Great Tew Manor House - Great Tew Park, Great Tew, Oxfordshire, UK - Pre-Victorian Historic Homes on Waymarking.com

The original manor house was demolished in 1800 and it stands with the church away from the village itself. Outlying structures from circa 1700 including its stable block, dovecote and stone gatepiers still survive according to Wikipedia. M.R. Boulton took over the estate in 1815-16. He was the son of the engineer Matthew Boulton of Soho, Birmingham. Prior to this the estate belonged to G.F. Stratton who had made a fortune in the East India Company.

Even earlier records show the estate and therefore original manor house belonging to Lucius Cray - Lord Falkland, of which the famous pub 'The Falkland Arms' is named after. He was Lord of the Manor in 1643. It is rumoured that his predecessor, Sir Laurence Tanfield, allowed the estate houses to fall into a state of disrepair through lack of timber.

The house is built of the local ironstone as are the majority of the estate cottages. It gives the whole village a beautiful effect. The local quarry was reopened in 2000 due to popular demand for the ironstone. M.R. Boulton rebuilt the whole village in the 19th century with the majority of the work being carried out on the mansion we see today.

1820 saw the village cottages rebuilt with architect Thomas Rickman's designs and later in 1828 Thomas Fulljames became involved, also working on extending the manor house. In 1842 Fulljames and Waller of Gloucester became the chief architects to M.P.W. Boulton after M.R. Boulton's death.

There is a myth that J.C. Loudon, the Scottish agriculturalist and gardener, was involved with designing the farm buildings unsuccessfully. Some of the timber from the old manor house was used to rebuild the farm houses. Loudon owned another unsuccessful project as an agricultural college in his home in Tew but rather more successfully did plant the majority of the trees on the estate creating the woods and belts. The Boulton's continued the tree planting tradition maintaining the parkland appearance we still see today.

The estate fell into disrepair after this period until Major Eustace Robb inherited the Estate in 1962. Farms were taken back in hand, cottages refurbished and a sewerage system for the village was installed. This process took time and money but by Major Robb's death in 1985 significant progress had been made.

The village became a conservation area in 1978.

At present the majority of the house is wrapped in plastic sheeting and scaffolding. The Johnston Family now own the estate and are in the process of continuing the restoration and upkeep of the house and village. (visit link)

Earliest Recorded Date of Construction: 01/01/1815 Additional Dates of Construction: 1698 - Falkland House demolished 1800 - Original Manor House demolished Many restoration and renovation periods happened after this as above. Architectural Period/Style: Elizabethan Architect (if known): Thomas Rickman, Thomas Fulljames and Fulljames and Waller Landscape Designer (if known): J.C. Loudon but Humphrey Repton's ideas are prevalent across the estate from an earlier design which never came to fruition. Type of Building e.g. Country House, Stately Home, Manor: Manor House/Country Mansion Interesting Historical Facts or Connections: Lord Falkland was named 'the blameless' and had a gathering of visitors during the 1630s. He became Secretary of State to Charles I before the Civil War, and was killed at the Battle of Newbury. His wife Lettice was the benefactor of the estate providing help for the sick, a school and employment. Falkland's grandparents brought shame on the village as parliament were alerted to his (Sir Laurence Tanfield) and his wife Elizabeth's activities. Main Material of Construction: Ironstone Private/Public Access: Private Related Website: [Web Link] Rating: Listed Building Status (if applicable): Not listed Admission Fee (if applicable): Not Listed Opening Hours (if applicable): Not listed

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