Blaise Castle

Blaise Castle House
The mansion house at Blaise Castle Estate, in mid-July 2008.
Location within Bristol
General information
Architectural style	Georgian
Location	Henbury Road, Henbury
Town or city	Bristol BS10 7QS
Country	England
Coordinates	51°30′14″N 2°37′55″W / 51.504°N 2.632°W / 51.504; -2.632
Construction started	1796
Completed	1798
Client	John Harford
Design and construction
Architect	William Paty

Blaise Castle
The castle at Blaise Castle Estate, in mid-July 2008.
General information
Architectural style	Gothic castle
Town or city	Bristol
Country	England
Construction started	1766
Design and construction
Architect	Robert Mylne

Blaise Castle (Estate)
The woods, at the Blaise Castle Estate, in mid-July 2008.
Type	Public Park
Location	Bristol, England
Area	650 acres (2.6 km²)
Operated by	Bristol City Council
Open	All year

Blaise Castle (Dairy House)
The old dairy house at Blaise Castle Estate, in mid-July 2008.

Blaise Castle is an 18th-century mansion house and estate near Henbury in Bristol (formerly in Gloucestershire), England. The museum is housed in a late 18th century, Grade II listed mansion. Blaise Castle was immortalised by being described as "the finest place in England" in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey. Along with Blaise Hamlet the parkland is listed, Grade II*, on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.^[1]

Early history

Flint fragments show Blaise Castle Estate was probably first inhabited by Neolithic farmers. There is more definitive evidence for Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman activity through the distinctive hill-forts in the area and other archaeological finds. The value of this historic landscape was recognised when it became a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 1982.^[2]

After the Anglo-Saxon invasion and subsequent conversion to Christianity, the land was granted to the Bishop of Worcester as part of the Kingdom of Mercia. During this time the estate picked up its association with Saint Blaise that lives on in the estate's name.

Blaise Castle House

John Harford, a wealthy Bristol merchant and banker had Blaise Castle House built in 1796–1798, designed by William Paty. It is a grade II* listed building.^[3] John Nash added a conservatory c. 1805-6, and in 1832-3, C.R. Cockerell designed the Picture Room, now housing a fine display of paintings from Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. Harford also had Blaise Hamlet built to house his servants and tenants, to designs of Nash and George Repton in 1811.

A branch of the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery since 1949, Blaise Castle House now features collections relating to numerous household items in addition to its period interior decoration.

The castle

On a hill above the gorge is a sham castle overlooking Bristol, Avonmouth and the Avon Gorge, with views across to South Wales on a clear day. The architect was Robert Mylne and the date of building 1766; it is now believed that the design and the choice of the Gothic castle style may have had political connotations. Although referred to as a folly, it was inhabited well into the 20th century with sumptuous internal decoration. It is a grade II* listed building.^[4]

The estate

The castle and its 650 acres (2.6 km²) of parkland are now open to the public (the 'folly' opens every 3rd Sunday afternoon of the month between April and October) and include modern visiting facilities and a car park.

The grounds were laid out by Humphry Repton (1752–1818) a leading landscape gardener. Parts of Repton's designs still exist, notably the impressive carriage drive which winds its way from the house. The Regency architect John Nash was responsible for the addition of the conservatory.

The grounds, which are open free of charge to the public, include a gorge cut by the Hazel Brook through Bristol's limestone. The gorge features a selection of stunning landscape, including Goram's Chair, a limestone outcrop often used by climbers, and Lover's Leap and Potter's Point, two panoramic viewing spots. Stratford Mill was re-erected within the gorge after Chew Valley Lake was flooded to form a reservoir. Ongoing renovations started in 2004 of the mill, settling ponds and associated estate pathways. At the gorge's southern end, Hazel Brook joins the River Trym, which continues its flow towards Sea Mills. Other features within the estate include two pools: the Giant's Soapdish and the Penny Well, and two caves: the Robber's Cave and the Butcher's Cave.

Kings Weston Hill, to the west of the castle, also forms part of the estate.

References

↑ "Blaise Castle and Hamlet". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
↑ "Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Bristol" (PDF). Bristol City Council. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
↑ "Blaise Castle House and attached wall". Images of England. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
↑ "Blaise Castle". Images of England. Retrieved 2007-03-13.

Eveleigh, David (1987). A Popular Retreat: Blaise Castle and House Estate. City of Bristol. ISBN 0-900199-35-0.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blaise Castle.

Culture in Bristol

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Festivals	Bristol Festival of Ideas Bristol Festival of Nature Bristol Harbour Festival Bristol International Balloon Fiesta Bristol International Kite Festival Bristol Shakespeare Festival St Pauls Carnival

Museums, galleries, archives and public art	Arnolfini Blaise Castle Blaise Hamlet At-Bristol Banksy Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery Bristol Harbour Railway Bristol Record Office Bristol Zoo Georgian House Glenside Museum Kings Weston Roman Villa M Shed Observatory Red Lodge Museum Royal West of England Academy See No Evil SS Great Britain

Parks	Parks of Bristol Ashton Court Blaise Castle Brandon Hill College Green The Downs Redland Green Queen Square Snuff Mills St George Park

Creative industries	Bristol record labels

Past attractions	Ashton Court Festival British Empire and Commonwealth Museum Industrial Museum

Churches	All Saints' Church Bristol Cathedral Bristol Community Church Buckingham Baptist Chapel Chapel of the Three Kings of Cologne Christ Church, Clifton Down Christ Church with St Ewen Church of Holy Trinity, Hotwells Church of Holy Trinity, Stapleton Church of the Holy Trinity with St Edmund Church of St John the Baptist City Road Baptist Church Cotham Church Counterslip Baptist Church Clifton Cathedral Crofts End Church Holy Trinity Church, Kingswood Holy Trinity Church, Westbury on Trym New Room Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Apostles St Mary Redcliffe Redland Chapel St. Augustine's Church, Whitchurch St Augustine the Less Church St George's Church St James' Priory St John the Baptist St Luke's Church St Mark's Church St Mary le Port Church St Mary on the Quay St Mary's Church, Henbury St Matthews Church St Michael on the Mount Without St Nicholas St Peter and St Paul St Peters Church, Bishopsworth St Peter's Church, Castle Park St Philip and Jacob St Stephen's Church St Thomas the Martyr St Werburgh's Church St. Paul's Church Temple Church Trinity Centre Whitefield's Tabernacle, Kingswood Whitefield's Tabernacle, Penn Street Woodlands Christian Centre

Pubs	Black Castle Public House Clifton Lido and The Victoria Public House Hatchet Inn King William Ale House Llandoger Trow Mauretania Public House Nova Scotia Old Post Office Palace Hotel Printers Devil Pump House Seven Stars Public House Shakespeare Inn Shakespeare Public House Stag and Hounds Public House The Coronation Tap The Crown The Famous Royal Naval Volunteer The Old Duke

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Neighbourhoods	City centre Arnos Vale Ashley Down Ashton Gate Ashton Vale Avonmouth Baptist Mills Barton Hill Bedminster Bedminster Down Bishopston Bishopsworth Blaise Hamlet Bower Ashton Brentry Brislington Broadmead Broomhill near Brislington Broomhill near Stapleton Canon's Marsh Chester Park Chittening Clifton Cliftonwood Coombe Dingle Cotham Crew's Hole Crofts End Easton Eastville Filwood Park Fishponds Golden Hill Greenbank Hartcliffe Headley Park Henbury Hengrove Henleaze Hillfields Horfield Hotwells Kensington Park Kingsdown Knowle Knowle West Lawrence Hill Lawrence Weston Lockleaze Lodge Hill Mayfield Park Monks Park Montpelier Old City Redcliffe Redfield Redland Sea Mills Shirehampton Sneyd Park Southmead Southville Speedwell Spike Island St Andrew's St Anne's St. George St. Jude's St. Paul's St Philip's Marsh St. Werburgh's Stapleton Stockwood Stoke Bishop Totterdown Tyndall's Park Upper Knowle Westbury-on-Trym Westbury Park Whitehall Windmill Hill Withywood The following suburbs are in the same urban area, but lie in South Gloucestershire or North Somerset: Bradley Stoke Conham Downend Emerson's Green Filton Frenchay Hambrook Hanham Kingswood Little Stoke Longwell Green Mangotsfield Oldland Common Patchway Soundwell Staple Hill Stoke Gifford Warmley Whitchurch Willsbridge

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