Listed Building record MDO17182 - Woolbridge Manor, East Stoke

A two-storey house built in the early 17th century, but appearing to incorporate some parts of an earlier building, and with considerable later remodelling. The building has walls of brick and stone and a roof of tile and stone slates.

(SY 84428722) Barn (NR) (shown as Chapel (NR) on OS 6" 1902) (1)

The property of Woolbridge Manor formerly belonged to Bindon Abbey and was granted to Sir Thomas Poynings after the Dissolution; later in the 16th century it came to the Turberville Family and appears in Thomas Hardy's novel "Tess
of the D'Urbervilles" as the farm at Wellbridge.

The main part of the house is two-storied with brick and stone walls and was built in the early 17th century but remodelled
after the Civil War circa 1660. Some original walling south of the east end indicates that there was originally a south east
wing. A wing to the south west has the ground floor of circa 1660 and the upper floor of the 18th century.

A 16th century barn to the north east has stone walls partly rebuilt in brick and a thatched roof; the main walls have low
two-stage buttresses and the roof is carried on jointed crucks. A Medieval cinque foiled circular stone window is reset in an
addition to the east. (Scheduled - see below). <2>

Woolbridge Manor (name confirmed) and the barn are as described above except the barn now has a tiled roof (see ground photographs). <4>

The manor house, garden structures and dovecote are all afforded adequate protection through the existing Listing cover. There are no upstanding features which relate to the original manor house, and scheduling would not be appropriate since there is nothing distinct to protect. Four ground photos with archive report. <5>

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1925, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1924-1925, xxxiv (Serial). SDO30.

‘SECOND SUMMER MEETING at Lulworth 26th July, 1924. . . . WOOL BRIDGE AND MANOR HOUSE were next visited . . . The Manor House, which appears to be Tudor and Jacobean, shows signs of much alteration. It was the Grange of Bindon Abbey, and for a long period the home of the Turbeyvilles, whose history may be seen in Hutchins. I.S. and 1653 are over the porch. The herringbone work in the North wall of the fifteenth century Barn does not look ancient. See Vols. VII., XX., and XXVII. of our Proceedings). ‘

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 275 (Monograph). SDO149.

'(4) WOOLBRIDGE MANOR (843872) is of two storeys with walls of brick and stone and roofs covered with tiles and stone slates (Plate 155). The property formerly belonged to Bindon Abbey and was granted to Sir Thomas Poynings after the Dissolution; later in the 16th century it came to the Turberville family (Hutchins I, 422) and appears in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles as the farm at Wellbridge to which Angel Clare took his bride. The main part of the house, facing N., was built in the early 17th century and was re-modelled after the Civil War, c. 1660. Some original walling S. of the E. end indicates that there was originally a S.E. wing. A wing to the S.W. has the ground floor of c. 1600 and the upper floor of the 18th century. The manor is of interest apart from its literary associations; the brickwork is some of the earliest in the district, and the front elevation, though now somewhat altered, shows considerable originality of design. …'

<2.1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1861, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 1, 422 (Monograph). SWX4496.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 scale map, 1976 (Map). SDO17396.

(SY 84388718) Woolbridge Manor (NR)

<4> Attrill, N J, Field Investigators Comments NJA, F1 NJA 06-APR-81 (Unpublished document). SDO14743.

<5> English Heritage, English Heritage Alternative Action Report, MPPA, 04-Feb-1999 (Scheduling record). SDO18279.

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS52/F70/5 (Index). SDO14738.

NORTH FRONT OF WOOLBRIDGE MANOR.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS52/F70/6 (Index). SDO14738.

EAST FRONT OF WOOLBRIDGE MANOR.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS52/F70/7 (Index). SDO14738.

HERRINGBONE WORK IN NORTH SIDE OF MEDIEVAL BARN FROM NORTH EAST

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OS52/F70/8 (Index). SDO14738.

NORTH FRONT OF WOOLBRIDGE MANOR.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 455315 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 8 2023 4:01PM