Elizabethan and Jacobean Houses in Shropshire: Condover, Pitchford and Moreton Corbet

What Elizabethan and Jacobean mean

Elizabethan architecture is the English Renaissance style of Elizabeth I's reign, 1558 to 1603. It was mostly secular: big houses for families who had risen with the court, rather than churches.^[4] The best-known type is the prodigy house, a large, tall, showy mansion with an elaborate, fanciful roofline, built by courtiers who hoped to host the queen.^[4] Jacobean architecture follows, named for James I (1603 to 1625). The two are close relatives. Early Jacobean building continued Elizabethan trends with little break, but plans and fronts became more unified, and Renaissance ornament arrived through German and Flemish carvers rather than straight from Italy.^[5]

Shropshire is a good place to see both, because it has the whole range in one county: a timber-framed house (Pitchford), a stone mansion (Condover) and a ruin that shows a medieval castle being turned into a Renaissance house (Moreton Corbet). This guide covers all three, explains how to date a house of this period, and ends with practical visiting notes. For the wider picture, see our guide to Shropshire architectural heritage and our Tudor style guide.

Why this period left so many houses in Shropshire

The late 16th century was a time of rebuilding. Wealth was moving into new hands, and a house was how you announced it. Pitchford's builder, Adam Ottley, was a Shrewsbury wool merchant, and his family held the estate until 1807.^[2] Moreton Corbet and Condover show the same impulse among older and newer landowners: expand, add glass, add chimneys, add a date.

Three things to keep in mind when you look at houses of this age:

• Glass was status. A wall of mullioned windows was a statement, because glazing was expensive. (General background, uncited.)
• The great hall was fading. In Elizabethan houses it was mostly an entrance and a servants' space, while parlours, withdrawing rooms and great chambers became the family's living rooms.^[4]
• The long gallery arrived. A long, narrow room on an upper floor, apparently used mainly for walking.^[4]

Condover Hall: a sandstone mansion of the 1590s

Condover Hall, a few miles south of Shrewsbury, is one of the county's grandest Elizabethan houses in stone. Thomas Owen bought the manor in 1586 and died in 1598, before the new hall was completed.^[6] Historic England's listing describes a house built in 1598 for Thomas Owen on behalf of his son Roger, in red sandstone ashlar with yellow stone dressings.^[1] Wikipedia places the design in the early 1590s and describes the stone as pink, quarried at nearby Berriewood, so sources differ on both the colour and the date.

Who designed it is still discussed.^[6] Building accounts name John Richmond of Acton Reynald as the original master mason, with Walter Hancock in charge by 1591, and Historic England says Hancock was probably the master mason.^[6][1] Drawings in Sir John Soane's Museum suggest the surveyor John Thorpe may have drawn the design, and Lawrence Shipway may also have contributed.^[6] That uncertainty is normal for houses of the period, where the master mason often did what we would now call the architect's job. (General background, uncited.)

The house is Grade I listed (3 November 1955) and its park and garden are Grade II.^[1][6] Its later life shows how country houses survive: an RAF officers' mess from 1942 to 1945, a school for blind children run by the RNIB from 1946, a residential school and college that opened in 2006 and closed in 2009, and since 2011 a children's adventure-holiday centre.^[6] Because it is a working centre, do not assume you can walk up and look round. Check access before you travel.

Pitchford Hall: a timber-framed house of about 1560

Pitchford Hall, south-east of Shrewsbury, is a classic black-and-white Shropshire house. It was built about 1560 for Adam Ottley on the site of a medieval building, and may incorporate parts of it. It is a two-storey timber-framed house with plastered infill, a stone roof and brick chimneys, and it has been Grade I listed since January 1952.^[2]

Its other claim to fame is in the garden. A 17th-century tree house in a lime tree is separately Grade II listed (April 1977), and was remodelled in a Gothic style in the 18th century.^[2]

The hall's contents were sold at auction in 1992; Wikipedia is inconsistent about whether the house itself was sold then. In 2016 the Colthurst family repurchased it, and a Section 106 planning agreement ties the owners to reopening the house after restoration.^[2] It is a private house under restoration, so treat any visit as something to confirm in advance rather than assume.

Moreton Corbet: a castle that became a Renaissance house

Moreton Corbet, north-east of Shrewsbury, is the most instructive of the three because you can see every stage of the story in one site. A timber castle built about 1100 by the Torets was rebuilt in stone about 1200, and the great tower and gatehouse survive from that time.^[7] The Corbets inherited it in 1235, from Bartholomew Toret, who was Richard de Corbet's son-in-law.^[3]

About 1560 Sir Andrew Corbet built a two-storey range between the great tower and the gatehouse and remodelled the gatehouse, keeping its medieval face. A panel above the arch is dated 1579 and carries his initials and the family emblem, added after his death in 1578.^[7] From 1579 his son Robert transformed the castle into a mansion with a new great hall and a three-storey south range. English Heritage describes that range as symmetrical, with large grid windows, a pitched slate roof with tall gables and rich classical detailing, probably inspired by Renaissance architecture in English great houses with some French and Flemish influence. Camden, writing in 1607, called it "a most gorgeous and stately house".^[7]

Robert died of plague in 1583 and his brothers finished the range. A formal garden followed in 1588, and an inventory of 1623 lists the house as fully furnished.^[7] Then came the Civil War: Sir Vincent Corbet, first baronet, fought for the king and the castle became a Royalist base. In September 1644 a small Parliamentarian force took it in a night attack, and at least 120 lead shot scars remain on the walls.^[7] After the second baronet (1681) and his son (1688) died, the heirs preferred other houses and it was abandoned. A plan to build a new house on the site in 1796 never went ahead.^[7] English Heritage cares for the site; check its website for current access before you go.

How to tell Elizabethan from Jacobean

For most visitors the difference is academic, because the two overlap. The practical test is to look at the whole front, then the ornament. Elizabethan fronts often feel inventive, mixing medieval silhouettes (towers, battlement-like roofs) with new ideas. Jacobean fronts are more organised, with columns and pilasters, round arches, scrolls, strapwork and sometimes openwork parapets.^[5] A decisive shift towards a more classical, Italian-influenced design is associated with Inigo Jones and the years around James's death in 1625.^[5]

Moreton Corbet's south range sits at the start of that road, begun in 1579 and described as symmetrical and classical in its detailing.^[7] Condover is Elizabethan in date and manner. Pitchford is earlier and more vernacular.

Plaster, ceilings and interiors

Plasterwork is a signature of the grander rooms of this period. Moulded ribs forming geometric patterns, with bosses at the crossings and sometimes pendants, were applied to ceilings in the best rooms, and friezes ran round the top of the walls. In Shropshire a good example in a house you can plan a visit to is at Wilderhope Manor on Wenlock Edge, which we cover in historic houses to visit in Shropshire. Historic England's listing records decorative plastered ceilings there, including a parlour ceiling of star-shaped ribs and motifs dated 1601.^[8] For a wider survey see plasterwork houses to visit in the UK and the history of the ceiling rose.

We say this plainly because interiors at the three houses in this guide are not generally open to casual visitors: Moreton Corbet is a ruin, Condover is a working centre and Pitchford is a private house.^[6][2] What you can do at all three is read the outside, which is where this period put most of its effort.

Glossary: words you will meet

• Gable: the triangular or shaped wall at the end of a pitched roof. Elizabethan gables are often stepped or curved.
• Mullion and transom: the vertical and horizontal bars that divide a large window into panes.
• Strapwork: flat, interlacing bands carved or moulded as decoration, based on Flemish designs.
• Prodigy house: a very large, showy house of the Elizabethan age, built to impress.
• Long gallery: a long upper-floor room used for walking and display.
• Pilaster: a flat column built into a wall.
• Timber frame and infill: an oak frame with panels filled by wattle and daub or brick, then plastered.

Common myths

• "All Tudor houses are black and white." Pitchford is, Condover is not. In Shropshire both stone and timber were used, depending on what was close and what the owner could afford.
• "Moreton Corbet is a medieval castle." It has a medieval core, but the most striking part is a Renaissance mansion added from 1579.^[7]
• "Elizabethan houses were built by architects." Often the master mason or a surveyor did the design and supervised the work, which is why attributions such as Condover's are still debated.

Planning a visit

Condover, Pitchford and Moreton Corbet can all be seen on a single day from Shrewsbury, though they sit in different directions: Condover to the south, Pitchford to the south-east and Moreton Corbet to the north-east. Check access for each, because only Moreton Corbet is a straightforward heritage site. For a longer trip, add the medieval stops in our guide to Stokesay Castle and the fortified manor houses of the Marches and the town in Much Wenlock.

Keep reading

• Shropshire architectural heritage
• Tudor style guide
• Plasterwork houses to visit in the UK
• Historic houses to visit in Shropshire
• Stokesay Castle and the fortified manor houses of the Marches

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Elizabethan and Jacobean architecture?

Elizabethan covers the reign of Elizabeth I (1558 to 1603) and Jacobean covers James I (1603 to 1625). The Jacobean style grew out of the Elizabethan, with a more consistent and unified plan and front.^[4][5]

Who built Condover Hall?

Thomas Owen bought the manor in 1586 and died in 1598 before it was finished. Building accounts name John Richmond as master mason, with Walter Hancock by 1591. The designer is debated; drawings in Sir John Soane's Museum suggest John Thorpe.^[1][6]

When was Pitchford Hall built?

About 1560, for Adam Ottley, a Shrewsbury wool merchant. It is a timber-framed Grade I listed house.^[2]

Can I visit Moreton Corbet Castle?

English Heritage cares for the site. Check its website for current access before you travel.^[7]

What happened at Moreton Corbet in the Civil War?

Royalist-held Moreton Corbet was taken by a small Parliamentarian force in a night attack in September 1644. At least 120 lead shot scars remain on the walls.^[7]

Is there a tree house at Pitchford Hall?

Yes. A 17th-century tree house in a lime tree is Grade II listed (April 1977). Pitchford is a private house, so do not assume public access.^[2]

Are all Elizabethan houses in Shropshire black and white?

No. Pitchford is timber-framed, but Condover is sandstone. Both materials were used.^[1][2]

Where can I see Elizabethan plasterwork in Shropshire?

Wilderhope Manor on Wenlock Edge has decorative plastered ceilings; the hall ceiling cartouches carry the initials FS and the date 1601. See our guide to historic houses to visit in Shropshire.^[8]