Wichenford Court

Wichenford Court is a house with origins dating back to the 15th century, rebuilt in the early 18th century and restored in the mid-20th century. It is constructed of brick on a partly coursed sandstone rubble plinth, topped with a hipped tiled roof and featuring two brick ridge stacks with oversailing cap courses on the rear wings. The building has two storeys, a cellar, and an attic with dormers, arranged in a U-shaped plan with two rear wings at each end and two small wings at the center of the rear.

The house has seven bays, with all windows being wooden cross casements fitted with leaded lights. The ground floor windows have flat, gauged brick arches, and there are two gabled dormers with casements. The central entrance features a panelled timber door, a rectangular fanlight with a central glazing bar, and a flat canopy supported by three carved brackets. The windows on the side elevations have cambered heads.

Inside, the roof timbers are mainly reused from the former timber-framed structure that once stood on the site. The east room on the first floor showcases early 17th-century panelling and a carved overmantel. The central front room also has panelling, which is now painted white. A cupboard at the top of the stairs is lined with wallpaper from around 1735, which is in good condition and a rare survival. Many windows still have their original wrought iron fasteners. Although the 18th-century staircase was replaced by a mid-20th-century one, the balusters were reused in the rear extension above the cellar stairs and in an outbuilding.

Originally, a substantial medieval manor house stood on this site, complete with a moat, drawbridge, and gatehouse. From the early 15th century to the late 17th century, the house belonged to the Washbourne family. It is said that during the conflicts between Henry IV and Owen Glendower, a French nobleman was held captive in the house and later murdered by Margaret Washbourne; a bloodstain is still visible on the landing today. Major rebuilding occurred around 1710. By the early 20th century, the building had fallen into disrepair and was subdivided for farming purposes. The mid-20th-century restoration included several additions to the rear and the recreation of a formal garden.