50 C O N T E X T 1 7 3 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 2 The third example is Leckhampton Court, listed Grade II*. Significant parts of the house are older than the other two considered here, notably the great hall on the north side of the front range, which faces west, and the battlemented two-storey porch, both considered to be 14th century. The house has the U-shape of later 16th houses. On the right (south) side of the entrance court Kip drew a close-studded, half-timbered wing, dated to the 16th century, and this also still exists, although the dove holes have gone. On the left (north) side of the courtyard, most of the range was designed by the architect RA Prothero in the late 19th century; the facade seen from the approach road appears romantic and in character with the battlemented porch. Edward VII as Prince ofWales frequently stayed here.The building at the west end of this range is 16th century, as is an extension at the rear of the central block with a doorway dated 1582. Many smaller alterations have taken place over the centuries. Sue Ryder rescued the house with very extensive restoration in 1979-81 to convert to a hospice. The site is an interesting one. It is built into the hillside, partly on a terrace, and with Leckhampton hill rising from it to nearly 1,000 feet (274 metres); on the north the land falls away sharply. Kip drew several garden enclosures of which the layout survives but not the detail. The front courtyard appears to be grass, and had trees lining the way to the gate, but further in front there were farm buildings and a large pond, now an attractive lake; an avenue led to the church. Behind part of the south wing there was a walled garden with a variety of plants, and walls and garden survive, suggesting that this was a domestic residence. At the rear of the house there was grass, a central path from the house and side paths crossing it, and several narrow beds near a gate which still exists, but no indications of planting. To the right there are traces of the pavilion. The rising ground to the south led to a raised terrace, and beyond it an orchard; the kitchen garden has become a car park. Traces of a canal on the north side suggest that Kip was accurate in his portrayal. He obviously admired the view, as indeed did Atkyns, who mentioned the ‘large prospect’, and as do all who visit the site today. Acknowledgements Gloucestershire Archives made the plates of Kip’s engravings available, drawn from Nouveau Theatre de la Grande Bretagne (1724). Mike Calnan of Topographica has kindly allowed his aerial photographs to be used and has been very helpful in discussion of garden layouts in Kip engravings. We are grateful to the owners of the three houses who allowed photographs to be taken and published. Kip’s engraving of Leckhampton Court The sloping hillside is clear in this view of Leckhampton Court. There is modern development where Kip drew fields and distant church towers and houses, but the surroundings are still rural. (Photo: Mike Calnan) The close-studded timber-framed south range of Leckhampton Court, above a stone ground floor, is 16th century. (Photo: Anthea Jones) Anthea Jones was head of history and director of studies at Cheltenham Ladies’ College. Now retired, she is the author of several books on Gloucestershire history.
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