Wigmore Abbey Grange

Wigmore Abbey was founded by Hugh de Mortimer and was first established at Shobdon in 1135, moving to Wigmore in 1160 and finally to Adforton in 1172.[1] Much of the abbey was destroyed in a Welsh uprising in 1221,[2] but was rebuilt by Edmund Mortimer in the 1370s.[3] Very little of the rebuilt abbey now remains, beyond some stretches of wall.[1] In the Middle Ages the abbey developed into the largest in Herefordshire and built a farm, called a monastic grange, to supply provisions.[3]

The Grange at Wigmore comprises a complex of structures dating from the 12th and the 14th centuries.[4] The main building, The Grange, was developed from the abbot's lodgings and subsequently became the grange farmhouse.[1]

In the mid-18th century, a family called Galliers were resident at the Grange and established a notable herd of Hereford cattle.[5] The actor John Challis owned the Grange from 1998 until his death in 2021.[6]

The Grange is an L-shaped building, now of three storeys, although originally of two. The sub-structure is Norman, including the undercroft, but much of the upper part of the building is restoration work of the 16th, 17th and 20th centuries.[1] The inner, and two outer, gatehouses are 14th century, while the range ends in an 18th century summer house.[1] The Grange is a Grade I listed building.[4] The gatehouse,[10] and two outbuildings share this, the highest, listing designation,[11][12] while a barn,[13] gardens walls and a mounting block,[14] and the summerhouse are listed Grade II.[15]

• Brooks, Alan; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2012). Herefordshire. The Buildings of England. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-12575-7.
• Brown, G. (2002). An Earthwork Survey and Investigation of Wigmore Castle, Herefordshire. English Heritage.

• British History Online entry for Adforton with plans of the site
• Country Life magazine - picture library entries for Wigmore Grange