Ickwell Bury about 1900 [Z50/84/69]

Ickwell Bury was built in 1683 by John Harvey and was the mansion house at the heart of the Manor of Ickwell or Ickwell Bury. The site of the earlier manor building was in the current grounds; it had been surrounded by a moat which, the Victoria County History reported had been filled in but had still been visible in the late 19th century. The Harvey family owned the Bury for just over 250 years, selling it in 1925. Since 1900 the Bury had been home to Horton Preparatory School|, and the wife of the headmaster purchased the Bury from the Harveys. The school closed in 1937 and shortly afterwards the deserted house caught fire with the results seen in the photograph below.

 
Ickwell Bury after the fire of 1937 [Z60/84/49]

Colonel George Hayward Wells, then chairman of brewers Charles Wells Limited then bought the estate and rebuilt the house to a smaller scale. On Colonel Hayward's death the Bury was left to the Bedford Charity for use by Bedford School, of which he had been an old boy. The school used the grounds for field studies but had no use for the buildings and, after a seven year period during which the house stood empty, leased them to the Yoga for Health Foundation as a residential centre in 1978. This centre closed in 2006, Bedford School continues to use the grounds as a Conservation Reserve.

 
interior of Ickwell Bury around 1900 [Z50/16/125]

The complex of buildings around the Bury (though not the Bury itself, naturally) was granted Listed Building status for its historic interest by the Department of Environment in 1952. These buildings had escaped the 1937 fire and were retained by Colonel Wells. The stable block was built in 1683 for John Harvey and converted as living accommodation for a chauffeur between 1938 and 1940 by A.S.G.Butler for Colonel George Hayward Wells. It is built in an L shape out of red brick and has hipped clay tile roofs. The weathervane formerly bore the Harvey coat of arms but, since being restored in the 1970s, now bears the arms of Bedford School. The entrance archway was only added in the 19th century but is made of the same material and has a carved keystone bearing the Harvey arms.

A group of barns forms the north west side of the courtyard about 40 metres north west of the stable block and comprises a range built between the 17th and 19th centuries. The earliest structure is timber framed, weatherboarded and with a clay tile roof. The lower gabled blocks to north and south of it were converted in the 20th century as part of the Horton School. Two 18th century timber framed barns and a 19th century red brick block complete the range. Some 18th and 19th century outbuildings form the south west side of the courtyard.

Ickwell Bury Sep 2007

The octagonal dovecote was built in 1683 of red brick and has a clay tiled, pyramidal roof. The brick nesting remains on the inside amounting to 968 boxes. The Bury also had a beehouse, built in the 19th century of timber frame and weatherboard on a red brick plinth and with a thatched roof; inside are wooden shelves which used to house beehives.

In the garden is a listed sundial probably installed about 1803 by Major John Harvey to commemorate the raising of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry Horse Artillery to help combat any invasion by Napoleon (a threat which essentially disappeared after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805). It is of dressed limestone forming an obelisk just over four feet high.

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HY839 - to see a readable version please click on the thumbnail

The illustration is of the mason's bill of 1683 (the new year began on 25 Mar rather than 1 Jan until 1751) for building Ickwell Bury [HY839] and transcribes thus:

"February The first 1684
The Masons Bill for Mr.John Harvey Esqr for worke done att his house att Ickwellbury In Bedfordshire
For 6 marble mantle pieces att £6 per Piece £036:00:00
For Coveings & fine stone for 5 Chimnies £010:00:00.
For 183 foott & ½ foott of minde Stones & harth peaces of marble stone att 5 s. per foott £045:17:06
For Taikeing up & new laying of 3 fine harths & pullishin & Plaisinge & laying 6 foott of white marble maieking 3 sineke stones & maikeing A harth out of his stone Tro[?] Jaumes for The 2 foott oven workeing 13 foott & ½ of Plaine att the Kichin dore with 4 foott of Paving
For dayes & ½ day of John Royalls att 3s. & 4d. per Die £001:08:04.
For 6 dayes worke & ½ of Thomas Jeraway att 2s. & 6d. per Die £000:16:03.
For 14 foott & ½ foot of Raged stone for ye oven att 1s. & 4d. per foott £000:19:04
For 8 foott of fine stine att 1s. & 3d. per foott £000:10:00
Suma Tottall £107:11:05"