Conishead Priory
Encyclopedia
Conishead Priory is a large Gothic Revival building on the Furness
peninsula near Ulverston
in Cumbria
. The priory's name translates literally as 'King's Hill Priory'.
was founded at Conishead in the twelfth century and existed there until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
. The origins of the medieval priory which was founded on the grounds of the present house was founded as a hospital and subsequently developed into a priory during the reign of Henry II (1145–1189). It is thought to have been established as early as 1167 by Gamel de Pennington, and run by the Augustian order. However, William de Lancaster II, baron of Kendal also claimed to be the owner. After the dissolution the lands were then leased to Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Monteagle and afterwards briefly belonged to William Paget, 1st Baron Paget
, before being bought in 1548 by William Sandys, a brother of Archbishop Edwin Sandys
. Sandys was killed in a dispute in 1559 and is commemorated by an effigy in Ulverston church; his son Francis died without issue in 1583 leaving two married half-sisters, Margaret Dodding and Barbara Philipson, as heirs. Margaret's grandson George Dodding, a zealous Roundhead
, later bought out the Philipsons; his son Miles died in 1683 leaving two daughters. One died childless, so the estate passed through her sister Sarah, wife of John Bradyll of Portfield, to their son Dodding Braddyll, Whig
MP
for Lancaster
1715-22. Dodding's son Thomas Braddyll in turn died unmarried in 1776, leaving Conishead to Wilson Gale, his first cousin once removed, who changed his name to Wilson Gale-Braddyll
. Throughout this period the building itself changed considerably.
Wilson Gale-Braddyll was succeeded in 1818 by his only son Thomas (1776–1862), who further altered the family name the following year by becoming Thomas Richmond-Gale-Braddyll. In 1821 he served as High Sheriff
of Lancashire
, and that same year Conishead was demolished to make way for a new house.
The designer of the new Conishead was Philip William Wyatt, son of James Wyatt
and one of an illustrious clan of architects. However, he was not destined to enjoy success in the field; he was dismissed from the project while it was in progress, was declared bankrupt in 1833 and sent to the debtors' prison, dying in 1835. Wyatt's replacement was George Webster
of Kendal
, from another architectural family. It is possible that Webster was originally asked to draw up plans before Wyatt was approached; there are a pair of existing plans of the 1st and 2nd floors of the present priory dated 1818 - the year that Bradyll inherited the estate.
The building took some 20 years and around £140,000 to complete, but its owner was bankrupted by disastrous speculations in the Durham coal mines and forced to sell it to Henry William Askew of Minard Castle, Inverary in 1850. The Priory was Askew's residence until he sold it in 1874, during which time he remortgaged it at least five times using it as collateral. Interestingly, it appears he also shared the Priory with Henry Schneider, the iron mining entrepreneur. In 1874 the Priory was bought by John Poole, a local solicitor of Ulverston, who sold much of the estate for development, one of the main purchasers was William Gradwell, a developer from Barrow in Furness. Poole sold the Priory and surrounding park (approx. 150 acres) to a Scottish syndicate in 1878, who converted it to a spa
hotel. The hotel was a popular destination until at least the turn of the century, so much so that the Priory had its own railway station. In 1883, the Furness Railway Company opened the Bardsea Loop Line which never went further than Conishead Priory. The railway embankment and station houses can still be seen today, situated just to the west of the house. In 1925 the Priory and its grounds were bought by the Conishead Co. Ltd, who made considerable improvements. Just four years later the Priory was up for sale again, and purchased, somewhat ironically, by the Durham Miners Welfare Committee for £35,000. The Committee employed the architect Arthur Kellett of Barnard Castle to redesign the interior for the priory's use as a convalescent home. The Priory was opened as a convalescent home on 29 August 1930, with up to 150 miners being admitted every two weeks to recuperate from mining injuries. In 1933 the Welfare Committee built a Staff House in the grounds some 200m north of the Priory with two cottages for ground staff at either end. The Staff house later became a nursing home before being converted into apartments.During World War II the Priory served as an emergency hospital for air-raid victims although in the event it was not used as such but was instead use for wounded servicemen,approximately 8,000 of whom were treated there. The Welfare Committee reopened the Priory as a convalescent home in April 1946..
In 1970 the Welfare Committee put the Priory and its grounds up for sale, and in 1972 it sold, the estate split in two, one part and the Staff House to a Mr. Fisher and the Priory and other part to a Mr. Jones of Wigan. There were plans for the Priory to be reverted back to a hotel and a caravan park in the grounds, but, unable to get planning permission the Priory was put back on the market. Since 1976 Conishead Priory has been the home of the Manjushri Kadampa
Buddhist
community, who have done much to preserve its structure, and the Kadampa Buddhist Temple
has been built in the grounds.
Furness
Furness is a peninsula in south Cumbria, England. At its widest extent, it is considered to cover the whole of North Lonsdale, that part of the Lonsdale hundred that is an exclave of the historic county of Lancashire, lying to the north of Morecambe Bay....
peninsula near Ulverston
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria in north-west England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town is located in the Furness area, close to the Lake District, and just north of Morecambe Bay....
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. The priory's name translates literally as 'King's Hill Priory'.
History of the site
An Augustinian prioryPriory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
was founded at Conishead in the twelfth century and existed there until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. The origins of the medieval priory which was founded on the grounds of the present house was founded as a hospital and subsequently developed into a priory during the reign of Henry II (1145–1189). It is thought to have been established as early as 1167 by Gamel de Pennington, and run by the Augustian order. However, William de Lancaster II, baron of Kendal also claimed to be the owner. After the dissolution the lands were then leased to Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Monteagle and afterwards briefly belonged to William Paget, 1st Baron Paget
William Paget, 1st Baron Paget
William Paget, 1st Baron Paget of Beaudesert , was an English statesman and accountant who held prominent positions in the service of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I.-Early life:...
, before being bought in 1548 by William Sandys, a brother of Archbishop Edwin Sandys
Edwin Sandys (archbishop)
Archbishop Edwin Sandys was an English prelate.He was Anglican Bishop of Worcester , London and Archbishop of York during the reign of Elizabeth I of England...
. Sandys was killed in a dispute in 1559 and is commemorated by an effigy in Ulverston church; his son Francis died without issue in 1583 leaving two married half-sisters, Margaret Dodding and Barbara Philipson, as heirs. Margaret's grandson George Dodding, a zealous Roundhead
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
, later bought out the Philipsons; his son Miles died in 1683 leaving two daughters. One died childless, so the estate passed through her sister Sarah, wife of John Bradyll of Portfield, to their son Dodding Braddyll, Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Lancaster
Lancaster (UK Parliament constituency)
Lancaster was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1867, centred on the historic city of Lancaster in north-west England...
1715-22. Dodding's son Thomas Braddyll in turn died unmarried in 1776, leaving Conishead to Wilson Gale, his first cousin once removed, who changed his name to Wilson Gale-Braddyll
Wilson Gale-Braddyll
Wilson Gale-Braddyll was a British Member of Parliament.He was born Wilson Gale, the eldest son of John Gale of Highhead Castle, Cumberland by Sarah, only child of Christopher Wilson of Bardsea Hall, Urswick...
. Throughout this period the building itself changed considerably.
The present building
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, and that same year Conishead was demolished to make way for a new house.
The designer of the new Conishead was Philip William Wyatt, son of James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
and one of an illustrious clan of architects. However, he was not destined to enjoy success in the field; he was dismissed from the project while it was in progress, was declared bankrupt in 1833 and sent to the debtors' prison, dying in 1835. Wyatt's replacement was George Webster
George Webster (architect)
George Webster was born in Kendal, Westmorland, England in 1797, son to Francis Webster, a prominent local stonemason turned architect...
of Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
, from another architectural family. It is possible that Webster was originally asked to draw up plans before Wyatt was approached; there are a pair of existing plans of the 1st and 2nd floors of the present priory dated 1818 - the year that Bradyll inherited the estate.
The building took some 20 years and around £140,000 to complete, but its owner was bankrupted by disastrous speculations in the Durham coal mines and forced to sell it to Henry William Askew of Minard Castle, Inverary in 1850. The Priory was Askew's residence until he sold it in 1874, during which time he remortgaged it at least five times using it as collateral. Interestingly, it appears he also shared the Priory with Henry Schneider, the iron mining entrepreneur. In 1874 the Priory was bought by John Poole, a local solicitor of Ulverston, who sold much of the estate for development, one of the main purchasers was William Gradwell, a developer from Barrow in Furness. Poole sold the Priory and surrounding park (approx. 150 acres) to a Scottish syndicate in 1878, who converted it to a spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
hotel. The hotel was a popular destination until at least the turn of the century, so much so that the Priory had its own railway station. In 1883, the Furness Railway Company opened the Bardsea Loop Line which never went further than Conishead Priory. The railway embankment and station houses can still be seen today, situated just to the west of the house. In 1925 the Priory and its grounds were bought by the Conishead Co. Ltd, who made considerable improvements. Just four years later the Priory was up for sale again, and purchased, somewhat ironically, by the Durham Miners Welfare Committee for £35,000. The Committee employed the architect Arthur Kellett of Barnard Castle to redesign the interior for the priory's use as a convalescent home. The Priory was opened as a convalescent home on 29 August 1930, with up to 150 miners being admitted every two weeks to recuperate from mining injuries. In 1933 the Welfare Committee built a Staff House in the grounds some 200m north of the Priory with two cottages for ground staff at either end. The Staff house later became a nursing home before being converted into apartments.During World War II the Priory served as an emergency hospital for air-raid victims although in the event it was not used as such but was instead use for wounded servicemen,approximately 8,000 of whom were treated there. The Welfare Committee reopened the Priory as a convalescent home in April 1946..
In 1970 the Welfare Committee put the Priory and its grounds up for sale, and in 1972 it sold, the estate split in two, one part and the Staff House to a Mr. Fisher and the Priory and other part to a Mr. Jones of Wigan. There were plans for the Priory to be reverted back to a hotel and a caravan park in the grounds, but, unable to get planning permission the Priory was put back on the market. Since 1976 Conishead Priory has been the home of the Manjushri Kadampa
Kadampa
The Kadampa tradition was a Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist school. Dromtönpa, a Tibetan lay master and the foremost disciple of the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha , founded it and passed three lineages to his disciples. The Kadampa were quite famous and respected for their proper and earnest...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
community, who have done much to preserve its structure, and the Kadampa Buddhist Temple
Kadampa Buddhist Temple
The Kadampa World Peace Temple is located at Conishead Priory on the outskirts of Ulverston, Cumbria, England. It was consecrated in July 1997 and functions as the main meditation hall at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre...
has been built in the grounds.