Waterston Manor,

Puddletown Puddletown is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated by the River Piddle, from which it derives its name, about northeast of the county town Dorchester. Its earlier name Piddletown fell out of favour, probably because ...

, Dorset is a manor house with 17th century origins, that was extensively rebuilt after a fire in 1863 and remodelled in 1911. The manor was the inspiration for Weatherbury Farm in Thomas Hardy's novel, '' Far from the Madding Crowd''. It is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The house was built in the early 17th century, when the manor was owned by the Earls of Suffolk. In 1641, it was sold to Sir John Strangways. It remained in the possession of the Strangways, who in 1756 became

Earls of Ilchester Earl of Ilchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1756 for Stephen Fox, 1st Baron Ilchester, who had previously represented Shaftesbury in Parliament. He had already been created Baron Ilchester, of Ilchester in ...

, until 1911 when it was sold to Captain Gerald Carter. The gardens were laid out by

Percy Richard Morley Horder Percy Richard Morley Horder (18 November 1870 – 7 October 1944) was an English architect who early in his career worked from offices in Stroud and later in London. His early work included public houses for the Godsell Brewery work included the ...

when he undertook remodelling of the house in 1911. The house was Hardy's inspiration for Weatherbury Farm in his novel '' Far From the Madding Crowd''. It is now owned by Katharine Butler, who, along with her siblings, was involved in a lengthy court case regarding the

Chinese porcelain Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese ceramics range from constru ...

collection assembled by their father, diplomat Sir Michael Butler.

Description

The house is of two storeys, with an attic, and is constructed of ashlar and brick. The south front remains predominantly of 17th century construction, while the east front dates from the 19th century rebuilding following the fire. The interiors are almost entirely of the 19th and 20th centuries. The gate piers, the stables, and some of the garden walls have their own Grade II listings.

Notes

Sources

* * {{cite book , last1 = Bullen , first1 = J.B. , title = Thomas Hardy: The World of His Novels , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8aX0AgAAQBAJ&q=Thomas+Hardy+The+world+of+his+novels , year = 2013 , publisher = Frances Lincoln , isbn = 978-0-7112-3275-4 Manor houses in England Country houses in Dorset Gardens in Dorset Grade I listed buildings in Dorset Grade I listed houses Puddletown