£70 members, All day

Members will make private visits to two significant Georgian houses, both owing their prosperity to the cloth industry pioneered by their early owners. We start at Corsham Court (Grade I), originally a medieval house owned by the Crown.  Despite its Elizabethan appearance, little remains of the major rebuilding in 1582 by Thomas Smythe, collector of customs in London. After several ownership changes, Corsham was acquired in 1747 by Paul Methuen (died 1792), whose descendants still live there.  They remodelled it over the next century in many styles – Palladian (Ireson and Brown), Gothic (Nash) and neo-Elizabethan (Bellamy, whose tower of 1846 dominates the N front) – successive architects replacing their predecessors’ changes.  Brown, then Repton, landscaped the park. We will see the renowned old masters first collected by Sir Paul Methuen (died 1757) and extended by 2nd Lord Methuen (died 1891).

Seend Manor House (Grade II*), was owned by the Awdry family 1695-c1924.  Ambrose Awdry built what became the manor house c 1695, mainly on the site of the lower 2-storey N front range of the present house.  His grandson Ambrose rebuilt and extended this in ashlar to the S from 1767 (rainwater heads).  This handsome taller 5-bay, 2-storey elevation, with a parapet and dormers in a mansard roof, has a dramatic long view towards Salisbury Plain.  The W end intriguingly features 11 blind windows and ornamental detail on the chimneystack.  The N elevation was remodelled c 1800, rendered with ashlar dressings and a tripartite window above the Ionic porch.  Most of the interior is original and has been atmospherically conserved by the present owners, Stephen and Amanda Clark, the designer, who have created a remarkable and exotic walled garden.

Andrew Wells leads.

Please read our Terms and Conditions before booking. members’ to make their own transport arrangements. 

If tickets have sold out for this event, please email members@georgiangroup.org.uk to be added to the waiting list.