Leigh Court
| Leigh Court | |
|---|---|
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Leigh Court. The north east front in 2014
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| General information | |
| Type | English country house |
| Architectural style | Palladian |
| Location | Abbots Leigh, Somerset |
| Coordinates | 51°28′11″N 2°39′35″W / 51.46972°N 2.65972°WCoordinates: 51°28′11″N 2°39′35″W / 51.46972°N 2.65972°W |
| Construction started | 1812 (1558 for the Tudor house) |
| Completed | 1814 |
| Demolished | 1812 (Tudor house) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 (plus mezzanine on one side) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Thomas Hopper |
| Miles baronets, of Leigh Court | |
|---|---|
| Arms | Azure a chevron paly of six ermine and or between three lozenges argent each charged with a fleur-de-lis sable, in chief upon an inescutcheon argent a sinister hand appaume coupled at the wrist gules |
| Crest | Upon a helm barry affronte with visor open a dexter arm embowed in armour proper garnished or supporting with the hand an anchor also proper |
| Motto | Labora sicut bonus miles |
Leigh Court is a country house which is a Grade II* listed building in Abbots Leigh, Somerset, England. The grounds and park are listed, Grade II, on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.
The site was a house of rest for the monks of St Augustine's Abbey, which became Bristol Cathedral. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was granted to Sir George Norton who built an Elizabethan mansion. One of his descendants gave sanctuary to Charles II during his escape to France in 1651. The original house was demolished and rebuilt in the Regency period by Philip John Miles and became the seat of the Miles baronets. The mansion housed a collection of over a hundred paintings representing many Old Masters. In 1917 it was sold to Dr Harold Nelson Burden, for use as a hospital for the mentally challenged which continued until the 1980s. The estate now offers office accommodation, conference and meeting rooms, and the house has a licence as a venue for civil wedding services.
The Palladian house has a Greek Revival interior which has largely survived the various uses of the building. The grounds were originally landscaped by Humphrey Repton, part of which is now within the Leigh Woods National Nature Reserve. An organic farm has also been established based on the walled garden.
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