Minster Lovell Manor Ruins

MINSTER LOVELL MANOR ROAD SP3211 (South side) 19/108 Minster Lovell Manor Ruins 12/09/55 (Formerly listed as Ruins of Manor House) GV I

Manor House ruins. Circa 1431-42 for William, Seventh Lord Lovell, incorporating some earlier structures. Coursed squared stone and stone ashlar. The manor house was built on a court yard plan, having a hall, solar and chapel range with a kitchen and bake house cross-wing to the east; and north-west, and west accommodation ranges. Most of the floor plan survives above ground level. Hall, solar and chapel range: the entrance porch has a two-compartment quadripartite vault with floriated roof bosses, the hall was lit by 2-light cusped windows to the south, of which part of the traceried survives. On the north side of the hall were apartments on the ground floor, with the chapel above. The window openings of the ground floor rooms survive, the spandrels of the rere-arches have quatrefoils. The kitchen and bake house wing survives as foundations visible above ground level. The north-west range: the gable-end of this range survives with a 2-light stone mullion and transom window, each light having a cinquefoiled ogee head with quatrefoils in the angles of the cusping. West range: at the south end of the west range is the remains of a 4-storey tower, having an octagonal corner staircase turret. History: manor probably granted to William Lupellus, the first Lovell, in c.1130. Manor built by William, seventh Lord Lovell c.1431-42. Francis, ninth Lord Lovell, was one of Richard III's chief courtiers, being Chamberlain of the Household and Chief Butler of England. It is reputed that he did not die at the battle of Stoke (1487) but fled to Minster Lovell where a skeleton was discovered in 1708 on opening an underground vault. Scheduled as an Ancient Monument. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire: 1979, pp707-710; "Minster Lovell Hall", A.J. Taylor, HBMCE, 1985)

Listing NGR: SP3244111342