Croft Castle is a country house in the village of

Croft Croft may refer to: Occupations * Croft (land), a small area of land, often with a crofter's dwelling * Crofting, small-scale food production * Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, also called a croft Locations In the Uni ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

, England. Owned by the Croft family since 1085, the castle and estate passed out of their hands in the 18th century, before being repurchased by the family in 1923. In 1957 it was bequeathed to 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 castle is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, and the estate is separately listed as Grade II*. The adjacent Church of St Michael is listed Grade I.

History

A building has been on the site from c.1085 when the estate was established by the Croft family. and it has from this time been the home of the Croft family and Croft baronets. The Croft family were closely linked to their neighbours the

Mortimers Mortimer () is an English surname, and occasionally a given name. Norman origins The surname Mortimer has a Norman origin, deriving from the village of Mortemer, Seine-Maritime, Normandy. A Norman castle existed at Mortemer from an early point ...

of Wigmore and

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

. The

Battle of Mortimer's Cross The Battle of Mortimer's Cross was fought on 2 February 1461 near Kingsland, Herefordshire (between Leominster and Leintwardine, by the River Lugg), not far from the Welsh border. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing ...

took place on Croft land nearby in 1461. It was the home of Sir John de Croft who married Janet, one of Owain Glyndŵr's daughters. In the 15th century, the Croft family adopted the Welsh

Wyvern A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, Un ...

crest, a wounded black dragon, seen as an allusion to their Glyndwr heritage. The first member of the Croft family to have owned the estate was Bernard de Croft, who is mentioned in

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

. The Croft family suffered financially following the South Sea Bubble and in 1746, sold the estate to Richard Knight (1693–1765). Knight was the eldest son and heir of Richard Knight (1659-1745), of

Downton Hall Downton Hall is a privately owned 18th-century country house at Stanton Lacy, near Ludlow, Shropshire. It is a Grade II* listed building. The house was built about 1733 by Wredenhall Pearce, who had inherited the estate in 1731. The new hous ...

, in the parish of Downton on the Rock in

, a wealthy ironmaster who operated the

Bringewood Ironworks Bringewood Ironworks was a charcoal ironworks in north Herefordshire. It was powered by the river Teme, with a blast furnace, a finery forge and latterly a rolling mill for blackplate (to be tinned into tinplate). It was probably built for Rob ...

and founded a large fortune and family dynasty. He married Elizabeth Powell of Stanage Park in Radnorshire by whom he had a sole daughter Elizabeth Knight, who married

Thomas Johnes (died 1780) Thomas Johnes (c. 1721–1780) was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1777 and 1780. Johnes was the eldest son of Thomas Johnes, MP, of Llanfair, Cardiganshire, and his wife Mary Anne Powell, daughter of Jeremiah Powell ...

of Llanfair Clydogau, MP for Radnorshire (1777–80). In the 1760s, Johnes remodelled the Castle in the Rococo-Gothic style to the designs of the Shrewsbury architect

Thomas Farnolls Pritchard Thomas Farnolls Pritchard (also known as Farnolls Pritchard; baptised 11 May 1723 – died 23 December 1777) was an English architect and interior decorator who is best remembered for his design of the first cast-iron bridge in the world. Biogra ...

(d.1777),designer of the world's first iron bridge spanning the Severn near Coalbrookdale. Georgian sash windows replaced

mullion window A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

s. Pritchard designed the plasterwork ceilings, the gothic staircase and employed master craftsmen to undertake his designs for the chimneypieces. Croft Castle was put up for sale in 1799 by Thomas Johnes. It was bought by Somerset Davies(c.1754–1817), MP for

, whose descendants, the Kevill-Davies, sold Croft back to Katherine, Lady Croft, in 1923. The castle had undergone further alterations in 1913 to the designs of the architect Walter Sarel (1863–1941) who removed the central section of the eighteenth-century gothic entrance front replacing it with a battlemented porch and mullioned bay window above; the entrance hall was lined with oak panelling. Also removed were most of Pritchard's crenellations along the parapets. Walter Sarel redesigned the dining room. In 1937, the seventeenth-century

service wing Servants' quarters are those parts of a building, traditionally in a private house, which contain the domestic offices and staff accommodation. From the late 17th century until the early 20th century, they were a common feature in many large ...

to the north-west was demolished to make the house more compact. In 1957, Croft was threatened with demolition following the destruction of eighteen other great houses in the county; the

destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain The destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain was the result of a change in social conditions: many country houses of varying architectural merit were demolished by their owners. Collectively termed by several authors "the lost hous ...

was gathering pace across the country, and continued through the 1960s. Diana Uhlman (née Croft), was determined that Croft would not suffer the same fate. An endowment was raised by some members of the family before the National Trust would agree to take on the house and remaining estate. The castle opened to the public in 1960 after Michael, Lord Croft, had acquired paintings and furniture for display in the showrooms and his sister Diana established and funded the Croft Trust. The house is still occupied by members of the family.

Family

Members of the Croft family include: * Sir Richard Croft (1429/30-1509), royal official for Kings Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, and Henry VII * Thomas Croft (c.1435–1488), shipowner and patron of Atlantic exploration *

Sir James Croft Sir James Croft PC (c.1518 – 4 September 1590) was an English politician, who was Lord Deputy of Ireland, and MP for Herefordshire in the Parliament of England. Life He was born the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Richard Croft of C ...

(c.1518–1590), lord deputy of Ireland and leading conspirator in Wyatt's Rebellion. He was also Comptroller of Queen Elizabeth's household. * Sir Herbert Croft (died 1629) *

Margaret Croft Margaret Croft or Crofts (died 1637) was an English aristocrat. Family background She was a daughter of Sir Herbert Croft of Croft Castle and Mary Bourne, daughter and heiress of Anthony Bourne of Holt Castle, Worcestershire. Her father conve ...

(died 1637), lady in waiting to

Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia Elizabeth Stuart (19 August 159613 February 1662) was Electress of the Palatinate and briefly Queen of Bohemia as the wife of Frederick V of the Palatinate. Since her husband's reign in Bohemia lasted for just one winter, she is called the Win ...

. * Herbert Croft (1603–1691), bishop of Hereford, chaplain to King Charles I and dean of the chapels Royal to Charles II *

William Croft William Croft (baptised 30 December 1678 – 14 August 1727) was an English composer and organist. Life Croft was born at the Manor House, Nether Ettington, Warwickshire. He was educated at the Chapel Royal under the instruction of John Blow ...

(c.1678–1727), organist and composer * Sir Herbert Croft (1751–1816), writer and lexicographer * Sir Richard Croft (1762–1818), physician and man-midwife * Sir James Herbert Croft (1907–1941), died on active service with No 1 Commando * Sir Henry Page Croft (1881–1947), 1st Baron Croft, soldier and politician, Under-Secretary of State for War 1940–1945 * Michael Croft, 2nd Baron Croft (1916-1997), collector of modern art * Bernard Page Croft, 3rd Baron Croft (born 1949)

Architecture and description

The present building dates from the 1660s during the time when Herbert Croft was Bishop of Hereford, replacing an earlier house some thirty yards to the west, which was excavated by Herefordshire County Archaeologist Prof. Keith Ray and volunteers in 2002. The manor house is a quadrangular stone structure around a central courtyard with round corner towers, and a square bay on the north elevation. Some stone mullion windows remain on all elevations. The castle is one of the first examples of medieval revival, and has affinities to

Ruperra Castle Ruperra Castle or Rhiwperra Castle is a Grade II* Listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, situated in Lower Machen in the county borough of Caerphilly, Wales. It was built in 1626, now it is in a ruined condition. History Built in 1 ...

, Caerphilly, and Lulworth Castle, Wareham, Dorset.

Listing designations

Croft Castle is a

. The stable block, and two stretches of walling, are listed at Grade II. Three estate buildings also have Grade II listings, the Gothic Pumphouse, Croft Lodge, and Cock Gate Cottage. The Church of St Michael is listed Grade I. The garden and parkland surrounding the castle have their own Grade II* listing.

Garden and parkland

The property has a three-acre

walled garden A walled garden is a garden enclosed by high walls, especially when this is done for horticultural rather than security purposes, although originally all gardens may have been enclosed for protection from animal or human intruders. In temperate ...

. It also has a Georgian stable block. The estate has an avenue of Spanish Chestnut trees which were planted over four hundred years ago. Beech and oak trees line the main drive. The Fishpool Valley was landscaped in the eighteenth century with descending ponds, a grotto, gothic pump-house, an ice house and a lime kiln, and has undergone major restoration to bring it back to its scenic origins.

Church of St Michael

The Church of St Michael dates from around the 14th century. The box pews are seventeenth-century and there are some medieval floor tiles made at Malvern. and the fine tomb for Sir Richard and Eleanor Croft bears a resemblance to that of Henry VII in Westminster Abbey. The ceiling above the altar is seventeenth-century and is painted with clouds and gilded stars.

Hill fort

The parkland includes an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

known as Croft Ambrey.

Location

The site is in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

of Croft and Yarpole, north-west of

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...

,in

, England. It is surrounded by 1,500 acres of woodland, farmland and parkland. It is at . The Mortimer Trail, a long-distance footpath, passes by.

Gallery

File:Croft Castle 1.jpg, The castle File:Croft Castle 2015 021.jpg, Interior File:Croft Castle 2015 034.jpg, Plasterwork File:The Church at Croft Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1057715.jpg, St Michael's Church File:The Mortimer Trail near Lucton - geograph.org.uk - 219819.jpg, The Mortimer Trail

Notes, references and sources

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * *

External links

{{commons category, Croft Castle
National Trust Croft Castle site

Wikidata List of paintings at Croft Castle
Country houses in Herefordshire National Trust properties in Herefordshire Grade I listed buildings in Herefordshire Buildings and structures in Leominster Historic house museums in Herefordshire