Fonthill Gifford
Encyclopedia
Fonthill Gifford is a village in Wiltshire
, England
. Its population has dwindled from 493 in the 1801 Census to 120 in the 2001 Census
.
The current Church of England parish church
of All Saints
was built in 1864–66 to designs by the Gothic Revival architect
T.H. Wyatt
. It replaced a neoclassical
church built in 1747–49 near the parish boundary where the Hindon—Tisbury and Fonthill Bishop to Semley roads cross. This in turn was a replacement of an older parish church that stood near the stream in the north-east quarter of the parish close to the now demolished Fonthill House (see map).
Fonthill House was damaged by fire in 1624 or 1625 and was bought by Lord Cottington in 1632, who by 1637 had finished restoring it, and may have used the services of Inigo Jones
.
Around 1715, Francis Cottington put a classical facade
on the house and removed the formal gardens. Between 1745 and 1753 William Beckford
re-aligned the estate making the main entrances to the north and the south, he added a five arched bridge over the lake, placed a folly on the high ground to the west of the house and demolished the old parish church.
Fonthill House burnt down in 1755 and was replaced with a new one— Fonthill Splendens built by William Beckford—to the south of the old one. The design of the house was initially based on Houghton Hall
in Norfork. Those involved in the rebuilding project included Robert Adam, Sir John Soane and James Wyatt, Andrea Casali J. F. Moon, Thomas Banks, John Bacon the elder. In the 1790s William Thomas Beckford
interest moved from Fonthill House to Fonthill Abbey
and in 1807 most of the house was demolished, although the west pavilion remained and was expanded during the 19th century most of it was demolished in 1921, but west service wing was converted into cottages which were demolished in 1975.
Fonthill Abbey was an enormous mansion (between Fonthill Gifford and the nearby village of Fonthill Bishop
) in the style of a medieval abbey, called. This replaced a Palladian mansion
, the only remaining portion of which - known as the Pavilion - was leased by James Morrison
, the millionaire draper and railway investor. The Morrison family
later bought the estate and live there still.
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, 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...
. Its population has dwindled from 493 in the 1801 Census to 120 in the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
was built in 1864–66 to designs by the Gothic Revival architect
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
T.H. Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt
Thomas Henry Wyatt was an Irish British architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870-73 and awarded their Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1873...
. It replaced a neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
church built in 1747–49 near the parish boundary where the Hindon—Tisbury and Fonthill Bishop to Semley roads cross. This in turn was a replacement of an older parish church that stood near the stream in the north-east quarter of the parish close to the now demolished Fonthill House (see map).
Fonthill House was damaged by fire in 1624 or 1625 and was bought by Lord Cottington in 1632, who by 1637 had finished restoring it, and may have used the services of Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
.
Around 1715, Francis Cottington put a classical facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
on the house and removed the formal gardens. Between 1745 and 1753 William Beckford
William Beckford (politician)
William Beckford was a well-known political figure in 18th century London, who twice held the office of Lord Mayor of London . His vast wealth came largely from his plantations in Jamaica...
re-aligned the estate making the main entrances to the north and the south, he added a five arched bridge over the lake, placed a folly on the high ground to the west of the house and demolished the old parish church.
Fonthill House burnt down in 1755 and was replaced with a new one— Fonthill Splendens built by William Beckford—to the south of the old one. The design of the house was initially based on Houghton Hall
Houghton Hall
Houghton Hall is a country house in Norfolk, England. It was built for the de facto first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and it is a key building in the history of Palladian architecture in England...
in Norfork. Those involved in the rebuilding project included Robert Adam, Sir John Soane and James Wyatt, Andrea Casali J. F. Moon, Thomas Banks, John Bacon the elder. In the 1790s William Thomas Beckford
William Thomas Beckford
William Thomas Beckford , usually known as William Beckford, was an English novelist, a profligate and consummately knowledgeable art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer and sometime politician, reputed to be the richest commoner in England...
interest moved from Fonthill House to Fonthill Abbey
Fonthill Abbey
Fonthill Abbey — also known as Beckford's Folly — was a large Gothic revival country house built around the turn of the 19th century at Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire, England, at the direction of William Thomas Beckford and architect James Wyatt...
and in 1807 most of the house was demolished, although the west pavilion remained and was expanded during the 19th century most of it was demolished in 1921, but west service wing was converted into cottages which were demolished in 1975.
Fonthill Abbey was an enormous mansion (between Fonthill Gifford and the nearby village of Fonthill Bishop
Fonthill Bishop
Fonthill Bishop is a small village in Wiltshire, England.The village is close to Fonthill Gifford, where William Thomas Beckford built Fonthill Abbey. The estate now belongs to Lord Margadale....
) in the style of a medieval abbey, called. This replaced a Palladian mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
, the only remaining portion of which - known as the Pavilion - was leased by James Morrison
James Morrison (businessman)
James Morrison was a British millionaire businessman and Member of Parliament.Alternatively he was born in 1790, probably at Middle Wallop, Hampshire, and died 30 October 1857 at Basildon, Berkshire possessed of property in England valued at between three and four million pounds,...
, the millionaire draper and railway investor. The Morrison family
Baron Margadale
Baron Margadale, of Islay in the County of Argyll, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1965 for the Conservative politician John Morrison. As of 2009 the title is held by his grandson, the third Baron, who succeeded his father in 2003. The barony of Margadale is the...
later bought the estate and live there still.
External links
- A Visit to Fonthill by Rictor NortonRictor NortonDr. Rictor Norton is an American scholar of literary and cultural history, particularly gay history. He is based in London, England.- Biography :...
- Fonthill Gifford