Piercefield Estate and Chepstow Racecourse
Piercefield House and Estate near St Arvans, Monmouthshire, Wales, is located around 1.5 miles north of Chepstow.
The house is a ruined neo-classical country house. The central block of the house was designed in the very late 18th century, by, or to the designs of, Sir John Soane. It is flanked by two pavilions, of slightly later date, by Joseph Bonomi the Elder. The house sits within Piercefield Park, a Grade I listed historic landscape, that was created in the 18th century as a notable Picturesque estate.
The grounds and paths on the cliffs above the Wye Valley were opened to the public by its one time owner Valentine Morris during the early days of the British Tourist Industry which had its origins in the Wye Valley area with landscaping undertaken by Capability Brown. The pathways were known as the "Piercefield Walks".
The house is now a shell, along with its extensive stable block, but its status as a Grade II* listed building reflects its importance. It is currently owned by London-based property developers. A campaign to save and restore the building was launched by SAVE Britain's Heritage in 2013.
The house and much of the estate were sold by the Clay family on the death of its last occupant Henry Clay to the Chepstow Racecourse Company (of which the Directors were all members of the Clay family), who opened Chepstow Racecourse on the estate in 1926.
The house, already in a poor state of repair, was abandoned and stripped, gradually decaying to its current ruinous condition, with just the main walls still standing.
During World War II the area was used by US forces training in urban warfare prior to the D-Day Landings. The building suffered from damage incurred by live firing exercises.
The woods overlooking the river became established as a nature reserve, and footpaths which now form part of the Wye Valley Walk were reopened in the 1970s.
Plans to develop the site as a hotel or outdoor pursuits centre have so far been unfulfilled, with emergency repairs to the house carried out in 2008–09.
The Estate was marketed for sale in October 2005 with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Estate Agents, with an asking price of £2 million. It reportedly had planning and listed building consent for the restoration of the house, stable block and kitchen gardens, together with their associated cottages. The estate was withdrawn from sale in early 2012.
Read MoreThe house is a ruined neo-classical country house. The central block of the house was designed in the very late 18th century, by, or to the designs of, Sir John Soane. It is flanked by two pavilions, of slightly later date, by Joseph Bonomi the Elder. The house sits within Piercefield Park, a Grade I listed historic landscape, that was created in the 18th century as a notable Picturesque estate.
The grounds and paths on the cliffs above the Wye Valley were opened to the public by its one time owner Valentine Morris during the early days of the British Tourist Industry which had its origins in the Wye Valley area with landscaping undertaken by Capability Brown. The pathways were known as the "Piercefield Walks".
The house is now a shell, along with its extensive stable block, but its status as a Grade II* listed building reflects its importance. It is currently owned by London-based property developers. A campaign to save and restore the building was launched by SAVE Britain's Heritage in 2013.
The house and much of the estate were sold by the Clay family on the death of its last occupant Henry Clay to the Chepstow Racecourse Company (of which the Directors were all members of the Clay family), who opened Chepstow Racecourse on the estate in 1926.
The house, already in a poor state of repair, was abandoned and stripped, gradually decaying to its current ruinous condition, with just the main walls still standing.
During World War II the area was used by US forces training in urban warfare prior to the D-Day Landings. The building suffered from damage incurred by live firing exercises.
The woods overlooking the river became established as a nature reserve, and footpaths which now form part of the Wye Valley Walk were reopened in the 1970s.
Plans to develop the site as a hotel or outdoor pursuits centre have so far been unfulfilled, with emergency repairs to the house carried out in 2008–09.
The Estate was marketed for sale in October 2005 with Jackson-Stops & Staff, Estate Agents, with an asking price of £2 million. It reportedly had planning and listed building consent for the restoration of the house, stable block and kitchen gardens, together with their associated cottages. The estate was withdrawn from sale in early 2012.
