Ashby Saint Ledgers: Manor House, History and Walking Routes

Ashby Saint Ledgers combines an important manor house with traces of medieval settlement, formal garden design and a long-distance walking trail. Those looking for a holiday destination with a history to explore and a range of ways to discover it will find several starting points here: the Manor House, the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary & St Leodegarius, the surviving earthworks of the medieval settlement and the Jurassic Way shape the choice of experiences.

The Manor House and its layered history

The Manor House of Ashby St Ledgers dates from the 15th to the 17th century. Between 1904 and 1938, it was remodelled and extended by Sir Edwin Lutyens for Ivor Guest, the second Lord Wimborne. As a result, older fabric and early 20th-century design meet at this site. The Gunpowder Plot Room is also associated with the manor house. The conspirators worked out their plan in this room.

The original residential and service buildings also tell of how the estate was organised in the past. They were arranged in three groups around a courtyard. They included stables, a gatehouse and a dovecote. The medieval archway of the gatehouse is visible from the lane. Formal access to the Manor House is from the south-west, via a 250-metre-long avenue through a grass pasture. This avenue begins at a gate on the northern side of Main Street.

Garden design, the church and traces of the medieval settlement

Lutyens began work on the formal Canal Garden around 1909. The planting was laid out in consultation with Gertrude Jekyll. The garden adds a deliberately designed landscape to the historical perspective. During your stay, you can therefore choose between different areas of focus: architecture and spatial design, the history of the manor house or a quieter engagement with garden design.

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary & St Leodegarius is also part of the local cultural history. John Catesby remodelled it in the early 15th century. The surviving features include the rood screen, pews, wall paintings and an oak door fitted with iron studs. The churchyard also contains the memorial to Lord Wimborne created by Lutyens. The church and churchyard thus bring together various historical connections at another prominent location, without this implying any current access or opening times.

The earthworks of the medieval settlement are particularly vivid. The area, protected as a Scheduled Monument, includes hollow ways, building platforms known as tofts, associated crofts used as gardens, the site of a dovecote and ridge-and-furrow fields. The well-preserved earthworks illustrate the form and layout of the settlement as well as the associated forms of agricultural use. For families, this can be an interesting complement to the buildings, because history here is revealed not only through façades but also through traces in the landscape.

Walking and choosing the right accommodation

The long-distance Jurassic Way crosses the southern part of the manor house parkland. Those who enjoy combining culture and activity on holiday can take this route into account when planning. Depending on the desired daily rhythm, the focus can then be on the historic sites, the landscape around the manor house or a longer walking stage. The six cottages built in Ashby St Ledgers in 1908 also illustrate Lutyens' influence and are listed Grade II.

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house in Ashby Saint Ledgers, it is therefore worth deciding on your own travel idea first. If you would like to combine architecture, local history and garden design, the Manor House, church and medieval settlement remains take centre stage. For a more active itinerary, the Jurassic Way provides an additional point of reference. This allows you to choose accommodation not on the basis of a blanket recommendation, but according to the experiences you want to shape your stay.

More destinations for travel planning

For comparing other destinations, you can also view Blisworth, Thurning, Hackleton, Flore, Church Stowe, Brigstock, Wellingborough and Pattishall.

For the higher-level travel overview: Northamptonshire.