Piercefield House is a largely ruined
neo-classicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
mansionA mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. realtors define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
designed by Sir John Soane, located near
ChepstowChepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
in
MonmouthshireMonmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a larger area.-Historic county:...
, south east
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
. Its extensive surrounding park overlooking the
Wye ValleyThe Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
includes
Chepstow RacecourseChepstow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located just outside the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales, near the southern end of the Wye Valley which forms the border with England...
. The house is now but a shell, along with its extensive stable block, and a mere shadow of its former glory.
Records since the 14th century refer variously to Peerfield, Peersfield, Persfield and Piersfield, the area taking its name, according to some sources, from the nearby
manorA manor house or fortified manor-house is a country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a manor , the lowest unit of territorial organization in the feudal system...
of
St. PierreSt. Pierre is a former parish and hamlet in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, 3 miles south west of Chepstow and adjacent to the Severn estuary. It is now the site of a large golf and country club, the Marriott St. Pierre Hotel & Country Club, which was previously a large manor house and deer park...
.
Piercefield House is a largely ruined
neo-classicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
mansionA mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. realtors define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
designed by Sir John Soane, located near
ChepstowChepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
in
MonmouthshireMonmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a larger area.-Historic county:...
, south east
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
. Its extensive surrounding park overlooking the
Wye ValleyThe Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
includes
Chepstow RacecourseChepstow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located just outside the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales, near the southern end of the Wye Valley which forms the border with England...
. The house is now but a shell, along with its extensive stable block, and a mere shadow of its former glory.
History
Records since the 14th century refer variously to Peerfield, Peersfield, Persfield and Piersfield, the area taking its name, according to some sources, from the nearby
manorA manor house or fortified manor-house is a country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a manor , the lowest unit of territorial organization in the feudal system...
of
St. PierreSt. Pierre is a former parish and hamlet in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, 3 miles south west of Chepstow and adjacent to the Severn estuary. It is now the site of a large golf and country club, the Marriott St. Pierre Hotel & Country Club, which was previously a large manor house and deer park...
. The land was owned by the influential Walter family from medieval times until the 18th century. Local historians report an enlargement of the existing house under John Walter in the 1630s, and a later extension around 1700 is believed to have been the work of
William TalmanWilliam Talman was an English architect and landscape designer. A pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, in 1678 he and Thomas Apprice gained the office of king's waiter in the Port of London...
, also responsible for
Chatsworth HouseChatsworth House is a large country house at Chatsworth, Derbyshire, England 3½ miles north east of Bakewell . It is the seat of the Dukes of Devonshire, and has been home to their family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549.Standing on the east bank of the...
.
In 1727, the estate was sold for £3,366, 5.6d to Thomas Rous of
Wotton-under-EdgeWotton under Edge is a market town within the Stroud district of Gloucestershire, England. Located near the southern end of the Cotswolds the Cotswold Way long-distance footpath passes through the town...
. His son then sold it again in 1740, for £8,250, to Colonel Valentine Morris. Morris (c 1678-1743) was born in
AntiguaAntigua is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after a church in Spain, Santa Maria La Antigua — St. Mary the Ancient...
, the son of a sugar planter and merchant, and is thought to have been descended from the Walter family.
The estate was then inherited by his son, also
Valentine MorrisValentine Morris was a British landowner born in Antigua in the West Indies, who was responsible for developing the picturesque woodland walks at Piercefield in the Wye valley and later became Governor of St...
(1727-1789), who began living at Piercefield with his family in 1753. At this time, tourism in the
Wye valleyThe Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
was in its infancy. Morris soon added to the magnificent splendour of the estate and its setting, by landscaping the parkland, with the help of
Richard Owen CambridgeRichard Owen Cambridge was a British poet.He was educated at Eton and at St John's College, Oxford. Leaving the university without taking a degree, he took up residence at Lincolns Inn in 1737. Four years later he married, and went to live at his country seat of Whitminster, Gloucestershire...
in the fashionable style of
Capability BrownLancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
. The work was largely undertaken by architect Charles Howells and builder William Knowles of Chepstow, who had also undertaken work at nearby
TinternTintern is a village on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about 5 miles north of Chepstow...
for the
Duke of BeaufortCharles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort was the younger son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort, and his second wife, Rachel Noel. Because his brother had no issue, on 24 February 1745/1746, on his brother's death, he succeeded him and became 4th Duke of Beaufort, the 12th Lord Herbert,...
. Piercefield was developed into a park of national reputation, as one of the earliest examples of
PicturesquePicturesque is an aesthetic ideal first introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc...
landscaping. Morris laid out walks through the woodland, and included a grotto, druid’s temple, bathing house and giant’s cave. He also developed viewpoints along the clifftop above the
River WyeThe River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
, and opened the park up to visitors. One of the many tourists to marvel at this view was the poet
ColeridgeSamuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was one of the founders of the Romantic Movement in England and one of the Lake Poets...
, who wrote:
"Oh what a godly scene....The whole world seemed imaged in its vast circumference". The scientist and traveller
Joseph BanksSir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was a British naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa, and the genus named after him, Banksia...
wrote:
"I am more and more convinced that it is far the most beautiful place I ever saw".
In the 1770s Valentine Morris's gambling, business and political dealings bankrupted him, and he was forced to leave his beloved Piercefield and set sail for the West Indies. In 1785, Piercefield was sold again, for £26,200, to George Smith, a
DurhamDurham is a city in the North East of England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county....
banker. Smith continued to open the walks, but straightened some of them. He also commissioned a young
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
, John Soane – later to become famous as the benefactor of the London institution which now bears his name - to design a new
mansionA mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. realtors define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
in the
neo-classicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
style, which would incorporate Morris’ house. Work began in 1792, and the new three-storey stone building had reached roof level when Smith found himself in financial difficulties. He sold Piercefield in 1794 to Colonel Mark Wood,
MPA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
for
Newark-on-TrentNewark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands athwart the River Trent, the Great North Road and the East Coast Main Line railway.-Geography:...
, who continued and modified the work with architect
Joseph BonomiJoseph Bonomi the Elder was an Italian architect and draughtsman notable for his activity in England.Born in Rome, he made his early reputation there, then moved to London in 1767....
, incorporating a
DoricThe Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of Ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian....
porticoA portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
and wings, and commissioning the long stone wall which now runs along the edge of the estate. Wood was also the owner of
Llanthony PrioryLlanthony Priory is a partly ruined former Augustinian priory in the secluded Vale of Ewyas, a steep sided once glaciated valley within the Black Mountains area of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It lies seven miles north of Abergavenny on an old road to Hay...
.
In 1802, Wood in turn sold the house and estate to
Nathaniel WellsNathaniel Wells , was the son of a Welsh merchant and his black slave. After inheriting his father's plantations, he became a wealthy land owner, magistrate, and Britain's first black Sheriff.-Biography:...
, for £90,000 cash. Wells was born in St. Kitts, the son of
William Wells-Military:* William Wells , U.S. Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient for the Battle of Gettysburg* William Wells -Military:* William Wells (general) (1837-1892), U.S. Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient for the Battle of Gettysburg* William Wells (Medal of Honor) -Military:* William...
a
sugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many...
merchant and planter originally from
CardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for many national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. According to recent estimates, the...
, and Juggy, one of his house slaves. With his inherited fortune Nathaniel continued to add to the Piercefield estate until it reached almost 3,000 acres (12 km²). In 1818 he became Britain's only known black sheriff when he was appointed Sheriff of Monmouthshire.
It is rumoured that Admiral Nelson spent a night at Piercefield House on one of his visits to
MonmouthshireMonmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a larger area.-Historic county:...
. Nelson was closely connected to the town of Monmouth through his mistress Lady Hamilton. It is possible that he stayed in the summer of 1802 with his lover Emma Hamilton and her elderly husband Sir William Hamilton, on a journey to a friend's Pembrokeshire estate via
MonmouthMonmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire...
and Kymin Hill.
In 1848, Samuel Lewis'
Topographical Dictionary of England (sic) described Piercefield in the following terms:
From Piercefield Park, a splendid seat, the views are remarkably magnificent, and embrace numerous reaches of the Wye, the Severn, and a great range of the surrounding country. The mansion, situated on an eminence, in the midst of fine plantations, is a superb elevation of freestone, consisting of a centre and two wings, and much admired for its tasteful architecture: on the spacious staircase are four beautiful pieces of Gobelin tapestryThe Manufacture des Gobelins is a tapestry factory located in Paris, France, at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near the Les Gobelins métro station in the XIIIe arrondissement...
which belonged to Louis XVI, representing subjects in the natural history of Africa.
Wells left the area in the 1840s and his tenants closed the walks to the public. After Wells' death, the estate was bought in 1855 by industrialist John Russell (1788-1873, High Sheriff of Monmouthshire 1855), who owned the neighbouring estate of Wyelands. The walks were occasionally reopened to the the public, but for a charge. Around this time suggestions were made in the national press that the estate would be a suitable residence for the
Prince of WalesEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910...
. However, following the explosion at his
RiscaAlternate meanings: see Risca .Risca is a town of approximately 11,500 people in South Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire...
Blackvein Colliery, Russell sold the estate in 1861 to Henry Clay, a banker and brewer from Burton-on-Trent, and returned to Terhill House in
GloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. In 1874 the estate passed to Clay's eldest son, also Henry Clay, who lived there until his death in 1921 aged 96.
The Clay family then sold the house and much of the estate to the
Chepstow Racecourse CompanyChepstow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located just outside the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales, near the southern end of the Wye Valley which forms the border with England...
, who opened the new racecourse there in 1926. The house, already in a poor state of repair, was abandoned and stripped, gradually decaying to its current ruinous condition, with just the main facade still standing. It was allegedly used for target practice in the Second World War by US troops. The woods overlooking the river became established as a nature reserve, and footpaths which now form part of the
Wye Valley WalkThe Wye Valley Walk is a long distance footpath in Wales and England following the course of the River Wye .- Distance :The whole route now that it has been extended runs for 136 miles .- The Route :...
were reopened in the 1970s.
Plans to develop the site as a hotel or outdoor pursuits centre have so far been unfulfilled. The estate was, however, sold in 2006.
The Estate was again placed up for sale in September 2009 by Jackson-Stops & Staff, Estate Agents, with an asking price of £2 million. It reportedly had
planningPlanning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
and
Listed building consent for the restoration of the house, stable block and kitchen gardens, together with their associated cottages.
External links