Things to see at Brockhampton Manor House

The Great Hall at Brockhampton, which is a timber-framed hall with an open fireplace at the far wall, finished with a long table and benches, and wooden furniture around the outer edges of the room — The Great Hall at Brockhampton | © National Trust Images / Andrew Butler

Brockhampton Manor is a rare survival of a medieval manorial complex, which may also have once included a small village. Discover more about what you can see at this 14th-century timber-framed house and Gatehouse, including a Buttery and magnificent Great Hall.

Exploring the manor house

The medieval manor house at Brockhampton is a real heritage gem. Lovingly restored to its former glory, don’t let its small size put you off as there’s plenty to see inside.

On the ground floor you can see a parlour, lounge, kitchen, Buttery and Great Hall. Upstairs there are several bedrooms and a large hallway.

Each room inside the manor depicts a different time period from the 1400s through to the 1950s.

Embroidered wall hanging

In Bartholomew Barnaby’s room look out for an embroidered wool wall hanging which was created by the Ross on Wye Arts Society.

The design is based on the tree of life with traditional crewel design elements. It depicts images of working life on the estate from the 17th–18th centuries, and includes sheep, cattle, bees, and the gate house over the moat.

If you’d like to know more about the manor, volunteers throughout the house are happy to tell you the stories, or there's information in each room for you to read.

Family fun in the house

Throughout the year, you can take part in seasonal, family friendly craft activities as well as pick up a spotter sheet to keep the family entertained. Follow our social channels to see what's coming up. There are also sensory objects in most rooms and the 1950's Lounge is particularly child-friendly with lots of objects to hold and touch.

Events at Brockhampton

A table in the kitchen at Brockhampton, with bottles of juice, cooking ingredients and equipment, a recipe book, and a basket of apples. — The kitchen in the manor house at Brockhampton | © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

The Buttery

You’d be forgiven for thinking the Buttery is a room linked to dairy products, but its main purpose was to store alcohol. The name comes from the wooden alcohol ‘butts’ or barrels.

Occupants of the manor house would’ve had their apples pressed on the estate and the cider would be stored in the cool Buttery to ferment, before being served in the magnificent Great Hall at dinner time.

We continue the tradition of apple pressing in October, using the Buttery to store the fermenting cider, so in the Buttery you’ll see cider butts on display.

An interior shot of the cider and ale store at Brockhampton Manor House, with three barrels lined up on a bench and clay pots above on a shelf — The cider and ale store at Brockhampton | © National Trust Images / Andrew Butler

Visiting the Gatehouse

This charmingly lopsided two-storey building was first built nearly 500 hundred years ago. It was a symbol of wealth, alerting guests they were visiting a very important family.

If you look closely at the Gatehouse’s far wall and staircase corridor, you might notice some dark marks that look like imperfections in the wood.

These are ‘burn marks’, commonly found on the inside of timber framed buildings across northern Europe.

Once thought to be careless accidents, it’s now known these marks were purposely scorched into walls and believed to protect the building from fire.

A view of the timber-framed Gatehouse at Brockhampton, surrounded by green lawns with yellow flowers blooming in the foreground, and other buildings in the background — The Gatehouse at Brockhampton | © National Trust Images / Andrew Butler

Accessibility

Entry to the manor house is accessible via a ramp which staff can put out for wheelchair users. Only the first two rooms on the ground floor are fully accessible and there is no step-free access to the first floor.

If you or someone in your party has limited mobility, we have installed a 360° interactive virtual tour on the ground floor of the castle. This tour shows all areas of the building and includes videos of our staff and volunteer who will tell you more about the building’s history. Please speak to a member of staff or volunteer if you would like to know more about our virtual tours.

Large print guides and braille guides are available in the house and access maps can be picked up from visitor reception. Please speak to a member of staff or volunteer if you would like to know more about these options.

To find out more or to book virtual tour session, please call 01885 482077. Visit the access section on our homepage for more information about accessibility across the site.