Old Manor House, Mitford

[NZ 16818556] Old Manor House. (1)

A ruinous old Manor House, the date of which is 1639. (2)

Thought to be much older, ie rebuilt in 1637. Renovated in 1927. (3)

[....] portion of the house removed c.1812. (4)

The main wing of this Manor House is completely ruined but the course of the walls is still visible and the three storeyed crenellated porch is still standing. This porch has mullioned, transomed and hooded windows and over the door is the manorial crest and the date '1637'. The west wing, which is still standing, has mullioned windows and a modern roof, and is used as a farm building.
Ref T2(2). There is no evidence of any building of earlier date than 1637. (5)

See second card for photos. (6)

Some of the remains have now been demolished (see revised plan in 3 above) and the porch restored. Only the outer wall of the west wing survives and serves as a boundary to an inner courtyard. In general, the remains have been made safe and incorporated into the outbuildings of the modern house attached to the east. The porch now stands isolated. (7)

Condition unchanged. (8)

Grade II* Mitford Manor House
Dated 1637. Now consists of free-standing tower three storeys high, embattled, with blocked 'cross' windows and arched doorway with strap-work and date. The house has thick rubble walls in the old ruined portion, and a modern house has been built in the east portion, with a pantiled roof and small-paned casement windows. (9)

Grade II* listed building. Old Manor House and adjacent ruins (formerly listed as Mitford Manor House). Probably 16th century, remodelled in the 17th century with porch tower dated 1637 and rear wings. Kitchen wing remodelled 1961-2. The front and end walls of the mainblock have fallen, except for fragments adjacent to the porch tower. The rear wall shows remains of several doorways and fireplaces. (10)

An assessment was carried out by P Ryder in February 1998 ahead of development proposals. The house seems to have remained in use for about 200 years and it is referred to as 'recently for the most part pulled down' by Bertram Mitford c.1811.Two illustrations exist in Northumberland Record Office which purport to show the old house before demolition: one of 1886 and one showing it in 1810. Other pictures exist of the house after demolition.
The porch tower measures 2.4m deep by 2.8m wide. Four steps lead up to a round headed arch with an entablature above. There is a small window on each side of the porch at ground floor level and below the northern one what appears to be the top of a small square headed window; this seems to relate to a space or basement beneath the floor of the porch. The second and third stages of the tower have windows in each face, although those at the sides are blocked. The parapet of the tower is crenellated; the west side is secondary. Internally, at ground floor level a Tudor flattened arch doorway leads into the main block of the house. At the second stage the side walls increase in thickness, but the west wall steps back to a continuous panel of brickwork which rises to parapet level.
The main block measures 22.5m by 7.9m externally. The west wall measures c.1.3m thick, the front wall c.0.8m and the end walls c.0.9m. The present lawn within the shell of the main block appear to lie c.0.5m below the ground floor level. It is possible that a basement or series of cellars existed originally. The front wall only survives as stubs attached to the porch tower. The west wall exhibits a number of features including doorways, fireplaces, closet or recess, relieving arch and series of sockets. At first floor level the wall is more ruinous.
The stair wing is slightly trapezoidal in plan and measures c.5.1m wide by 3.7m deep. It is now occupied by a room of the present house. In the west wall is a doorway with a flattened triangular arch and chamfered surround and traces of three windows. On the south side is a modern window set within an apparent blocked doorway; another blocked doorway lies above. The north side is largely covered by a recent link to the north west wing.
Only the south wall of the south west wing survives, it measures 14.9m long. It stands two storeys high and has three bays. The ground floor windows have been blocked, those at first floor level are intact except for two single-light windows which are blocked. Internally, there is a set back at first floor level in the western bays. There are scars which mark partitions of cross walls between each bay.
The north west wing measures 16.5m by 6.1m externally. The original wall thickness was probably c.0.65m. The stonework is characteristic of mid to late 18th century work; in the lower part of the west gable end is an area of masonry more in character with the main block and which may be older. The range was heightened c.1961-2; the majority of openings are 20th century.
There is no evidence that any part of the present structure pre-dates the early 17th century. Its structural history is summarised as follows:
1) main block built in 1637, presumably replacing an older house east of the church;
2) south west wing added in mid to late 17th century, possibly to provide servants' accommodation;
3) north west wing added in mid 18th century as a service range of some sort;
4) most of the main block demolished c.1810, with porch tower being left as a 'picturesque' feature. North west wing (?with upper floor inserted) becomes a cottage, south west wing perhaps outbuildings or farmbuilding;
5) various minor changes in 19th/early 20th centuries, ruined stair wing at some stage roofed over to serve as an outbuilding. South west wing reroofed?
6) drastic alterations in 1961-2: south west wing demolished except for south wall, north west wing gutted and virtually rebuilt. (11)

1. [NZ 16818556] Old Manor House [T.1] A ruinous old Manor House, the date of which is 1639 (12a)

Additional reference (12b)