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Snowshill Manor in Gloucestershire is a monument to wholesome English eccentricity – think Pitt-Rivers on steroids meets Harry Potter
Originally a respectable late medieval manor house which was extended in the 18th century, it owes its fame not to its architecture but to its contents – the work of one Charles Paget Wade, who bought the property on his return from the Great War in 1919.
Wade was a collector of – well – stuff. Lots of stuff. He bought the house because he needed somewhere to put it all. His overriding interest was craftsmanship -the collections include spinning wheels, bicycles, Japanese armour, models of farm wagons, clothing and costumes … all unlabelled (it’s not a museum) and displayed in room with names like Dragon and Seraphim.
Photos – Snowshill Manor
This place is amazing splendiferous and you have to go, not once, not twice, but thrice. H and I went last week. Where else can you stand on a sloping floor which used to be a roof, see Penny Farthings suspended from the rafters, Britain’s first Model Village, a bedroom which resembles a chapel, and a bathroom from Heath Robinson.
And actually the architecture is good. Charles Wade, Gentleman Architect meets Eccentric Collector indeed meets Harry Potter.. Who else would call their bedroom “Meridian”.
It just “wowed” me (and that takes a lot)