Grange Court

Last updated

Grange Court
Grange Court, Leominster 02.jpg
Grange Court in November 2013
Grange Court
Former namesThe Butter Crosse
General information
Type Market hall
AddressPinsley Road
Town or city Leominster
CountryEngland
Coordinates 52°13′40″N2°44′05″W / 52.22772°N 2.73481°W / 52.22772; -2.73481
Completed1633
Renovated
  • 1859
  • 2013
OwnerLARC Development Trust
Technical details
Structural system Timber frame
Design and construction
Architect(s) John Abel
Designations Grade II* listed
Website
www.grangecourt.org

Grange Court is a former market hall in Leominster, Herefordshire, England. It was built in 1633 by John Abel, and moved to its present location in 1859. It was then used as a private house until the 1930s, and is now once again a civic building.

Contents

Architecture

Some of the building's carvings Grange Court, Leominster 06.jpg
Some of the building's carvings

The timber-framed building is extravagantly decorated with carvings, including mermaids, angels, animals, flowers and grotesque people. [1] The entablature above the columns includes a number of carved texts. These read: [2]

When built by John Abel in 1633, [3] the market hall was open at ground level, being supported on twelve oak columns. [1] It was known as "the Butter Crosse". [3] It has a stone tile roof, a bellcote, and a weathervane dated 1687. [4]

Original site

Undated watercolour painting by John Varley I (1778-1842), showing the building in its original state and location View of the Town Hall - undated - John Varley I.webp
Undated watercolour painting by John Varley I (1778–1842), showing the building in its original state and location

The market house originally stood on the site of an earlier market building, at the junction of Broad Street, High Street, Church Street, Drapers' Lane, High Street and Burgess Street. [1] In addition to public meetings, it was used for meetings of the town's nine guilds (bakers, butchers, dyers, glovers, mercers, shoemakers, tailors, walkers (fullers) and weavers) and Quarter Session courts, and the town council met there from 1750. [1]

Rebuilding and later use

Eventually, congestion caused by the building's location at an important junction led to calls for its removal. [1] The building was dismantled and stored in the mid-1850s. [5]

It was purchased at auction [6] for £95 by John Hungerford Arkwright, who offered the building to the council if they would re-erect it, but they refused. [7] He moved the building himself and rebuilt it near the priory church in 1859. [3] In the process, the ground floor was enclosed, a three-storey brick extension added at the rear, [6] and the roof replaced. [8]

At some point two terracotta panels by the Leominster sculptor William Storr-Barber (died 1934) were added to the interior. [9]

In 1939, Leominster District Council acquired the building for £3,000 through a compulsory purchase order, thereby thwarting an apparent plan by William Randolph Hearst to remove it for reuse as a gatehouse at St Donat's Castle. [3] [6]

Until 2008, it was used as council offices by the District Council, and later Herefordshire County Council. [3] In 2001, a campaign was started to raise money to restore the building. [10] The work was completed in 2013 and the building, with a modern annexe, is now a community centre (a Community, Enterprise and Heritage Hub), owned by LARC Development Trust, a registered charity [11] which purchased it from Herefordshire County Council for £1 in June 2013, as an instance of community asset transfer. [6] [12] [13] The building is Grade II* listed [4] [10] and is licensed for the conduct of civil marriage ceremonies. [14]

Model

The bronze model, showing the open lower level Grange Court, Leominster 18.jpg
The bronze model, showing the open lower level

A bronze model of the house in its earlier configuration now stands at its original location. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leominster</span> Town in Herefordshire, England

Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is 12 miles north of Hereford and 7 miles south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster is the largest of the five towns in the county; the others being Ross-on-Wye, Ledbury, Bromyard and Kington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kington, Herefordshire</span> Town in Herefordshire, England

Kington is a market town, electoral ward and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. The ward had a population of 3,240, while the 2011 Census registered a population of 2,626.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bromyard</span> Market town in Herefordshire, England

Bromyard is a town in the parish of Bromyard and Winslow, in Herefordshire, England, in the valley of the River Frome. It is near the county border with Worcestershire on the A44 between Leominster and Worcester. Bromyard has a number of traditional half-timbered buildings, including some of the pubs; the parish church is Norman. For centuries, there was a livestock market in the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Lugg</span> River in Radnorshire, Wales and Herefordshire, England

The River Lugg rises near Llangynllo in Radnorshire, Wales. It flows through the border town of Presteigne and then through Herefordshire, England, where it meets its main tributary, the River Arrow, to the south of Leominster. It flows into the River Wye downstream of Hereford at Mordiford, around 63 miles (101 km) from its source. Its name comes from a Welsh root, and means "bright stream".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Abel (carpenter)</span> English carpenter and mason

John Abel was an English carpenter and mason, granted the title of 'King's Carpenter', who was responsible for several notable structures in the ornamented Half-timbered construction typical of the West Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weobley</span> Village in Herefordshire, England

Weobley is an ancient settlement and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. Formerly a market town, the market is long defunct and the settlement is today promoted as one of the county's black and white villages owing to its abundance of old timber-framed buildings. Although it has the historical status of a town and is referred to as such in the sources, it nowadays refers to itself as a village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yazor</span> Human settlement in England

Yazor is a small village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. The village is on the A480 road, approximately 8 miles (13 km) north-west of the city of Hereford, and about 1 mile (2 km) east of Offa's Dyke. Within the parish is the rural estate, former Price family country seat, and Second World War camp of Foxley, and the hamlet of Yarsop about 1 mile (2 km) to the north of the village. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 122.

John Hungerford Arkwright was Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire from 27 January 1902 to 5 December 1904, and was one of the wealthiest landowners in that county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grendon Bishop</span> Human settlement in England

Grendon Bishop is a civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humber, Herefordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Humber is a hamlet and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, and is 10 miles (16 km) north from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest large town is Leominster 3 miles (5 km) to the north-west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford and Stoke Prior</span> Human settlement in England

Ford and Stoke Prior is a civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, and is 10 miles (16 km) north from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest large town is the market town of Leominster, adjacent at the north-west. The parish includes the hamlet of Ford, the village of Stoke Prior, and the medieval parish churches of St Luke and St John of Jerusalem. At the west of the parish is the site of a Romano-British settlement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton, Hampton Court</span> Human settlement in England

Newton is a linear settlement hamlet and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, and is 10 miles (16 km) north from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest large town is the market town of Leominster, 3 miles (5 km) to the north. A Cadbury's confectionery factory is within the parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croft and Yarpole</span> Parish in Herefordshire, England

Croft and Yarpole is a civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, and is 17 miles (27 km) north from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest large town is the market town of Leominster, 4.5 miles (7 km) to the south. Within the parish is the National Trust property of Croft Castle and Parkland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eye, Moreton and Ashton</span> Human settlement in England

Eye, Moreton and Ashton is a civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England. The parish is 15 miles (24 km) north from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest large town is the market town of Leominster, 3 miles (5 km) to the south. Within the parish is the National Trust property of Berrington Hall, and the villages of Eye, Moreton, and Ashton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Pyon</span> Human settlement in England

King's Pyon is a village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, and is approximately 8 miles (13 km) north-west from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest large town is the market town of Leominster, 6 miles (10 km) to the north-west. The parish includes the Grade I listed church of St Mary the Virgin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pudleston</span> Human settlement in England

Pudleston, is a small village and civil parish, in the county of Herefordshire, England, and is 13 miles (20 km) north from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest large town is Leominster 4 miles (6 km) to the west. At Pudleston is the c.1200 Church of St Peter, and the 1846 Tudor-Gothic Pudleston Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hatfield and Newhampton</span> Human settlement in England

Hatfield and Newhampton is a civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, and is 11 miles (18 km) north from the city and county town of Hereford. The closest large town is Leominster 4 miles (6 km) to the west. The parish includes the small village of Hatfield, the former extra-parochial liberty of New Hampton, the site of former abbey lands of Fencote, the preserved Fencote railway station, and the Grade II* listed 11th-century Church of St Leonard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staunton on Arrow</span> Village in Herefordshire, England

Staunton on Arrow is a village and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England. The village is 17 miles (27 km) north-west of Hereford and 8 miles (13 km) to the west of Leominster. Within the parish is the site of the Iron Age hill fort of Wapley Hill.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Council information panel at the house
  2. ↑ "Monument Detail: Grange Court (Old Town Hall), Leominster". Herefordshire Council. 23 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Grange Court – History & Heritage". Grange Court. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Grange Court – Leominster – Herefordshire – England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "Carpenter's lasting work". Western Daily Press. 27 October 2001.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "21st Century Heritage Interpretation in a 17th Century Market House". Museums and Heritage. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  7. ↑ Leominster , retrieved 10 October 2010
  8. ↑ "Leominster". An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Herefordshire, Volume 3. pp. 111–126. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  9. ↑ Tanner, Bill (21 April 2010). "Discovery could change fight for Leominster's Grange Court" . Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Court is at the heart of the community". Hereford Times. 15 May 2009.
  11. ↑ "Grange Court, registered charity no. 1142290". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  12. ↑ "Grange Court – About Us" . Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  13. ↑ Phillips, Jess (29 June 2013). "Leominster's Grange Court handed over for £1". Hereford Times. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  14. ↑ "Grange Court – Wedding and Functions" . Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  15. ↑ 52°13′41″N2°44′20″W / 52.227935°N 2.738849°W
Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

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.