04/06/2026
Many of you staying with us are National Trust members and take advantage of all the local attractions. Brockhampton is a favourite
Lower Brockhampton Manor House, built in 1425 for the wealthy Dumbleton family near Bromyard in Herefordshire.
Later owners of the moated and wood-framed house moved out to a new mansion within the park and the creaking building was inhabited by estate workers until a Victorian renovation by an architect named JC Buckler.
The little gatehouse over the moat was a Tudor era addition, built around 1535 and apparently the location for secret masses as the occupants of the house at the time were Catholic recusants. A couple of “Marian marks” or crossed Vs can be seen etched into the timbers as ritual protection marks.
Of course a spook or two have been reported haunting the buildings, the classic “grey lady” accompanied by the smell of perfume allegedly glides the floors while during the 1970s a former occupant in the house claimed his bedclothes were torn off during the night by an angry “presence”!
A ruined Norman chapel stands just a few yards away directly opposite, making the Lower Brockhampton estate well worth a visit if you’re in the area.
