ageing beautifully

...to put it mildly, and it was mild, today was a foggy, drizzly, and uninspiring day for photography. We had a misty walk above Tyneham but, with almost zero visibility, no photos to show for it.

This morning, my sister asked "Will you have enough grand historical houses to blip for the whole of January?"

It's a great question because it gives me an opportunity to add some interesting information about the history of the Isle of Purbeck. The generally accepted boundary is the English Channel to the south and east, Poole Harbour and the River Frome to the north, running down to Flower's Barrow above Worbarrow Bay in the west. If we reduce this area by using the Purbeck ridge from Flower's Barrow to Old Harry Rocks as the northern boundary, then, at the time of the Norman Conquest, there were 48 Saxon Estates. Each estate would have had either a monastic or a feudal lord and, thereby, some kind of significant property. The Norman manorial system barely changed those old established divisions of land - in fact, they are nearly all identifiable today.

This is Barnston Manor and, unsurprisingly, Barnston was a Saxon estate. The property we see today was built in the 13th century with significant changes in the 16th century. Evidence of an original 13th century door can be seen to the right of the huge chimney. This chimney serves the fireplace in the manorial hall beyond. The bays and mullioned windows were part of the 16th century alterations. In plan, the form of the property is cruciform and I would love to see inside! It was built for John Estoke who was a vassal of the Clavells at Smedmore. The modifications were probably made by one John Clavell who became lord of Barnston after marrying one of the Estoke heiresses.

The Clavells (Claviles) held vast estates in this part of England. Walter de Clavile, having probably accompanied William the Conqueror, was granted fiefdoms as tenant-in-chief - i.e. as an overlord paying fees directly to the crown rather than another lord. Barnston is still owned by the estate but is now tenanted. Having never been sold, it is one of the oldest houses in England to be continuously owned by the same family.

So, back to my sister's question. In theory, there should be enough properties for me to feature if it weren't for the fact that many have not survived the passages of time and many others are on inaccessible private land. When I run out of interesting houses, I always have the historic churches to see my series through to the end of the month...