Sker House
Encyclopedia
Sker House is arguably one of the most important historical buildings in Wales
. Originally built as a monastic grange of the Cistercian order over 900 years ago, it is situated just outside of the village of Kenfig
, near Bridgend
. The house later became a residential property and has been involved in many of the disputes that the area has experienced. It has also claimed many of the area's prominent historical figures as residents. Its residential form appears to have been determined by the preceding monastic grange, of which little remains. The house was made famous as the basis of R. D. Blackmore
's book The Maid of Sker.
Once known for being a grey, gaunt, and romantic building, it fell into dereliction during the 19th century. After many years of abandonment, it was finally declared as unsafe in 1979. Beginning on 31 March 1999, the building underwent a significant restoration. The project ended in July 2003. The house's troubled history continued when the contractors for the restoration ran into massive overspending and went into receivership at the end of 1999.
In 2003, the house was sold to Niall Fergusson, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University and William Ziegler Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and now stands whitewashed in yellow against the backdrop of the barren sands of Kenfig Burrows and the sea.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Originally built as a monastic grange of the Cistercian order over 900 years ago, it is situated just outside of the village of Kenfig
Kenfig
Kenfig is a village and former borough in Bridgend, Wales.The borough contributed with other Glamorgan towns to sending a member of parliament to Westminster until the Reform Act of 1832...
, near Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
. The house later became a residential property and has been involved in many of the disputes that the area has experienced. It has also claimed many of the area's prominent historical figures as residents. Its residential form appears to have been determined by the preceding monastic grange, of which little remains. The house was made famous as the basis of R. D. Blackmore
R. D. Blackmore
Richard Doddridge Blackmore , referred to most commonly as R. D. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of the second half of the nineteenth century. Over the course of his career, Blackmore achieved a close following around the world...
's book The Maid of Sker.
Once known for being a grey, gaunt, and romantic building, it fell into dereliction during the 19th century. After many years of abandonment, it was finally declared as unsafe in 1979. Beginning on 31 March 1999, the building underwent a significant restoration. The project ended in July 2003. The house's troubled history continued when the contractors for the restoration ran into massive overspending and went into receivership at the end of 1999.
In 2003, the house was sold to Niall Fergusson, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University and William Ziegler Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and now stands whitewashed in yellow against the backdrop of the barren sands of Kenfig Burrows and the sea.