Woodchester Mansion, Gloucestershire

Woodchester Mansion is an unfinished, Gothic revival mansion house in Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire. Mystery surrounds the reasoning for locating the mansion in this spot: the steep sides of the valley mean that for much of the year the sun is obscured, the location also reduces the dramatic views that would have surely been seen if it had been built on a higher spot. The site is neither convenient nor easy for transport.

The Mansion was abandoned by its builders in the middle of construction, leaving behind a building that appears complete from the outside, but with floors, plaster and whole rooms missing inside. It has remained in this state since the mid-1870s.

The Mansion's creator William Leigh bought the Woodchester Park estate for £100,000, demolishing an existing house on the site, known as "Spring Park" which was home to the Ducie Family.

Inside the house, the missing floors enable the arches holding up the roof and interior walls to be seen, and these vividly illustrate the function of the buttresses on the exterior of the building. In the dining room the centering for an arch is still in place. Of the principal rooms, only the drawing room is complete, and this was finished for a visit from Cardinal Vaughan in 1894.

The chapel is one of the finest parts of the Mansion. It is especially high for its length, and the plans suggest that the design, which was modified several times, was originally intended to be longer. The chapel also has two galleries in the French style and a stone confessional booth.

The bathroom has the outstanding feature of a bath carved from a single block of stone, with two faucets, also in stone. The fireplace in the bathroom is superbly carved, showing birds, fruit and a serpent – possibly symbolising the Garden of Eden.

The building is home to important colonies of protected lesser horseshoe and greater horseshoe bats and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Opening Times

Opening days vary. Please check the website.

The Mansion is open 11.00am until 5.00pm
The tea room is open from 11.30am to 4.30pm

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Ticket Prices

Adult £6.50
Senior Citizens £5.50
Students (with NUS card) £5.50
Friends of the Mansion free
Children under 14 (accompanied by an adult) free

National Trust Members (with card) £5.50
English Heritage Members (with card) £5.50

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Disabled Facilities

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More Information

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