Canford Manor - Canford Magna, Dorset, UK - Pre-Victorian Historic Homes on Waymarking.com

The impressive manor of Canford stands next to the River Stour. The mansion is 19th century but there is also a notable kitchen. It is known as John of Gaunt's Kitchen and is a survival from the medieval period, specifically of the 15th century. The manor is a highly attractive building rebuilt between 1825-1836 by Blore for Lord de Mauley.

The buildings consist of buff local brick and pale stone dressings of Caen, Portland or Bath and the style is classified as Tudor, Perp and Dec.

The entrance tower is one of Barry's finest buildings in the Perp style. It is reminiscent of the Victoria Tower of the Houses of Parliament with a square design.

A public boy's school took over the mansion in 1923 and they added to the buildings with art master Robin Noscoe designing some notable additions including the pavilion or open air theatre. This has some relief work by Geoffrey Clarke over the entrance. An art school was added in 1970.

Earliest Recorded Date of Construction: 01/01/1400 Additional Dates of Construction: Rebuilt between 1825-1836 by Blore for Lord de Mauley. In 1846 Sir John Guest, the ironmaster from Merthyr Tydfil bought the estate. His wife was Lady Charlotte a Welsh scholar and editress of the Mabinogion. It was under the direction of the Guests that Barry was called in to enlarge the house into a mansion. He effectively added a porch tower, great hall, staircase and courtyard. 1851 saw the addition of a conservatory and exhibition room named Nineveh Court to house Guest's Assyrian reliefs. (These were sold in 1932 and 1959 and now reside in the Metropolitan Museum in New York). Further work was carried out by David Brandon in 1873-6 for Guest's son who was the first Lord Wimborne. 1888 saw the completion of Romaine-Walker & Tanner's smoking and billiard wing. Architectural Period/Style: Tudor, Perp and Dec Architect (if known): Blore, Barry and David Brandon Type of Building e.g. Country House, Stately Home, Manor: Manor House/Mansion Interesting Historical Facts or Connections: A missing Assyrian relief was rediscovered on the wall of "the Grubber" (the school tuck shop) in 1992. It was sold by Christie's at auction in 1994 for £ 7.7 million (US$ 11.9 million), by far the highest price ever paid for an antiquity. The original relief is now part of the collection of the Miho Museum in Japan. Main Material of Construction: buff local brick and pale stone dressings of Caen, Portland or Bath Private/Public Access: Private Related Website: [Web Link] Rating: Landscape Designer (if known): Not listed Listed Building Status (if applicable): Not listed Admission Fee (if applicable): Not Listed Opening Hours (if applicable): Not listed

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