A Medieval gatehouse forming part of a thriving Abbey community. The Gatehouse Croft provides luxury family accommodation for four.
Property
Facilities
History
Local Attractions
Polesworth Abbey gatehouse has been sympathetically restored to provide two guest apartments; the Porter's Lodge and the Gatehouse Croft.
The Gatehouse Croft forms the larger side of the gatehouse. The property is entered through a private garden where full length double glass doors lead into the split level dining and sitting area, complete with wood burning stove. A compact but fully fitted kitchen overlooks the garden. There is also a WC and utility area on the ground floor.
A wooden staircase leads to the first floor accommodation with its double bedroom with luxurious half tester bed. In addition the master bedroom has a quiet reading area and an en-suite shower room. The family bathroom with separate bath and shower is also located on the first floor. Continuing to the second floor the twin bedroom is located off a spacious landing. Internally exposed beams, leaded windows and stone window sills survive, nodding to the past, whilst the interior design achieves an air of contemporary luxury.
NB: A 15% discount applies when both apartments are booked together.
Accessibility There is level access to the ground floor entrance. A wooden staircase leads to the 2 upper floors. There is a WC on the ground floor, but both bathrooms are on the first floor.
Dog Allowed - Yes
Heating Gas central heating plus a wood-burning stove and underfloor heating in the sitting/dining room.
Facilities All Vivat Trust properties have a TV, DVD player and CD player plus fully equipped kitchens with oven & hob, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, microwave and washing machine. In addition the Gatehouse Croft provides the following facilities.
Tumble dryer Bath and separate shower unit, plus an en-suite shower room in the double bedroom Wifi access Cot & highchair available for infant Garden with outdoor furniture BBQ (charcoal not included) Off road parking
Polesworth Abbey was founded in 827 when Polesworth (or "Polleswyrth") was just one of many tiny hamlets in the Kingdom of Mercia. In the Battle of Ellendun in 825 Mercia was conquered by King Egbert of Wessex, who in a gesture of thanksgiving promised to found a monastery at Polesworth. Over the following 200 years the Abbey prospered before being restored and greatly expanded between 1090 and 1139.
Polesworth Abbey has always welcomed guests. Indeed the Gatehouse provided the best accommodation of the day, deliberately designed to attract wealthy visitors. Guests would stay in the splendid gatehouse, be waited on by the Porter and his family and seek spiritual advice from the nuns; hopefully leaving a generous donation in return. The nuns' venture in creating the Gatehouse accommodation was clearly successful and the Abbey grew in influence throughout the Medieval period.
During the early years of the Reformation, the Abbey continued to function as normal. A royal commission of the time, after a visit to the village, stated that "the Nunnery at Polesworth should stand and remayne unsuppressed... [for, if it were to close] the towne will shortly after fall into ruyne and dekaye..." In light of these findings, the Abbey was granted an exemption from dissolution in January, 1537, in return for a fee of £50. Nevertheless, the Abbess, Alice Fitz-Herbert, voluntarily surrendered the Abbey just two years later. In 1544, five years after the nuns had given up the Abbey at Polesworth, Henry VIII sold the village to Francis Goodere, of Hertfordshire. With the Abbey sliding into decay Goodere had much of it demolished, using the stone to build Polesworth Hall on the site of the former Abbess' dwelling. The Abbey Church remained and continued to be used by the villagers, whilst the Nun's former priest became the Goodere's chaplain. The Gatehouse, no longer needed by guests, was turned into the English School, run by the priest and supported by the Goodere family.
By the early 17th century Polesworth was home to Sir Henry Goodere. A close friend of the poet John Donne, Sir Henry was actively involved in the artistic life of England, gathering about him the foremost poets, writers and playwrights of the day. This group became known as the Polesworth Circle. Among its beneficiaries were the local poet, Michael Drayton and according to some sources, even the young William Shakespeare was educated at the school.
Substantial restoration work has carried out by the Polesworth Abbey and Nunnery Gateway Trust and was completed in 2010. Today, the gatehouse has been carefully converted to provide two apartments - Porter's Lodge (sleeps 2) and Gatehouse Croft (sleeps 4).
Click here to find out more about the Polesworth Abbey Gatehouse Project.
Location: Polesworth, near Tamworth, West Midlands. 20 miles from Birmingham and 3 miles from Junction 10, M42
Historic Attractions: Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Ironbridge Gorge Museums, Tamworth Castle, Black Country Living Museum, Lichfield Cathedral, Polesworth Abbey and Bosworth Battlefield
Activities: Golf, shopping at Birmingham's Bull Ring, indoor skiing at Snowdome, family parks such as Drayton Manor Theme Park, West Midland Safari Park, Pooley Country Park and Kingsbury Water Park.
Local Events: June Godiva Festival and Carnival Nov/Dec: Frankfurt Christmas Market, Birmingham All Year events at NEC, NIA and LG Arena Birmingham
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