Icomb Place
Encyclopedia
Icomb Place is a medieval manor house
on the edge of the village of Icomb
, near Stow on the Wold in Gloucestershire
.
The word "Place" in this context is thought to be a precursor of the word "Palace".
, the present house dates from three distinct periods. The oldest parts of the present house date from c. 1230 and include the chapel
and solar
(with barrel vaulted timber roof) and undercroft
(northwest wing) and the southeast wing, originally the kitchens and servants quarters.
The front of the house, including the battlemented gateway and the Great Hall
, both with massive oak timber roof supports, connecting the original 13th century buildings were added by Sir John Blacket (who fought alongside Henry V of England
at the Battle of Agincourt
), c. 1420. At this point the house had two courtyards.
After a period of dereliction during the 18th and 19th centuries the house was restored at the beginning of the 20th century and the rear wing and courtyard demolished. At the same time as the restoration, an arboretum
was laid out in the grounds contains plants from around the globe.
The house is unusual in that right angles seem to have been avoided in its construction. The house is a Grade I listed building.
George Simpson-Hayward
died in Icomb Place on October 2, 1936
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
on the edge of the village of Icomb
Icomb
Icomb is a quiet Gloucestershire village in the Cotswolds, close to Stow on the Wold, with typical Cotswold stone cottages, and the parish church of St Mary the Virgin which was built in the mid 13th century. The tomb of Sir John Blaket, a knight who fought with Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt,...
, near Stow on the Wold in Gloucestershire
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....
.
The word "Place" in this context is thought to be a precursor of the word "Palace".
Description
Mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, the present house dates from three distinct periods. The oldest parts of the present house date from c. 1230 and include the chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
and solar
Solar (room)
The solar was a room in many English and French medieval manor houses, great houses and castles, generally situated on an upper storey, designed as the family's private living and sleeping quarters...
(with barrel vaulted timber roof) and undercroft
Undercroft
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground area which is relatively open to the sides, but covered by the building above.- History :While some...
(northwest wing) and the southeast wing, originally the kitchens and servants quarters.
The front of the house, including the battlemented gateway and the Great Hall
Great Hall
Great Hall may refer to* Great hall, the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or large manor house* Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square, Beijing* Great Hall of the University of Sydney, Australia* Cooper_Union#The_Great_Hall, New York...
, both with massive oak timber roof supports, connecting the original 13th century buildings were added by Sir John Blacket (who fought alongside Henry V of England
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
at the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
), c. 1420. At this point the house had two courtyards.
After a period of dereliction during the 18th and 19th centuries the house was restored at the beginning of the 20th century and the rear wing and courtyard demolished. At the same time as the restoration, an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
was laid out in the grounds contains plants from around the globe.
The house is unusual in that right angles seem to have been avoided in its construction. The house is a Grade I listed building.
History
Rosamond Harding lived in Icomb Place between 1949 and 1954George Simpson-Hayward
George Simpson-Hayward
George Hayward Thomas Simpson-Hayward was an English cricketer who played in 5 Tests in 1910...
died in Icomb Place on October 2, 1936