Lower Brockhampton

Lower Brockhampton manor house was built between 1380 and 1400 for John Domulton.

He was a descendant of the Brockhampton family who had been here from at least the 12th century.

The manor house was built in a isolated spot in the depths of a wooded valley. In the unsettled country of the Welsh Marches defence was considered essential.

However, the moat with which John Domulton surrounded his house may also have been regarded as a status symbol.

A small 15th century detached gatehouse bridges the waters of the moat. This is one of the few surviving timber-framed gatehouses. Its upper floor is jettied out over the lower and the whole building has a precarious appearance. Only three sides of the moat now survive.

The manor house is set back 15 yards from the moat and faces south across a grassy court. The building is L-shaped and the great hall, which is open to the rafters, occupies the stub of the L.

The great hall is attached to the two-storey east wing and the family's great chamber is on the first floor. Great red-brick chimneys rise up from the end walls.

The manor house was built of massive timbers from the 1,680 acre estate of rolling hills and woods. The woodwork was of very high standard and this is particularly evident in the framework and roof of the great hall.

In the farmyard to the west of the house is the ruin of a Norman chapel probably built by the Brockhampton family in around 1180.

In the mid-18th century a descendant of the family had a new house, Brockhampton Court, built a mile to the south to replace the old-fashioned manor house he had inherited.

Lower Brockhampton, one of the most romantic and picturesque half-timbered buildings in the Welsh Marches was left to sleep undisturbed.

The manor house is now in the care of the National Trust.

The grounds have marked woodland walks and a sculpture trail.