Tirley Garth
Encyclopedia
Tirley Garth is a large country house some 2.5 miles (4 km) to the north of Tarporley
, Cheshire
, England. The house together with its entrance courtyard walls have been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building.
, the architect being C. E. Mallows. Before it was completed, Leesmith had to sell the house and its ownership passed to Brunner Mond. It was then leased to Richard Henry Prestwich, who was a director of Burberry
’s. Prestwich’s daughter, Irene, continued to rent the property after her father’s death in 1940. Irene was a member of the campaign for Moral Re-Armament
(MRA) and in 1940 she invited the organisation to move here to shelter from the war. In November 1940 36 incendiary bombs
fell in the garden and one on the house. During the war the gardens were used for growing produce which was taken to the local markets. After the war Irene bought the house and grounds from Imperial Chemical Industries
, the successors of Brunner Mond, and presented it to MRA, establishing the Tirley Garth Trust in order to preserve it. Irene Prestwich died in 1974. In 2002, as the house and grounds were surplus to the requirements of MRA, they were sold to Mersey Television
.
dressings, a York stone-slate roof and tall pebble-dashed chimneys. It is designed in the Art and Crafts
style. The word “garth” in its name derives from the house being built around an internal courtyard. On all sides of the courtyard are stone cloisters with three arches on each side and in its centre is a sunken circular pool reached by curved steps. The living quarters are on the south, west and east sides. The south front, with views towards the Beeston
and Peckforton
Hills, is the main front. It is symmetrical with five bays, all of which are gable
d. The central bay has a large semicircular projection in two storeys with an eleven-light mullion
ed and transomed
window behind which is the great hall. Above this is a five-light window. The end bays have canted
two-storey projections with four-light windows above them. The west front is the entrance front. It has eight bays, is mainly in two storeys, and has a three-storey tower to the right. Internally there are many architectural details with some fine wood-carving, and tiles which are unique to the house.
, and it is likely that Mawson influenced Mallows' designs. The degree of Mawson's involvement is uncertain but he did produce planting plans which were published. The park and garden have been registered at Grade II*. The covers an area of about 16 hectares, is the only Grade II* Arts and Crafts garden in Cheshire that remains complete.
To the west of the house is a turning circle and to the south are formal terraced gardens which lead to a sunken garden. Beyond this the land slopes down to a valley containing many rhododendron
s. To the east of the house terraces lead to two enclosed lawns and a small octagonal garden containing a fountain. Beyond these is a rose garden consisting of seven semicircular terraces of grass and rose beds. From the north of these a path leads to the Round Acre, a circular area initially intended for the kitchen garden, now planted with flowering cherry trees. The gardens are open to visitors on one or two days each year by arrangement through the National Gardens Scheme
.
Structures around the house and in the garden are listed Grade II. These are the eastern entrance of southern gateway to the house which consists of gatepiers and a stile in bossed red sandstone which were designed about 1910 by Mallows; the south terrace with its complex of walls which were designed about 1912 by Mawson; and the walls and steps of the east terrace and associated formal gardens which were also designed around the same time by Mawson.
Tarporley
Tarporley is a large village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England....
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. The house together with its entrance courtyard walls have been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building.
History
The building of the house began in 1907 for Bryan Leesmith, a director of the chemical firm of Brunner MondBrunner Mond
Tata Chemicals Europe is a UK-based chemicals company that is a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, itself a part of the India-based Tata Group...
, the architect being C. E. Mallows. Before it was completed, Leesmith had to sell the house and its ownership passed to Brunner Mond. It was then leased to Richard Henry Prestwich, who was a director of Burberry
Burberry
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry...
’s. Prestwich’s daughter, Irene, continued to rent the property after her father’s death in 1940. Irene was a member of the campaign for Moral Re-Armament
Moral Re-Armament
Moral Re-Armament was an international Christian moral and spiritual movement that, in 1938, developed from the American minister Frank Buchman's Oxford Group. Buchman, a Lutheran, headed MRA for 23 years, from 1938 until his death in 1961...
(MRA) and in 1940 she invited the organisation to move here to shelter from the war. In November 1940 36 incendiary bombs
Incendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
fell in the garden and one on the house. During the war the gardens were used for growing produce which was taken to the local markets. After the war Irene bought the house and grounds from Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
, the successors of Brunner Mond, and presented it to MRA, establishing the Tirley Garth Trust in order to preserve it. Irene Prestwich died in 1974. In 2002, as the house and grounds were surplus to the requirements of MRA, they were sold to Mersey Television
Mersey Television
Lime Pictures, formerly known as Mersey Television, is a British television production company, founded by producer and writer Phil Redmond in the early 1980s....
.
Architecture
Tirley Garth is built in pebble-dashed brick with buff sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
dressings, a York stone-slate roof and tall pebble-dashed chimneys. It is designed in the Art and Crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
style. The word “garth” in its name derives from the house being built around an internal courtyard. On all sides of the courtyard are stone cloisters with three arches on each side and in its centre is a sunken circular pool reached by curved steps. The living quarters are on the south, west and east sides. The south front, with views towards the Beeston
Beeston, Cheshire
Beeston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in the north of England. It is south of Tarporley, and close to the Shropshire Union Canal. Beeston Castle nearby is a spectacular clifftop ruin in the care of English...
and Peckforton
Peckforton
Peckforton is a scattered settlement and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The settlement is located to the north east of Malpas and miles to the west of Nantwich. The total population of the civil parish is somewhat over 100...
Hills, is the main front. It is symmetrical with five bays, all of which are gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d. The central bay has a large semicircular projection in two storeys with an eleven-light mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed and transomed
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
window behind which is the great hall. Above this is a five-light window. The end bays have canted
Cant (architecture)
Cant is the architectural term describing part, or segment, of a facade which is at an angle to another part of the same facade. The angle breaking the facade is less than a right angle thus enabling a canted facade to be viewed as, and remain, one composition.Canted facades are a typical of, but...
two-storey projections with four-light windows above them. The west front is the entrance front. It has eight bays, is mainly in two storeys, and has a three-storey tower to the right. Internally there are many architectural details with some fine wood-carving, and tiles which are unique to the house.
Gardens and associated structures
The gardens were also designed by Mallows who believed that in order to create a unity of design, they should be designed by the architect to create a whole with the house. Mallows worked from rooms adjacent to those of the landscape architect Thomas MawsonThomas Hayton Mawson
Thomas Hayton Mawson , better known as T. H. Mawson, was a British garden designer, landscape architect, and town planner....
, and it is likely that Mawson influenced Mallows' designs. The degree of Mawson's involvement is uncertain but he did produce planting plans which were published. The park and garden have been registered at Grade II*. The covers an area of about 16 hectares, is the only Grade II* Arts and Crafts garden in Cheshire that remains complete.
To the west of the house is a turning circle and to the south are formal terraced gardens which lead to a sunken garden. Beyond this the land slopes down to a valley containing many rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s. To the east of the house terraces lead to two enclosed lawns and a small octagonal garden containing a fountain. Beyond these is a rose garden consisting of seven semicircular terraces of grass and rose beds. From the north of these a path leads to the Round Acre, a circular area initially intended for the kitchen garden, now planted with flowering cherry trees. The gardens are open to visitors on one or two days each year by arrangement through the National Gardens Scheme
National Gardens Scheme
The National Gardens Scheme, was founded in 1927 in England with the aim of "opening gardens of quality, character and interest to the public for charity". Originally, the money was raised to provide pension support for district nurses; 609 private gardens were opened and £8,191 was raised.Over...
.
Structures around the house and in the garden are listed Grade II. These are the eastern entrance of southern gateway to the house which consists of gatepiers and a stile in bossed red sandstone which were designed about 1910 by Mallows; the south terrace with its complex of walls which were designed about 1912 by Mawson; and the walls and steps of the east terrace and associated formal gardens which were also designed around the same time by Mawson.