Langley Gatehouse: Rescuing Britain’s Historic Gems

Langley Gatehouse was remarkably brought back to life thanks to The Landmark Trust.

Originally built around 1610, this timber-framed gatehouse is all that survives of the fortified manor house, Langley Hall.

The hall itself was demolished in 1880, but this gatehouse was saved from dereliction by the Landmark Trust with English Heritage.

Built of coursed stone with a double chamfered archway, the gatehouse was near collapse in 1992.

Its north-east corner post appeared to be supported solely by an old wine bottle wedged beneath its decayed foot.

In one of the most daring rescues of Britain's historic gems, it was saved by The Landmark Trust in 1992.

Today, the gatehouse is now being used as accommodation, and the reviews are excellent.

Langley Gatehouse was originally built to protect the entrance to Langley Hall, a rambling house of varied date which was demolished in the 1870s.

At the same time, a new farmhouse was built outside the once walled and moated enclosure.

The origins of Langley Hall were medieval, as its defences show.

These are visible as earthworks south and east of the site, which are possible remnants of a moat, and in the Gatehouse itself.

The lower part of its west wall, and the gate arch, belong to a curtain wall of about 1300, which runs on a short way north.

Langley at that time belonged to the Burnells, after whom the neighbouring village and castle of Acton Burnell are named.

By 1400, however, Langley had passed by marriage to the Lees, whose main seat it became.

In 1591, it was inherited by Humphrey Lee, who besides being Sheriff of Shropshire in 1600 was made a baronet by James I in 1620.

He enlarged the Hall and the chapel, and it is now clear that he did the same for the Gatehouse in about 1610.

Some doubts have been raised in the last few years as to whether the Gatehouse was built in several phases, with front and back being of different periods and whether its northern third was also a later addition.

While building work was in progress in 1992, however, the Hereford Archaeology Unit made a detailed survey of the Gatehouse, and dendro-dating was done on samples from several of the main timbers.

These confirmed that the whole upper part of the building, front and back, with the section north of the gate arch, were all built at one time.

On top of an earlier, possibly single-storied building, Sir Humphrey added what amounts to a small house, a late flourish in a tradition of grand pseudo-defensive entrances that began in the late Middle Ages.

Inside the Gatehouse, the rooms on the first floor were of good quality, warmed by fires, so they were almost certainly for living in, either by an officer of the household such as the Steward, or by important guests.

Sir Humphrey's son, Sir Richard, had no son so on his death Langley was inherited by one of his daughters who was married to Edward Smythe.

The Smythes lived at Langley for a time, but by 1700 had moved to Acton Burnell. Langley Hall itself became a farmhouse and was eventually pulled down.

The Gatehouse was used for storage and perhaps as a dormitory for farm servants.

In this state it survived into this century, occasionally repaired and altered in small ways to suit some new need, but slowly growing ever more derelict.

From this state it was rescued in 1978 by the Department of the Environment, which proposed to take the Gatehouse into guardianship, and erected scaffolding around it.

Before more than minor repairs had been carried out, however, work stopped due to a change in government policy on guardianship monuments.

The Department's successor, English Heritage, was still keen to secure the future of the Gatehouse but how to do this was unclear.

Then, in 1986, English Heritage approached the Landmark Trust with a proposal for a joint scheme to repair the building and provide it with a new use.

After lengthy negotiations between all the parties concerned, including the Langley estate, Treasure & Son started work in January 1992, under the supervision of the architect Andrew Thomas.

The Gatehouse was furnished in July 1993 and has been let for holidays ever since.

Now being used as accommodation, it has brilliant reviews, one recent visitors said: “Fantastic. Beautiful building, sensitively restored, in an extremely peaceful location.

”Masses to explore nearby. I never repeat holidays but I’m very tempted with this one!”

The area surrounding Langley Gatehouse is full of beautiful heritage sites to visit. 

Action Burnell Castle is an atmospheric semi-fortified tower house built between 1284-93, and Stokesay Castle is a stunning Medieval manor set on the Welsh border.

You can enjoy fantastic walks around the moat and gardens. 

Ludlow us close come by - a lively market town with over 900 years of history.

What is The Landmark Trust?

The Landmark Trust is a British building conservation charity, founded in 1965, that rescues buildings of historic interest or architectural merit and then makes them available for holiday rental.

The Trust's headquarters is in Berkshire.

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