The Place

This Elizabethan Manor house was built by Lawrence Washington on land publicityd from Henry VIII, and it was the Washington's family home for more than a century. In 1656, Colonel John Washington, Lawrence's great great grandson settled in Virginia, on land which later became Mount Vernon, and his great grandson, George, eventually became the first President of the United States of America. The Manor was bought in 1914 with money subscribed to restore it as a monument to the Hundred Years Peace between the USA and Great Britain. Today the house is furnished with furniture, paintings and objects from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. A number of these object were owned by or associated with George and Martha Washington of Mount Vernon Plantation in Virginia.

The Manor is open to the public throughout the year and has, in addition, an interesting progamme of events. Each room is beautifully furnished with antique pieces from various periods, and the 18th century kitchen is really fascinating! But the room that is of particular interest to us is the Tudor Great Chamber, which contains a magnificent carved oak four poster bed. Sadly, both the hangings for the bed and the curtains for the mullioned windows are in a bad state of repair and are not worthy of further conservation... But help is at hand in the form of The New Elizabethan Embroideries...

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