Daylesford, Gloucestershire
Encyclopedia
Daylesford is a small village in Gloucestershire
, England, on the border with Oxfordshire
. It is situated off the A436 near Stow-on-the-Wold
and five miles west of Chipping Norton
. The village is on the north bank of the small River Evenlode
. The landscape falls within the Cotswold Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
, so designated in 1966.
In the medieval period the manor was held by the Hastings family. Until 1931 Daylesford was a detached part of Worcestershire
, but in that year it was transferred to Gloucestershire. It was a separate civil parish
until 1935, when it was absorbed into the civil parish of Adlestrop
.
, Governor-General of India, a descendant of its medieval owners. In the following years, he remodelled the mansion, Daylesford House, to the designs of Samuel Pepys Cockerell
, with magnificent classical and Indian decoration (a style later developed successfully at Sezincote House
nearby). The gardens were landscaped by John Davenport
.
Warren Hastings also rebuilt the Norman
Church of St Peter in 1816, where he was buried two years later. The church was again rebuilt to the designs of J.L. Pearson in 1859-63.
In the 20th century, the house and estate has been the property of Viscount Rothermere
, who restored the house with the help of the interior decorator John Fowler, and Baron Heinrich Thyssen
. It is currently the Gloucestershire home of Sir Anthony and Lady Bamford, major shareholders in the J. C. Bamford
excavator company.
The lakeside gardens with wooded walks and unusual trees and shrubs are open to the public in the summer months. There is a popular farm shop on the estate, which sells organic food
under the Daylesford Organic brand.
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England, on the border with Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. It is situated off the A436 near Stow-on-the-Wold
Stow-on-the-Wold
Stow-on-the-Wold is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on top of an 800 ft hill, at the convergence of a number of major roads through the Cotswolds, including the Fosse Way . The town was founded as a planned market place by Norman lords to take...
and five miles west of Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton is a market town in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about southwest of Banbury.-History until the 17th century:...
. The village is on the north bank of the small River Evenlode
River Evenlode
The River Evenlode is a river in England which is a tributary of the Thames in Oxfordshire. It rises near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire in the Cotswold Hills and flows south-east passing near Stow-on-the-Wold, Charlbury, Bladon, and Cassington, and its valley provides the route of the southern...
. The landscape falls within the Cotswold Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
, so designated in 1966.
In the medieval period the manor was held by the Hastings family. Until 1931 Daylesford was a detached part of 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...
, but in that year it was transferred to Gloucestershire. It was a separate civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
until 1935, when it was absorbed into the civil parish of Adlestrop
Adlestrop
Adlestrop is a village and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is known as Tedestrop in the Domesday Book.The civil parish also includes the village of Daylesford...
.
Daylesford House
In 1788 it was acquired by Warren HastingsWarren Hastings
Warren Hastings PC was the first Governor-General of India, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but was acquitted in 1795. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1814.-Early life:...
, Governor-General of India, a descendant of its medieval owners. In the following years, he remodelled the mansion, Daylesford House, to the designs of Samuel Pepys Cockerell
Samuel Pepys Cockerell
Samuel Pepys Cockerell was an English architect. He was the son of John Cockerell, of Bishop's Hull, Somerset, and the brother of Sir Charles Cockerell, 1st Baronet, for whom he designed the house he is best known for, Sezincote House, Gloucestershire, where the uniquely Orientalizing features...
, with magnificent classical and Indian decoration (a style later developed successfully at Sezincote House
Sezincote House
Sezincote is a British estate, located in Gloucestershire, England. It was designed by Samuel Pepys Cockerell in 1805, and is a notable example of Neo-Mughal architecture, a 19th-century reinterpretation of 16th and 17th-century Mughal architecture from the Mughal Empire.Sezincote is dominated by...
nearby). The gardens were landscaped by John Davenport
John Davenport
John Davenport may refer to:* John Davenport , Puritan minister and colonist in New Haven Colony* John Davenport , U.S. Representative from Connecticut, 1799–1816...
.
Warren Hastings also rebuilt the Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
Church of St Peter in 1816, where he was buried two years later. The church was again rebuilt to the designs of J.L. Pearson in 1859-63.
In the 20th century, the house and estate has been the property of Viscount Rothermere
Esmond Harmsworth, 2nd Viscount Rothermere
Esmond Cecil Harmsworth, 2nd Viscount Rothermere was a British Conservative politician and press magnate.Harmsworth's father, Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, had been the financial wizard behind the creation of the Daily Mail in partnership with his brother Alfred Harmsworth,...
, who restored the house with the help of the interior decorator John Fowler, and Baron Heinrich Thyssen
Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza
Hans Henrik Ágost Gábor Tasso Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva , a noted industrialist and art collector, was a Dutch-born Swiss citizen with a Hungarian title, a legal resident of Monaco for tax purposes, with a declared second residency in the United Kingdom, but in actuality...
. It is currently the Gloucestershire home of Sir Anthony and Lady Bamford, major shareholders in the J. C. Bamford
J. C. Bamford
JCB is a global construction, demolition and agricultural equipment company headquartered in Rocester, United Kingdom. It is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. It produces over 300 types of machines, including diggers , excavators, tractors and diesel engines...
excavator company.
The lakeside gardens with wooded walks and unusual trees and shrubs are open to the public in the summer months. There is a popular farm shop on the estate, which sells organic food
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
under the Daylesford Organic brand.
External links
- 'Parishes: Daylesford', A History of the County of Worcester: volume 3 (1913) British History Online