Lower Brockhampton House

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Lower Brockhampton House is located in a small valley near Bromyard, Herefordshire. It is a timber-framed manor house that dates from the early 1400s. It is still almost completely surrounded by a moat, with a gatehouse of c.1542-3 giving the visitor access to the garden and main building. The house received additions in the 1600s and it remained a residence for most of its life until it was given to the National Trust in 1946. The last owner's family had lived there for more than twenty generations.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Lower Brockhampton Manor House, Herefordshire

Lower Brockhampton Manor House, near Bromyard, Herefordshire, is surrounded by a moat and entered by a gatehouse. On the day of our visit the water of the moat was hidden by water lilies and other aquatic plants and the timber-framing  was difficult to see because of the brightness of the day and the limewash. The gatehouse has been dated to 1542/3 and the oldest remaining parts of the house are early fifteenth century. It's possible that the moat was defensive but the gatehouse can only have been ornamental. We've visited this location a few times. Interestingly I chose pretty much the same location for this photograph as I did for the one I took (and had forgotten!) in June 2015.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

St Briavels Castle

The castle at St Briavels was begun in the twelfth century and became a frontier fortress, a royal hunting lodge, a place from which the area was administered. The two "D" shaped towers and gatehouse were added in 1292. For many years it was the main centre in England for the manufacture of crossbow bolts for Forest of Dean iron was mined. In subsequent centuries it was a court and debtors prison. In 1948 it became a youth hostel and it remains so today. Photographing the gatehouse proved difficult when the trees were in leaf, but a winter visit made the job easier despite the dullness of the day.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10