Blaise Castle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shown within Bristol (above) and England.

The mansion.

Blaise Castle is an 18th century mansion house and estate near Henbury in Bristol (formerly in Gloucestershire), England. Blaise Castle was immortalised by being described as "the finest place in England" in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey (a sentiment not necessarily shared by the author, however).

1 Early history
2 Blaise Castle House
3 The castle
4 The estate
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Early history

Flint fragments show Blaise Castle Estate was probably first inhabited by Neolithic farmers. There is more definitive evidence for Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman activity through the distinctive hill-forts in the area and other archaeological finds. The value of this historic landscape was recognised when it became a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 1982.

After the Anglo-Saxon invasion and subsequent conversion to Christianity, the land was granted to the Bishop of Worcester as part of the Kingdom of Mercia. During this time the estate picked up its association with Saint Blaise that lives on in the estate's name.

[edit] Blaise Castle House

Blaise Castle House was built in 1796–1798 for John Harford, a wealthy Bristol merchant and banker. He was also responsible for building Blaise Hamlet, to house his servants and tenants.

A branch of the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery since 1949, Blaise Castle House now features collections relating to household numerous items in addition to its period interior decoration.

[edit] The castle

On a hill above the gorge is a sham castle overlooking Bristol, Avonmouth and the Avon Gorge, with views across to South Wales on a clear day. This is often incorrectly referred to as a folly, but was actually inhabited well into the C20th with sumptuous internal decoration

[edit] The estate

The castle and its 650 acres (2.6 km²) of parkland are now open to the public (the 'folly' opens most Sunday afternoons) and include a modern visiting facilities and car park.

The grounds were laid out by Humphry Repton (1752–1818) a leading landscape gardener. Parts of Repton's designs still exist, notably the impressive carriage drive which winds its way from the house. The Regency architect John Nash was responsible for the addition of the dairy and the conservatory.

The grounds include a gorge cut by the Hazel Brook through Bristol's limestone. The gorge features a selection of stunning landscape, including Goram's Chair, a limestone outcrop often used by climbers, and Lover's Leap, a panoramic viewing spot. Stratford Mill was re-erected within the gorge after Chew Valley Lake was flooded to form a resovoir. Ongoing renovations started in 2004 of the mill, settling ponds and associated estate pathways. At the gorge's southern end, Hazel Brook joins the River Trym, which continues its flow towards Sea Mills.