The Abbey

The house lies on the Cheshire/Shropshire borders, only seven miles from the present Welsh border and in the heart of England's richest agricultural region.  Combermere Abbey is a complex medieval and sixteenth century building, with extensive pasteboard Gothick enveloping ( of the early 19th century) impressively positioned overlooking a lake and set in green and abundant parkland.  There are also interesting service buildings.

The medieval abbey was Cistercian , founded in c.1133 by Hugh de Malbank. The location was remote and well watered.  The Abbey began as a wealthy house, eventually owning lands of over 22,000 acres, but had a history of maladministration and indiscipline.  Finally it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536 and given to a trusted supporter Sir George Cotton, comptroller to the household of the Duke of Richmond. He was the illegitimate son of Henry and therefore a man of influence.  The Abbey church and claustral buildings  were removed leaving only the Abbots House and hall to form the basis of the current house.

The grand first floor hall of the Abbot's house, was roofed over with a hammerbeam roof.  At the high end of the hall is a substantial dais canopy and at the entrance end, a timber screen with tracery head decoration.  This is a substantial rich man's hall on a lavish scale and is a feature of the late monastic period.  They frequently were incorporated into the houses of the new rich of the Tudor period.

The house underwent several remodellings, to reflect the fashion of the day and the increasing stature of the Cotton family.  In 1563 Richard Cotton enclosed the Library retaining the medieval canopy and introducing a mural fireplace. The original hammerbeam roof is still in good condition and bears the Abbey arms - a shield bearing a crozier. 

The house became a very typical 16th century symmetrical Elizabethan building, embellished with cross wings and roof gablets and decorative framing.  The house faced an impressive entrance allee with substantial avenues and walls framing the approach along the substantial mere.  There were formal gardens and the entrance gates made by Davies Brothers of Wrexham were sold to Westbury Old Gardens in 1922.

There were a succession of Gothick remodeling campaigns dating from 1975 and 1820.  The major work was carried out between 1814 and 1820 by Sir Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere.  He also built a dining room, now demolished for the visit of the Duke of Wellington (his boss) in 1820.  Two schemes were commissioned - one by Morrisons of Ireland, of which only Stone Lodge was built and Edward Blore  who inspired the Stables, now the holiday cottages.

The House was gothicised and the servants wing added onto, incorporating the gothic game larder and the clock tower. 

In the 1970's a major repair and renovation project was undertaken and alterations to the building, which meant the removal of two wings, and part of a floor in order to secure the future of the main part of the house.  Today, improved repair methods and restoration techniques mean that demolition  is no longer the only answer to the dreaded dry rot and death watch beetle.!!

The recent restoration of the Game Larder, a beautiful hexagonal building in the centre of the Service buildings and the Clock Tower, which we now know was built in 1815 as one of the Victory Towers celebrating the Battle of Waterloo have made a substantial contribution to the 20 year plan for the restoration of all the derelict and abandoned buildings.  These two wonderful buildings have been restored thanks to the generosity and foresight of The Country Houses Foundation.

Plans are progressing for the restoration of the North Wing of the house, this has been an ongoing saga and the first plan was rejected after a five year fight.  We are crossing fingers that the second attempt will be successful as this beautiful Grade 1 building, now on the At Risk Register, is too important to be left to rot into the ground.