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Corsham Court, formerly
known as Corsham House, was a Royal Manor in the times of the late
Saxon Kings. More recently it has been the home of the Methuen family
who have lived here for eight generations.
The south front is basically Elizabethan, dating from 1582, but
the house was enlarged by Paul Methuen in the late 18th century
in order to house a distinguished collection of Old Master paintings
which he had inherited from his godfather. During the 1840s it again
underwent considerable alteration and rebuilding, and the north
front dates from this time. Corsham Court and the Park as they are
today represent in particular the work of ‘Capability’
Brown, Humphry Repton and Thomas Bellamy. Brown, in his role as
architect, enlarged both the west and east wings of the Elizabethan
house - the latter so as to create the magnificent Picture Gallery
and State Rooms which have now been open to the public many years.
In landscaping the grounds Brown had planned a 13-acre lake, but
it was his pupil, Repton, who carried out this work some 35 years
later. Brown built the charming Bath House in the gardens and also
planted several specimen trees, some of which have survived. The
great oriental plane is the most impressive of these, and it is
one of the largest in Europe.
The State Rooms themselves provide the setting for an outstanding
collection of paintings, which contain important works of 16th and
17th century Flemish and Italian masters, as well as some of the
most famous furnishings designed by Robert Adam. Artists represented
include Lippi, Del Sarto, Dolci, Van Dyck and Reynolds. There is
also a gallery of Modern British paintings and drawings that can
be viewed by appointment. Visible from Church Street is a curious,
apparently ruinous structure, half religious building, half castle.
In reality it is a folly, an artificial ruin, designed by John Nash
and erected in 1800 to hide buildings on the High Street from the
House.
The Town Hall was
built as a market hall by one of the Methuen family, Lord of the
Manor, in 1783. In its original conception, it had only one storey.
The upper storey was not added until 1882. During the First World
War, it was used as a military hospital. With its excellent conference
facilities, it is now a fitting home for the Town Council and centrepiece
of the town.
St Bartholomew’s Church
Originally a Saxon structure, St Bartholomew’s Church was
added to in Norman times and later centuries until a complete restoration
was undertaken in the late 19th century, and there have been minor
alterations since. The lines of the original Saxon church can still
be identified inside the building by the narrow width of the nave
and the thinness of the walls. The length of the original Saxon
site can be measured from the sanctuary step to the spot where the
pillars towards the west end of the church are seen to be split.
The remnants of the Saxon west wall can be seen between the two
halves of the pillar. Aisles were added in late Norman style when
the nave was lengthened by one bay, and a new chancel was built
at the end of the 12th century. The transepts were enlarged and
a central placed tower was razed and rebuilt.
Many changes were made in the succeeding centuries, e.g. the Lady
Chapel was rebuilt, a new north aisle replaced the Norman aisle,
and the Norman doorway was re-set in the wall of the new aisle -
it can be seen from the north side of the churchyard. A large chapel
was built in the south part, and the present south porch replaced
an older one. In the nineteenth century, the centrally placed tower
was found to be unsafe and the top part was removed in order to
reduce the weight pressing on the inadequate walls of the nave.
This temporary job of making the fabric safer lasted until 1874
when the church was comprehensively restored by George Edmund Street,
a member of the Arts and Crafts movement. The restoration included
vital repairs and adaptations, removing galleries, re-siting the
tower, renewing the steeple and re-hanging the six bells to the
present position on the south side. Completing the scheme was the
Methuen pew on the north side.
The Almshouses The
Hungerford Almshouses and Schoolrooms constitute one of the best
preserved structures of their kind in England and are, together
with Corsham Court, Grade 1 listed building. They were completed
in 1668 and paid for by Dame Margaret, wife of Sir Edward Hungerford,
resident of Corsham House at the time.
Continued
The Buildings of Corsham continued
The building is particularly lavish in appearance, comprising both
almshouses for six “deserving poor” and a schoolroom
for 10 poor scholars, who would probably have boarded here in addition
to  other
scholars whom the schoolmaster was entitled to charge a fee. The
schoolroom retains most of its original fittings. The schoolmaster,
who was also responsible for the care of the older inhabitants,
had his house in the main range of the building facing onto Pound
Pill, and it is possible Dame Margaret herself used the rooms here,
which may account for the elaborate porch in Renaissance style bearing
the Hungerford arms. The rest of the building is in the more restrained,
late medieval vernacular.
Dame Margaret set out 45 rules to govern the behaviour of residents
and information about this and other features of the almshouses
is available in an exhibition in the interior. The building was
recently renovated by the trustees when four additional apartments
were created from the kitchen and stable block. The almshouses are
still lived in today.
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