Chateau Impney
Encyclopedia
Chateau Impney is an imposing 19th century house built in the style of an elaborate French
château
near Droitwich Spa
in Worcestershire
, England
. Of the large mansions in Worcestershire supported by industrial fortunes, Sir Nicolas Pevsner
judged Impney to be "the showiest of them all in the county".
It was designed from 1869 onwards and built in 1873-75 for local industrialist the saltworks magnate John Corbett
in the style of a Louis XIII
château, for Corbett's wife, Hannah Eliza O'Meara, was of mixed French
/Irish
descent and had been raised in Paris, where her father was secretary to the Displomatic Corps. Corbett applied for designs to the Parisian architect Auguste Tronquois and employed the Beaux-Arts
trained English architect Richard Phené Spiers as executive architect on site; the house cost GBP £247,000 (equivalent to £16,685,895.00 in 2007) http://www.measuringworth.com/index.html, to satisfy her nostalgia for Paris
. Sadly, the marriage was not a happy one, and she later took up residence in one of Corbett's properties in Tywyn
, North Wales
.
In 1945, the house was purchased by Ralph Edwards who restored it and developed it as a hotel. , it remains an upmarket hotel http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/182447 and presents an eye-catching sight from the road http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/215120.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
near Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa
Droitwich Spa is a town in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe.The town is situated on massive deposits of salt, and salt has been extracted there since ancient times. The natural Droitwich brine contains 2½ lbs...
in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Of the large mansions in Worcestershire supported by industrial fortunes, Sir Nicolas Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
judged Impney to be "the showiest of them all in the county".
It was designed from 1869 onwards and built in 1873-75 for local industrialist the saltworks magnate John Corbett
John Corbett (industrialist)
John Corbett was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party politician of the Victorian era. He is particularly associated with salt mining in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire.- Family background :...
in the style of a Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
château, for Corbett's wife, Hannah Eliza O'Meara, was of mixed French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
/Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
descent and had been raised in Paris, where her father was secretary to the Displomatic Corps. Corbett applied for designs to the Parisian architect Auguste Tronquois and employed the Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
trained English architect Richard Phené Spiers as executive architect on site; the house cost GBP £247,000 (equivalent to £16,685,895.00 in 2007) http://www.measuringworth.com/index.html, to satisfy her nostalgia for Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Sadly, the marriage was not a happy one, and she later took up residence in one of Corbett's properties in Tywyn
Tywyn
Tywyn is a town and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd , in north Wales. The name derives from the Welsh tywyn and the town is sometimes referred to as Tywyn Meirionnydd...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
In 1945, the house was purchased by Ralph Edwards who restored it and developed it as a hotel. , it remains an upmarket hotel http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/182447 and presents an eye-catching sight from the road http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/215120.