshurst from 1563 to 1596.
Originally, it was called "Durtnolls" and it has an inscription "1593 WD ETA 69". WD are the initials of William Durtnell and the letter D, looking like an inverted Q, is the Gothic form of the letter. ETA 69 (ETA is a mistake for "aet", ''aetatis suae'') means he was 69 years old when the house was finished.
In 1678 it was owned by an Edmond Woodgate and he left it to his nephew Thomas Woodgate, a yeoman of
Farningham, who left it to his wife. Later, it was divided in two and one part became a tavern.
It was illustrated by
Samuel Prout
Samuel Prout painted by John Jackson in 1831
Market Day by Samuel Prout
A View in Nuremberg by Samuel Prout
Utrecht Town Hall by Samuel Prout in 1841
Samuel Prout (; 17 September 1783 – 10 February 1852) was a British watercolourist, and ...
,
was also illustrated in a book of 1810 in a drawing by Paul Amsinck, engraved by
Letitia Byrne
Letitia Byrne (1779–1849) was a British engraver.
Life
She was born on 24 November 1779, presumably in London, being the third daughter of William Byrne, engraver, and the sister of Anne Frances Byrne. As a pupil of her father, she exhibit ...
and by an F. Grant in 1906 (owned by Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery).
In 1906 it was described as "Pounds Bridge" inn and being "on a secluded road between
Speldhurst and
Penshurst, in Kent".
It is now a Grade II
listed building.
In the
Second World War, the house was hit by a stray bomb and the extensive rebuilding that was required was again done by Durtnell's.
References
Notes
{{notelist
Elizabethan architecture
Grade II listed buildings in Kent
Grade II listed houses
Houses completed in 1593
Houses in Kent
Manor houses in England
Timber framed buildings
Penshurst