Whittington Court is an Elizabethan manor house set on an ancient site.
The house, built of ashlar stone, stands within the remains of a medieval moat, next to a small Norman church. Nearby is the site of a Roman villa.
Whittington Court was probably built by John Cotton, whose father had acquired the estate in 1545. It was completed in anticipation of Queen Elizabeth I's visit to the house in 1592 en route to Sudeley Castle.
During the 17th century there were several alterations to the house including the addition of the staircase onto the south side in around 1657 and the rebuilding of the east range.
This range has a hipped roof, in contrast to the the gabled 16th century hall range and another range may also have been built to the west. If there was this building has long since disappeared and today Whittington Court has a picturesque, asymmetrical appearance which has seen little change over the last 300 years.
In the mid-18th century the estate was sold and became part of the Sandywell Park estate. Whittington Court was demoted to a farmhouse but by the late-19th century it had became a gentleman's residence again.
For most of the 20th century the house was occupied by members of the Lawrence family of Sandywell Park and Sevenhampton Manor.
The last of the family bequeathed Whittington Court to the present owner in 1985, together with a collection of family possessions, including furniture and paintings, dating back to the 17th century.
The attractive house has a serious of light, spacious rooms with sympathetically arranged furnishings. The most notable features are the Hall in the main block and the Library in the east wing. The Library has a huge late-16th century stone chimneypiece and magnificent bookcase, originally made for Sandywell Park and thought to be by the Gillow company.
A fine wooden staircase rises to the first floor. The finials on the newel posts were removed in the 19th century when sacks of grain were stored on the top floor.
There are more splendid late-16th century chimneypieces in the upstairs rooms, which have been considerably altered over the years.
Whittington Court has some attractive farm buildings including a barn carved with the date 1614.
Apr 19-May 5 and 9-25 Aug, daily, 14:00-17:00. Call to check.
Tel: 01242 820556
