Site:

Ipsley Court

Grid Reference:    

SP0653266581

Description:

Ipsley Court was a 16th century country house, much altered in the 18th and 20th centuries, situated at Ipsley, once Warwickshire, now since 1931, Worcestershire. It currently comprises two disconnected wings, both Grade II listed buildings. which are in commercial use. .

Significance:

Late Cl7 (with earlier origins); altered c1724 and mid-C18; restored and remodelled late C20. Handmade red brick in English bond with steeply-pitched machine-tiled hipped roof and brick ridge stack. L-plan; main part of roughly six bays aligned east/west with north-west single-bay return; C18 full-height canted bay window at east end and two external chimmeys (one has some original brick- work) to south side elevation of main part. Two storeys and attic with dormers; chamfered plinth, two-course band between main storeys and promin- ent C18 style moulded and bracketed timber eaves cornice, now much restored. Irregular fenestration; windows are all C20 casements in new openings. Bay window addition is rendered and has 12-pane sash windows on both floors. Three gabled dormers on south side. Main entrance in north side with a large C20 lean-to glazed porch. Interior: extensively remodelled but retains its Cl? dog-leg staircase with large turned balusters and moulded handrail. At the rear of the north return a stone 4-centred.doorhead is reset in the wall. Ipsley Court is believed to be the remains of the Great House built for Sir John Huband in C16. The north return of the south wing was originally attached to the central part of the house which was demolished in 1724 when it was sold to the Reverend John Dolben. In the mid-C18 Dr Walter Landor (father of W S Landor, the poet) restored the surviving south wing and north wing (qv), the latter being altered to form a barn and stable. During the late C20 a new central section was built linked to the wings by brick walls

History:

The Court dates back to pre-Norman times with the Doomsday Book listing it as belonging to Earl Algar who was the son of Leofric and Godiva. Had there been more revolting peasants in the Redditch area than in Coventry, maybe Lady Godiva would have re-routed her famous ride.

Following the Battle of Hastings, William took Ipsley Court from its Saxon owner and gave it to Osborn, son of Richard, who in turn passed it on to his son, Hugh. Hugh's descendants farmed the land for more than 700 years and eventually took the name Hubold, which later changed to Huband. The last members of the Huband family departed these shores years ago and currently reside in North America.

Permission was given for the church to be built on the Court land, in a very good natural defensive position, on top of the hill. The village of Epeslei lay mostly to the east. The church was consecrated in 1348 and the Court developed slowly in the hands of the Huband family with the majority of the building being done during Queen Elizabeth I's reign. It cost the quite astronomical amount of �18,000. As was often the case in those days, fire played a great part in the fortunes of any building and Ipsley Court was to be no exception. Two of its original four wings were damaged shortly after completion and in 1742 the whole building was extensively damaged by another fire.

In the mid-eighteenth century the estate changed hands after the death of the last male Huband and was sold to Samuel Savage, a wealthy Warwickshire farmer. The Savage family, who then owned the house, undertook restoration work both at the Court and at the neighbouring Parish Church, although not to original specification, and the Court's former grandeur was lost. Work on the church removed the Huband tombs, blocked some arcades and destroyed the aisles to the overall detriment of the church's appearance. Further building work took place when Doctor William Landor married Elizabeth Savage and took possession of Ipsley Court, adding an unattractive, Georgian belvedere to the west end of the south wing.

William and Elizabeth had a son in 1775, Walter Savage Landor, who proceeded to become a well-known satirist, eccentric and Victorian poet. The peace and tranquillity of Ipsley did not appear to have a positive effect on young Walter, who was unruly at home and eventually sent to Rugby. He was subsequently removed at the Headmaster's request and then at the age of eighteen, went up to Oxford, but was rusticated a year later in 1794 for firing a gun through the window of a Tory who he disliked. Passionate and headstrong, with a fiery temper, Walter Landor was always a difficult person to get on with, although he had a wide circle of associates, amongst them Dickens, Swinburne and Browning. The character 'Boythorn' in Dicken's novel Bleak House, is said to have been drawn from Landor. When Landor's father died in 1805, he came into a considerable fortune and Ipsley Court became his home by inheritance through his mother. Walter's tempestuous life continued apace with catastrophic army campaigns in Spain and Portugal and unhappy personal relationships upon his return to England. Walter was living in Bath with his wife Julie, when Ipsley Court was again severely damaged by fire in 1827. Marital bliss never seemed on the cards for either of them and their marriage eventually broke up in 1835. An interesting biography was published in 2001 by Mrs Jean Field of Leamington Spa, who is a leading member of the active Landor Society based locally in Warwickshire.

Ipsley Court fell back into its farming ways thereafter playing host to a succession of tenant farmers until yet another disastrous fire in the early 1960's damaged the south wing, farmhouse and the north wing barn. The site lay in ruins and continued to "fire" speculation as to its eventual outcome. In 1960 the local paper, The Redditch Indicator, published a drawing by Stephen Bell and the following statement:

"Both the Church of St Peter and Ipsley Court have stood together side by side since Saxon days, the Church being consecrated in 134, and they have always maintained, over the centuries, close bonds. Inside the Church is a magnificently carved Jacobean pulpit and a somewhat unique eight-sided font. Three ancient bells, however, only await sufficient funds to ensure their re-casing and hanging, before once again ringing their message out over the valley. If the Rector's ideas are fulfilled the Court would become a spiritual, cultural and social Centre; especially befitting the larger community Envisaged under the Redditch New Town Corporation Plans."

The New Town Development Corporation ultimately did develop the site magnificently. However, despite several interested parties, it remained empty until the Law Society came along and purchased the building in 1988. Ipsley Court is now the base for the Society's regulatory, training and development activities and provides excellent working conditions for over 350 staff in a building which combines a sense of history with the latest technology.

Within the recent addition of the new Church centre adjacent to the Court, it is as if the Rector's wishes stated in 1968 are coming to fruition. Certainly, the Law Society has always been determined to become part of the local community and work alongside its neighbours, St Peter's Church, GKN and the surrounding residents.

Acknowledements to

Sue Cooper

09.04.02

and with additional thanks to:

• Worcester Records Office
• Artefacts belonging to Major J G Rollins
• K A Small
• L R Stewardson
• Stephen Bell
• Jean Field