The House

Following on from our previous post, we wanted to share more with you on Keith’s new television show and tell you more about what you’ll be watching for the next few weeks. With ‘The Victorian House’ being in the title, it’s already clear that this is an integral part of the show, but what do we know about its history? Here’s some facts to know about the house.

Wyndcliffe Court is a Grade Two listed, privately owned country house built for Charles Leigh Clay in 1922*. Its construction began before this but was interrupted by the First World War, therefore architect, Eric Francis, couldn’t complete it. This Arts and Crafts style house is situated in the Monmouthshire area of Wales and features beautiful gardens designed by Henry Avray Tipping. He was influenced by the work of his friend Gertrude Jekyll (one of the visionaries that inspired the show) who liked to design gardens with a sequence of outdoor ‘rooms’.

Charles Leigh Clay originally commissioned a house to the north of St Arvans village in Monmouthshire, around 1 mile from what is now Wyndcliffe court. Clay was the founder of Claymore shipping company which began in 1919. 7 years later, in 1926 Charles became High sheriff of Monmouthshire at which point Wyndcliffe Court had been built.

What a beautiful and picturesque location to film The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts, with its idyllic surroundings and style it makes the perfect setting. Watch the crafters and presenters come together on BBC Two, Friday the 11th at 9pm and let us know what you think!

*Interesting fact – The Victorian Era ended in 1901 after Queen Victoria’s death on the 22nd of January. This was then followed by the Edwardian Era which ended in 1914 due to the beginning of the First World War which began that July. This means the house is technically not Victorian but due to it’s style and construction it counts as one.