The story so far…

The restoration of the two manor houses

Once upon a time…

An ancient site (1000AD), with a medieval manor (1300sAD), Tudor Manor house (1500sAD) and grounds were left neglected, unloved and derelict - ‘like a time warp’ - in a beautiful part of South West England…

Until 2015, when this little sleeping beauty was stumbled upon (in a very peculiar way) by a family who were not strangers to renovation. Was it chance, or did the magical old place attract someone idealistic and romantic enough to spend the next years lovingly restoring it?

At the time Court House Farm was owned by the Spitalfields Trust, well known for buying buildings that needed saving. It was classed as Grade II* listed - officially a national treasure. The site was released into the safe keeping and tender care of the family who began to lovingly restore it.

Today the ancient heart of the place, along with its important wells, tower and secret tunnel, have come alive again. The two main Manors are sensitively restored and beautiful once more, and although the outbuildings and grounds are still a work in progress - and a sustainable way forward has to be found - with support and interest this magical snap shot in ancient history can be preserved and delighted in by all, both now and into the future.

Even though just a modest gathering of buildings, the site celebrates a rare collection of historic moments; who knows what stories happened here, what secrets it holds… the authenticity, heart and spiritual energy of this site gives us a meaningful reminder of how life used to be, and what originally began as a journey of restoration has become a touching reminder of how we yearn for meaning and roots that only history over countless centuries can give us. This delightful enclave has a timeless magic all of its own.

Set within the conservation parish of Saint Peter's, and unusually within a short walk of the High Street, this was the earliest known settlement in the area with three important existing wells still on site. The site would once have had a much larger central Manor house supported by many smaller wooden buildings and workers on its perimeter; it would have been a hive of activity!

Much of the very rare timber medieval Manor still exists, as its gentrified stone parts survived the many challenges over the last 600+ years, with the later Tudor Manor and Tower sitting more grandly next to it.

The site is steeped in history - much of which we’ll never know - but we’re gradually discovering more. There is much more to do; maintaining the renovation and restoration, the unique hexagonal tower still needs help, and many of the grander and smaller outbuildings need caring for.

There is no formal national help for buildings and sites in danger, so this has completely been a labour of love for us; one which continues to use all the resources we can muster.
If you would like to help in any way, please donate using the button below.

Donations are hugely appreciated and all go to the continuing restoration of Court House Farm and our commitment to sharing the site with the public, both far and wide.
By donating you will receive personal access to our unfolding video story as the site progresses, allowing you to see what your funds have helped us to achieve.

The beginnings of a Garden Hamlet

The huge barn and courtyard, outbuildings, and stables all sit within a four acre site and its decorative gardens that we are gradually creating. We have recently added a small cut flower farm which we hope will flourish and we also run creative residential retreats and artisan events…..but eventually we have to find a way to make the historic site sustainable for its long term survival.

The long term vision is to create a Garden Hamlet within the wider town; a ‘creative quarter’ which would be a ‘mixed use’ site, part studio/workshops/shops, part residential - a special place which respects and compliments the original historic buildings, but also helps them to become financially sustainable therefore protecting their long term survival. We hope to do this by creating a purpose for the place which could be part residential, part creatively commercial, with some artisan/design outlets, workshop/event space, eatery and places to stay, all set within a beautiful garden and flower farm.

A Creative Garden Hamlet.

During our short association and love affair with Court House Farm we have come across some touching memories. It seems that the delightful Gertie Gale and her family who had the farming tenancy from the early 1900's until the early 2000’s were a hugely important part of the Portishead community and brought much joy to many local people. Her niece, relatives, past residents and local characters have told us many stories - which at some point are definitely worthy of turning into a theatre production!

In the meantime there is still much to do. After Gertie died the buildings began to fall into serious disrepair until the site was purchased at auction by the Spitalfields Trust. Having just kept the house and outbuildings watertight and mowed the meadows for those years, the trust felt they had done their bit and so the site ‘found’ us! It certainly wasn’t in our plans to take on this enormous renovation programme, but it seems ‘The Manor’ (as some people know it), had other ideas; it needed ‘someone' to bring it back to life and restore its beauty.

Several years on, with the wonderful help of my partner family and friends we have sensitively renovated the stunning larger Tudor 'Tower House’ (during which we discovered that, astonishingly, our heating engineer, Ben Chappell, is a descendant of the Chappell's who lived at Court House Farm in the 1600's)….completed the renovation of the ‘once green with damp’ Little medieval Manor, and made watertight a good many of the outbuildings and the overall site itself, including bringing the land back from bleak tree-less muddy fields and broken concrete filled yards, to the beginnings of a charming Garden Hamlet.

Come stay at court house farm and gardens

A place with soul and steeped in history

Local historian Sandy Tebbutt has written an article with some more of the history of this wonderful site read more here