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Bradley is a medieval
Flowing past the house is the Bradley Leat which used to provide water for the manorial mills which were located where the cattle market in Newton Abbot now stands. Bradley was given to the National Trust in 1938 by Mrs A. H. Woolner, daughter of the Egyptologist
Bradley information at the National Trust
{{coord, 50, 31, 34, N, 3, 37, 33, W, display=title, type:landmark_region:GB Country houses in Devon National Trust properties in Devon Grade I listed buildings in Devon Historic house museums in Devon Newton Abbot
Bradley is a medieval manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
in Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its 2011 population of 24,029 was estimated to reach 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in the Victorian era as the home of the So ...
, Devon, England. It is set amongst woodland and meadows in the valley of the River Lemon
The River Lemon is a 9.9 mile (16 kilometre) river in the county of Devon in southwest England. It is a tributary of the River Teign, starting on Dartmoor by Haytor, and ending in Newton Abbot. It rises on the south-east side of Dartmoor nea ...
about a half mile to the west of the main town. The house is now in the ownership of the National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
.
The house
Bradley is one of the smaller manor houses of the early fifteenth century, and has the advantage of having a contemporary chapel detached from the main house. The architect may have been influenced byDartington Hall
Dartington Hall in Dartington, near Totnes, Devon, England, is an historic house and country estate of dating from medieval times. The group of late 14th century buildings are Grade I listed; described in Pevsner's Buildings of England as "on ...
, some six miles to the south. Interesting features include the missing gatehouse, the interior of the chapel, the fenestration of the east front and the wall paintings.
The house is one of the most complete medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
manor houses in Devon. Much of it is the creation of Richard and Joan Yarde who owned it from 1402. Richard Yarde was Sheriff of Devon
The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...
in 1442. On the walls of an upstairs room is preserved a late medieval pattern of stencilled black fleur-de-lys. The great hall is emblazoned with the royal arms of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...
, and there are a number of other rare features. There was a gatehouse until the mid nineteenth century when it was demolished. The woods surrounding the house have been designated as a SSSI, being a fine example of natural limestone woodland.
The chapel was consecrated in 1428 and is just . It is a simple building with a stone altar, a fine east window, a tiny gallery and the original wagon-shaped braced-collar roof. It was desecrated in the Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...
and later used in different periods as a poultry house, a billiard room, a dining room and a barn. The roof was restored in 1993. The house contains a collection of Pre-Raphaelite art and Arts and Crafts furniture.
Flowing past the house is the Bradley Leat which used to provide water for the manorial mills which were located where the cattle market in Newton Abbot now stands. Bradley was given to the National Trust in 1938 by Mrs A. H. Woolner, daughter of the Egyptologist Cecil Mallaby Firth
Cecil Mallaby Firth (5 July 1878 – 1931) was a British Egyptologist.
Firth was baptised at Ashburton in Devon on 14 August 1878, the son of Henry Mallaby Firth, gent., and Frances (Fanny) Caunter. He became a lawyer, and after briefly wor ...
. Her family still live in the house and manage it on the Trust's behalf.
See also
* Puritan's Pit, nearby on the opposite bank of the River Lemon, was used for nonconformist services in the 17th century. *The Great Western Railway built a series of 4-6-0 steam locomotives known as the Manor class, named after various manor houses. Locomotive 7802 was named after Bradley Manor and is preserved on theSevern Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The heritage line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route, and c ...
.
References
* *The National Trust: Bradley (Guidebook). 1989.External links
Bradley information at the National Trust
{{coord, 50, 31, 34, N, 3, 37, 33, W, display=title, type:landmark_region:GB Country houses in Devon National Trust properties in Devon Grade I listed buildings in Devon Historic house museums in Devon Newton Abbot