Attingham 2010: Week One Site Review - Part 1

I wrote a second installment the other day pertaining to Attingham 2010, but it would not copy and paste into the blog template. When I am a bit more energetic, I will re-write it for some thought provoking discussion I hope. In the mean while, please enjoy some of my pictures from the past week.

The first two pictures are both of West Dean Park (West Dean College). Originally built around 1650, West Dean Park became what it is today more between the years of 1804 and 1830. Architect James Wyatt, father of the famed Benjamin Wyatt is responsible for the design. While West Dean once was an Elizabethan house, it was largely rebuilt around 1622 and so few parts, if any, of the original house even exist today.

While using West Dean as our home, the Attingham class of 2010 visited such places as Uppark in Sussex and Cowdray Park in West Sussex. Both of these properties had major fires in their lives, one, Uppark was completely rebuild to the way it looked the day before the fire in 1989. Cowdray on the other hand burned in 1793 and was neer rebuilt, instead presented as a ruin. These are the two houses that my original second writing was to be about (to be posted at a later date).

I do hope it is obvious as to which desided to rebuild and which did not! Uppark, like West Dean, was originally built as a small place in the Elizabethan era. In the second half of the 17th century it was greatly enlarged by Lord Grey of Werke. Ahortly there after, in the middle of the 18th century, Sir Matthew Featherstonhaugh re-created the house much to the form seen today.

Cowdray was a bit older house, first built as a castle during the Tudor Period. This too, like so many others, was demolished and a new structure was built principally on the original foundation in the 1520s. In 1591, then owner 1st Viscount Montague wrote Book of Rules and Orders which pertained to life at Cowdray and provides much of the information now know about the structure.

I will continue brief day-by-day, in a multi-day format such as this, write-ups for the next few days. Please do share any comments or thoughts you may have.