Big House, Landshipping

Last updated

Big House, Landshipping
"Big House" at Landshipping - geograph.org.uk - 506570.jpg
The property in July 2003
Big House, Landshipping
General information
Country United Kingdom
Construction started1750
Completed1830
Client William Owens
Technical details
Structural system Stone
Design and construction
Architect(s) William Owens 1830 (Renovation)

The Big House, also known as Landshipping House, is a historic house on the banks of the River Cleddau in Landshipping, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Contents

The house was originally built in 1750 and owned by the Owens of Orielton who were the Landshipping Coal Agents. It was constructed using stone and roof materials from an older, ruined inland mansion. This building would have been a simple rectangular design with an entrance facing south-west, before several alterations occurred. The final alterations occurred in 1830 by architect William Owen. Owen added a third storey to the western wing and moved the entrance to the North façade, between two bows that were added at the same time to look out over the River Cleddau. His design was inspired by Slebech Hall and Picton Castle. The house remained occupied until the late 1800s when it fell into disrepair and by 1890 it was a ruin. However, the cottages at the rear remained lived in until the 1970s. In 1922 the Landshipping Estate, including Big House, was sold at auction. [1]

A document from 1857 described Big House as having "Bed Rooms, Hall, Parlour, Dining Room, Drawing Room, Nursery, Library, Servants Offices, Range of Stabling, Coach House, Saddle Room & Granary Over Yard, External Walled Garden, Orchards," and a wood set in nearly 6 acres. The property is now set in about 2 acres. [2]

The Owen family

Sir John Owen Sir John Owen 1776 to 1861.jpg
Sir John Owen

The original house was built in about 1750 by the Owen family of Orielton who owned coal mines in the area. A map of 1785 shows the Landshipping Estate. [3] The house is drawn as a dwelling house near the river (red arrow) while the Owens’ much larger residence called “Great House” is to the right of it.

Map of Landshipping (1785) Landshipping map 1785.jpg
Map of Landshipping (1785)

The Landshipping Estate passed in 1809 to Sir John Owen (1776-1861). He had inherited the property from his cousin Sir Hugh Owen [4] who had died young and unmarried. By this time the Great House which had previously been a splendid mansion was roofless and in ruins. [5] The problem had started long before this when Sir Hugh's mother who for many years was trustee of the Estate found that she did not have or would not provide sufficient funds for the upkeep of the Landshipping house. Therefore, in 1790 she arranged for the main rooms at “Great House” to be closed and the furniture covered in dust sheets. The cook, housekeeper and other domestic servants as well as the gardener and farm labourers were dismissed. One woman, Catherine Davies, was employed to act as custodian of the property. [6]

In 1830 Sir John Owen commissioned an architect to make major alterations and additions to the smaller house near the Quay (red arrow). It is believed that he used the stone from the now crumbling “Great House” to make these changes. A third storey was added to the western wing, and the entrance was moved to the North facade between two bow-fronted full height extensions. A service court with stables and servants’ quarters were added to the rear. These alterations were very similar to the larger Picton Castle on the opposite side of the river. [7]

The altered house became the residence of Sir John's son Hugh Owen (1803-1891) [8] Hugh Owen was born in 1803. In 1825 he married Angelia Maria Cecilia Morgan, the daughter of Sir Charles Morgan of Tredegar House, Newport.

The 1841 Census [9] shows the family living at the “Big House” with two of their children and seven servants. Unfortunately Angelia died in 1844. In 1845, Hugh remarried Henrietta Fraser Rodney, daughter of Captain Edward Rodney. The 1851 Census shows Hugh at Landshipping with his new family. [10]

Although Sir John Owen was the proprietor of many estates, his fortunes declined. He and his son Hugh were both Members of Parliament and needed a great deal of money to retain their seats. In addition there was a disastrous mining accident at Landshipping in 1844 which claimed the lives of 40 people. [11] Consequently, in 1857 they were forced to sell most of their land holdings, including Landshipping. The advertisement for Big House describes it as "Beautifully situated on the banks of the River Cleddy and opposite Picton Castle containing - sundry Bed Rooms, Hall, Parlour, Dining Room, Drawing Room, Nursery, Library, Servants Offices, Range of Stabling, Coach House, Saddle Room & Granary Over Yard, External Walled Garden, Orchards, Wood etc."

Sometime after this sale the Landshipping Estate was bought by the Stanley family.

The Stanley family

The property was purchased and held under the Trust of Sir Edmond Stanley who had died in 1843. [12] The beneficiaries of this Trust were Mary Ann Stanley, Sir Edmonds’ daughter, and her two sons, Edmond and James. [13] At the age of 14, Mary Ann, the only child and heiress of the wealthy Sir Edmond Stanley, ran off with Captain Edward Trant Bontein to Gretna Green where they married. The couple had two sons, Edmond born in 1818 and James Talbot born in 1819. After her husband died in 1820, Mary Ann returned to live with her parents. Her sons were given the name of Stanley and she called herself Mary Ann Bontein Stanley. [14]

The Trust of Sir Edmond Stanley was able to purchase properties and one of these was Landshipping Estate. For a few years in the early 1860s John Talbot Stanley, one of the beneficiaries of the Trust, lived in Big House (then called Landshipping House) and started some mining activities. However, these terminated in 1865 when he encountered serious personal financial difficulties. [15] Shortly after a lease was given by the Trust to John Maule Sutton [16] to conduct mining activities. It is believed that he lived in the house for several years [17] while he undertook excavations. However, in 1867 his firm the Landshipping Colleries Company was wound up due to insolvency. [18]

Report of a lease for the Landshipping Estate in 1914 Report on Landshipping coal 1914.jpg
Report of a lease for the Landshipping Estate in 1914

In 1868 Isaac John who was a farmer was reported in a newspaper to be living in the house [19] and in 1878 John Thomas was the resident in the property. [20] However neither of them appear to have stayed there for long.

In 1875 Edmond died and in 1881 Mary Ann died. By 1883 the Landshipping Estate appears to be owned by two grandchildren of Mary Ann, that is, Captain later Major Edward Stanley (1853-1896) and James Douglas Talbot Stanley but is still subject to the control of the Trust. [21] In 1888 a new seam of coal was discovered at Landshipping [22] but little was done to reactivate the mines. In 1896 Major Edward Stanley died and James Douglas Talbot Stanley seems to have become owner of the property. In 1914 he granted a lease for a company [23] to mine but this also did not seem to progress.

James died in 1918 and in 1922 the Estate was divided into lots and sold at auction. By this time Big House was a complete ruin and had not been inhabited for decades.

Media

In 2002 Big House appeared in This Land, a network BBC TV series directed by Richard Traylor-Smith, as Alun Lewis and then partner Sarah Hoss and their children moved to the site to begin the project; [1] then again in 2005 the family were featured with their project in the BBC TV series Magic Harbours presented by Jamie Owen. [24] [1]

In 2011, the project featured on episode six of the BBC television series Restoration Home , presented by Caroline Quentin. [2]

In 2012, the house was again featured in an episode of Restoration Home: One Year On, Episode Three [25] when the second bay was partially restored, but the roof of this wing still needed repairs to make it weatherproof.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haverfordwest</span> Town in Wales

Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, with 12,042 people, after Milford Haven. The suburbs include the former parish of Prendergast, Albert Town and the residential and industrial areas of Withybush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Picton Castle</span> Medieval castle turned into stately home and grounds

Picton Castle is a medieval castle near Haverfordwest in the community of Uzmaston, Boulston and Slebech, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Originally built at the end of the 13th century by a Flemish knight, it later came into the hands of Sir John Wogan. The castle and gardens are now owned and managed by the Picton Castle Trust, a registered charity, for the benefit of the public. It is of unusual construction and has been remodelled several times during its history. The castle is a Grade I listed building and its gardens and park are designated at Grade II* on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1853 in Wales</span> List of events

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1853 to Wales and its people.

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 responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions are now largely ceremonial. The High Sheriff is reappointed in March of each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gnoll Country Park</span>

The Gnoll Country Park is a park in Wales. It is an early-18th-century landscaped garden covering over 100 acres (0.40 km2) in the Vale of Neath, in Neath Port Talbot county borough in south Wales. The park is designated Grade II* on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

Hugh Williams, of Chester, was a Welsh Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1725 to 1734.

Slebech was a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which is now part of the combined community of Uzmaston and Boulston and Slebech, a sparsely populated community on the northern shore of the Eastern River Cleddau. The community shares boundaries with the communities of Wiston and Llawhaden and mainly consists of farmland and woodland. Much of the community is within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Picton Castle's stable block loft is an important breeding roost for the rare Greater Horseshoe Bat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir John Owen, 1st Baronet</span> British politician

Sir John Owen, 1st Baronet, born John Lord, was a British Tory politician from Wales. He sat as a Member of Parliament (MP) for over fifty years. His wealth came from coal mining but he lost most of his fortune as a result of costly electoral campaigns in Pembrokeshire, most notably those of 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Philipps, 1st Baron Milford (first creation)</span> Welsh politician

Richard Philipps, 1st Baron Milford, known as Sir Richard Philipps, Bt, from 1764 to 1776, was a Welsh landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1765 and 1812.

Sir Hugh Owen, 1st Baronet was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1626 and 1660. He sided originally with the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War, but the strength of his allegiance was in doubt.

Sir Hugh Owen, 2nd Baronet (1645–1698) was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons of England at various times between 1676 and 1695.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Hugh Owen, 5th Baronet</span> Welsh politician

Sir Hugh Owen, 5th Baronet (?1731–86), of Orielton, Pembrokeshire, Wales was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1770 to 1786.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir William Owen, 4th Baronet</span> Welsh politician

Sir William Owen, 4th Baronet (1697?–1781), of Orielton, Pembrokeshire, was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons for 52 years from 1722 to 1774.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orielton, Pembrokeshire</span>

Orielton is a historic country house near Hundleton in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It has been used as a field studies centre for environmental sciences but was put on sale in early 2022.

Great Nash was an important gentry house at Llangwm, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Sir Hugh Owen Owen, 2nd Baronet, known as Hugh Owen Lord until 1809, was a British Liberal Party, Conservative Party and Tory politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Arthur Owen, 3rd Baronet</span> Welsh aristocrat, politician, baronet

Sir Arthur Owen, 3rd Baronet, of Orielton, Pembrokeshire, was a Welsh Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1695 and 1727.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Owen (architect, born 1791)</span> Welsh architect and surveyor

William Owen (1791–1879) was a Welsh architect working in Haverfordwest in the late Georgian and early Victorian periods. He built up a considerable practice in Pembrokeshire and Carmathenshire. He was the county surveyor of Pembrokeshire, four times Mayor of Haverfordwest and High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1859.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Nicholas & St John, Monkton</span> Church in Pembrokeshire, Wales

The Church of St Nicholas & St John, formerly the Priory Church of St Nicholas, is the parish church of Monkton, a village on the south bank of the Milford Haven Waterway, in south Pembrokeshire, Wales. The church's medieval origins link it to Monkton Priory, founded in the 11th century. It is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen baronets of Orielton (first creation, 1641)</span>

The Owen baronetcy, of Orielton in the County of Pembroke, was created in the Baronetage of England on 11 August 1641 for Hugh Owen, Member of Parliament for Pembroke, Haverfordwest and Pembrokeshire.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hoss, Sarah. "Story of the Big House". Big House Landshipping. Retrieved 24 November 2020.[ self-published source ]
  2. 1 2 Restoration Home - Big House - Episode Six. (7 January 2006). BBC.
  3. ↑ Map of Milford Haven 1785. Online reference
  4. ↑ History of Parliament website. Online reference
  5. ↑ Richard Fenton 1811 “A historical tour through Pembrokeshire”, p. 242. Online reference
  6. ↑ Baker-Jones “Notes on the Orielton Chancery Proceedings”, The National Library of Wales Journal. Volume XV; Nr. 3. 1968., p. 408. Online reference
  7. ↑ Coflein website “LANDSHIPPING HOUSE, MARTLEWY”. Online reference
  8. ↑ History of Parliament website. Online reference
  9. ↑ Wales 1841 Census. Online reference
  10. ↑ "Hugh O Owen, England and Wales Census, 1851". FamilySearch.
  11. ↑ Wesh Coalmines website. Online reference
  12. ↑ The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser, 15 June 1866, p. 2. Online reference
  13. ↑ “A shocking elopement in Regency England: Mary Ann Stanley and Edward Trant Bontein”. Online reference
  14. ↑ The London Gazette, 1835. Online reference
  15. ↑ London Evening Standard - Tuesday 27 June 1865, p. 7
  16. ↑ The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser, 22 June 1866, p. 3. Online reference
  17. ↑ The Aberystwith Observer, 13 July 1867, p. 4. Online reference
  18. ↑ Potters Electric News, 7 August 1867, p. 2. Online reference
  19. ↑ Potters Electric News, 13 May 1868, p. 4. Online reference
  20. ↑ The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser, 13 December 1878, p. 4. Online reference
  21. ↑ South Wales Daily News, 19 March 1883, p. 2. Online reference
  22. ↑ The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser , 9 November 1988, p. 2. Online reference
  23. ↑ "Colliery Developments in IPembrokeshire.|1914-01-28|Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph and General Weekly Reporter for the Counties of Pembroke Cardigan Carmarthen Glamorgan and the Rest of South Wales - Welsh Newspapers".
  24. ↑ "A Vision of Home". Western Telegraph . Haverfordwest. 24 May 2005.
  25. ↑ "Restoration Home - One Year On". BBC. 12 September 2012.

51°46′09″N4°52′58″W / 51.7692773°N 4.8826557°W / 51.7692773; -4.8826557

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.