Country Life

There was a crooked man who lived in a crooked house….

Oct 24, 2022

buildings

Country Life, crooked houses, Lavenham, property sales, Suffolk

We love to look at (and are proud of) our old medieval houses, and Lavenham in Suffolk is full of them! No wonder it draws in so many people, all intent upon seeing what England used to be like before the advent of modern building expansion. One of the most famous of the houses…
The house owned by Sir Thomas Wyatt, the man accused of being Anne Boleyn’s lover….

Oct 11, 2022

anniversaries, buildings, law, religion

adultery, Anne Boleyn, Country Life, Court Lodge, Dissolution of the Monasteries, Hasted, Henry VIII, High Sheriffs, Hunton Court, Kent, poets, property sales, Sir Thomas Wyatt, Tower of London

Here is another fine old house for sale, although way out of my price bracket. I’ve learned of it courtesy of Country Life magazine. Hunton Court, formerly Court Lodge, is tucked away near Maidstone in Kent and you can read about it here. There is a link to the estate agent’s details of the property,…
Ewelme Manor, Henry VII and what the manor house may have looked like….

Sep 28, 2022

buildings, genealogy

almshouses, banishment, confiscation, Country Life, de la Poles, Dukes of Suffolk, Edmund de la Pole, Ewelme, haunting, Henry VII, parsimony, royal palaces

“….Henry VII, doubtless after having taken good stock of the amenities of Ewelme Manor, during his self-proposed visit to Edmund de la Pole before the latter’s banishment, decided that it would be well-fitted for a country retreat, later on to be converted into a Royal Palace. In fact, it may have become to the King…
The three queens of Queens’ College….

Sep 11, 2022

buildings, religion

Anne Neville, Cambridge, Country Life, Elizabeth Wydeville, Lady Margaret Beaufort, Margaret of Anjou, Queens’ College Cambridge

There are two articles in this series about Queens’ College, Cambridge. The first covers the college’s early history and can be read here and the second, which covers the later medieval period, is available here here The college received its name because no fewer than three 15th-century Queens of England became its patrons. Margaret of…
A wonderful old house with de la Pole history….

Sep 5, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy

Country Life, de la Pole family, Earls of Suffolk, John Earl of Lincoln, Kingston-upon-Hull, Lord Chancellor, Michael de la Pole, Poitiers, property sales, Richard II, Richard III, Sir john Wingfield, Suffolk, Wingfield College

The above illustration is of Wingfield College, which is on the market for an incredible £1.75million. (Surely that’s an error?) Oh my, it’s a dream residence for anyone who loves things medieval. Even more desirable is the fact that it has some significant historic connections. It was first granted to Sir John de Wingfield,…
All you need to know about almshouses….

Aug 27, 2022

buildings, religion

almshouses, Country Life, Lord Leycester Hospital, Warwick

I confess to not knowing much about almshouses, but this article soon explains it all.
The only truly medieval house left in Mousehole….

Aug 4, 2022

anniversaries, battles, buildings

Cornwall, Country Life, fire, Mousehole, property, Spanish raid

This is only house left standing when Mousehole was burned by the Spaniards in 1595. It actually dates back to the 14th century. Maybe it doesn’t look much in the old photograph above, but its modern self is wonderful. I’m envious. All I need to raise is £750,000. Ahem….shouldn’t take long….. To read all…