Moccas Court is an 18th-century country house which sits in sloping grounds overlooking the River Wye north of the village of Moccas, Herefordshire, England. It is now a luxury guest house and function venue.
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK, stretching some 215 kilometres from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of the border between England and Wales. The Wye Valley is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Wye is important for nature conservation and recreation.
Moccas is a village and civil parish in the English county of Herefordshire. It is located 14 miles (23 km) west of Hereford. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 105.
The house was built in 1775–81 by the architect Anthony Keck for Sir George Armyand Cornewall to replace the existing Manor house near the church. Built in three storeys to a rectangular plan, it was constructed of brick with stone dressings and a stone tile roof. It has a seven bay frontage with a single storey semi-circular plan porch which was added in 1792. The grounds were landscaped to plans by Capability Brown. The house is a Grade I listed building. [1]
Anthony Keck (1726–1797) was an 18th-century English architect with an extensive practice in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and South Wales.
Lancelot Brown, more commonly known with the byname Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English 18th century artists to be accorded his due" and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure. He was nicknamed "Capability" because he would tell his clients that their property had "capability" for improvement. His influence was so great that the contributions to the English garden made by his predecessors Charles Bridgeman and William Kent are often overlooked; even Kent's champion Horace Walpole allowed that Kent "was succeeded by a very able master".
The Cornewall family occupied Moccas until 1916 when Sir Geoffrey Cornewall, the 6th Baronet, moved to a smaller house on the estate, after which the house was let on a long lease. After death of Sir William Cornewall, the 7th Baronet in 1962, the estate passed to the Chester-Master family who owned the house until 2014. They undertook a programme of restoration and modernisation and offered luxury guest accommodation.
Sir Geoffrey Cornewall, 6th Baronet of Moccas Court, Herefordshire, was a British archer who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.
In late 2014, the house and estate of circa 200 acres was sold, for an undisclosed price, to Linda Bennett, founder of the LK Bennett shoes and fashion brand. It is believed her husband was brought up in the locality. [2]
Linda Kristin Bennett OBE is an English-Icelandic clothing designer and entrepreneur, best known for founding the fashion retailer L.K.Bennett.
