Photo: Whittington Court by Helen Allingham (1848 - 1926), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Whittington Court is a Grade I listed historic house in Gloucestershire, and a member of Historic Houses. Read about its history and architecture, plus how to visit and what's nearby.
About Whittington Court
Whittington Court is an Elizabethan manor house in Gloucestershire, built on the site of an earlier moated manor.
The current building dates from around the mid-16th century and was completed in time for a visit from Queen Elizabeth I in 1592 as she travelled to Sudeley Castle.
It stands beside the 12th-century parish church of St Bartholomew, the two forming a notable Cotswold group.
The house remains privately owned and lived in, rather than run as a standard visitor attraction.
Read more on WikipediaHistory of Whittington Court
The manor passed by marriage to Sir John Denham, who became Surveyor General to Charles II and died in 1669. Ownership then moved through the female line to the Earls of Derby, and later to Thomas Tracey, MP for Gloucester. The estate subsequently passed to the Misses Timbrell and Mrs Rebecca Lighbourne, and then to Walter Lawrence Morris, whose descendants still hold the house under the Lawrence name. In 1948, workers uncovered the remains of a Roman villa in a field next to the property.
Architecture of Whittington Court
The house is a stone-built Elizabethan manor set on the footprint of an earlier moated medieval site, with the gabled profile and mullioned windows typical of late 16th-century Cotswold building.
Worth knowing
The historian Simon Jenkins featured Whittington Court in his book 'England's Thousand Best Houses', commenting on how the house, church and tithe barn sit together above the surrounding yew trees.
Facilities
Plan your visit to Whittington Court
Nearest station: Cheltenham Racecourse (Gloucs Warwicks Railway) (4.6 miles)
Open seasonally; check website for specific dates and times
Admission
Free entry to Historic Houses members (show valid membership card)
Places to visit near Whittington Court
St Mary's Church, Shipton Solars
View St Mary's Church, Shipton Solars on heritage mapBelas Knap
View Belas Knap on heritage mapNotgrove Long Barrow
View Notgrove Long Barrow on heritage mapHailes Abbey
View Hailes Abbey on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Whittington Court there are 3 historic properties, including 1 church, 1 archaeological site and 1 historic house, across Churches Conservation Trust, English Heritage and Historic Houses sites.
Within 10 miles of Whittington Court there are 10 historic properties, including 3 historic buildings, 3 historic houses and 2 churchs, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Within 20 miles of Whittington Court there are 56 historic properties, including 17 historic houses, 15 historic buildings and 13 churchs, across Historic Houses, English Heritage and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Facts
An Elizabethan manor still in the family that inherited it, with a Roman villa discovered in the adjacent field.
- Type
- historic house
- Location
- Gloucestershire, England
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