Woodchester Mansion
A unique unfinished Neo-gothic mansion of national architectural significance
Nympsfield, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, GL10 3TS
Woodchester Mansion is an incomplete Grade 1 listed Neo-gothic house constructed 1857-67. As it is unfinished the bones of the structure are laid bare, providing a unique example of centuries-old Gothic building methods.
The architectural and constructional significance is at an international level.
The Mansion was built for the wealthy Roman Catholic convert William Leigh, and unfinished on his death in 1873. There are no plans to ever finish it.
The building is essentially unchanged since work stopped in the late 1860s, with craftsmanship in stone of particularly high quality. It is the finest example of the work of the young architect Benjamin Bucknall, who was an admirer and translator of the great French architectural theorist Viollet-le-Duc. The building, exceptionally in the UK, reflects many of Viollet-le-Duc’s ideas.
An unfinished building, as distinct from a ruin, is very rare, and has much to offer educationally.
The Mansion is ecologically internationally significant (it is part of an SSSI); the attics house maternity roosts of rare horseshoe bats which have been studied for over 60 years. Visitors can view the bats on high quality CCTV, and we arrange ‘Bat Experiences’ with a talk and the opportunity to see the bats fly out to forage at dusk.
The Mansion is owned by Stroud District Council and managed on their behalf by the Woodchester Mansion Trust. It is open to the public on Friday, Saturday and Sunday April to October. Openings are largely facilitated by a group of about 50 volunteers. Private tours are available, also outreach talks to local groups.
The Mansion Trust has pioneered craft skills training in stonemasonry, using the Mansion as a ‘live site’ for supervised students. We have a masons’ lodge used by NVQ students and a resident stonemasons’ craft guild, who run stone carving courses for visitors.
The Mansion hosts theatre performances, art exhibitions, paranormal events (we have ghosts!), and provides refreshments/toilets for visitors to Woodchester Park. The building is regularly hired for photo shoots (amateur and professional) and occasionally for films and TV.
The Woodchester Mansion Trust is a small charity, with one full time employee (who resides in the Mansion) and a part timer, assisted by volunteers. We have £5m bill for conservation, to return the building to the 1873 condition. Visitors and donations are very welcome!