Great Chalfield Manor
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Great Chalfield Manor is an English country house in Broughton Gifford near Melksham, Wiltshire.
The house is a moated manor house built around 1465-1480 for Thomas Tropnell. It was altered substantially (with some of the original character lost) in the 1830s. In particular, the great hall lost its ornate ceiling, with only one of the original bosses surviving. the independent hall, lit on both sides, is flanked by unusually symmetrical double-gabled cross wings, with oriels. The
Externally there is a fine garden boasting four "tree houses" (groups of four yew trees which have grown together and been hollowed out inside to allow you to walk through). Also within the grounds is the tiny parish church, a feature of which is the unusual "bellcote", a stone belfry built on to the roof.
The house and garden were restored between 1905 and 1911 by Major Robert Fuller, under the guidance of Sir Harold Brakspear, with a sympathetic garden design by Alfred Parson. The property is now owned by the National Trust and are open to the public. The Fuller family still lives here and manages the property for the Trust. Tours of the house are at fixed times and visitors are escorted by a resident guide.
