Burford House, Shropshire

Burford House and gardens

Summerhouse in Burford House gardens

Burford House is an 18th-century country house in Burford, near Tenbury Wells, Shropshire, England. It now functions as a garden centre, cafe, garden and retail outlet.

Built in 1728, it is a Grade II* listed building, built of red brick to a double-pile plan with a six-window three-storey frontage.^[1] It stands in 3 hectares (7.5 acres) of ornamental gardens.

History

The estate of Burford, which had belonged to the Cornwall family since the Middle Ages, was sold in 1720 to William Bowles for £35,000. Bowles was the proprietor of the Vauxhall glassworks in Lambeth, London, the largest glass works in the country, and was Member of Parliament for Bridport and later for Bewdley.^[2] He commissioned the building of the present house in 1728, extended the grounds and built a summerhouse (which is also listed Grade II*).^[3]

From the 1860s Burford was the home of George Rushout, 3rd Baron Northwick, a member of the Bowles family. During his time the house was greatly extended by the addition of east and west wings, which were demolished in the 1950s.^[4]

In 1954 the estate was purchased by Mr John Treasure and his brother, who demolished the added wings, completely replanted the gardens, and in 1958 opened the grounds to the public.^[5]

References

1. "Name: BURFORD HOUSE AND GARDEN WALL ATTACHED TO THE SOUTH EAST List entry Number: 1383418". Historic England. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
2. "BOWLES, William (1686-1748), of Burford, Worcs.". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
3. "Name: GARDEN HOUSE 120 METRES NORTH WEST OF BURFORD HOUSE List entry Number: 1383419". Historic England. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
4. "The Grounds And Gardens Of Burford House". Discovering Shropshires History. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
5. "Burford House, Tenbury Wells, Shropshire, England Record Id: 4997". Parks and Gardens. Retrieved 10 August 2015.

Coordinates: 52°18′30″N 2°36′51″W / 52.3083°N 2.6143°W