History of Wymering Manor

Wymering Manor is a Grade 2* listed building, which is the oldest in the city of Portsmouth, England. (1)

A Roman settlement existed at Wymering from 43AD to 408AD. A marshy coastline ran close to the present site of Wymering Manor, and a Roman outpost camp was located there to defend Portchester Castle. (1)

The first recorded occupant of Wymering Manor was William Mauduit, he was involved in local research for the Great Survey of 1086 – known as the Domesday Book. At the time of the Domesday Survey, the manor was owned by William the Conqueror in demesne as it had been by King Edward the Confessor, in connection with Portchester Castle. (1)

In the thirteenth century, the manor was granted first to Fulkes de Wymering and afterwards to William de Fortibus, and was held of the King by military service at Portchester. In 1285 Edward I gave the manor to John le Botelier, in whose family it remained for a century; it then passed to the Waytes, from whom it passed in 1570 by marriage to the Brunnings, a well-known Roman Catholic family. (1)

Once Edward Bruning died in 1707, the manor's ownership changed several times until in 1761, the Rev. Richard Harris, Vicar of Wymering, and Rector of Wydley, brought a part of the manor from Sir Edward Worsley, and then in 1768, the rest of the manor from William Smith. In 1768, Lovelace Bigg inherited the manor from Rev. Richard Harris after his death, and in 1783 added 127 acres to the property brought from Lord Dormer. (1) 

In 1835, the manor house and 68 acres was sold by Lovelace Bigg for £5000 to John Martin, who had been a tenant at the manor for a long period of time. The rest of the property, consiting of around 336 acres with the house, was sold in 1858 to Rev. George Nugee and Mr. Thos. Thistlethwayte for £14,827. 14s. 8d. (2) Rev. Nugee made some major alterations to the manor, from which he ran a training college as well as rebuilding Wymering Parish Church from 1859-1872. (Historic England, Wymering Manor)

In 1899, the manor was brought by Thomas Knowlys-Parr and Mrs Nightingale. They made a number of alterations, converting the manor into a country house in 1908. (Historic England, Wymering Manor) The British Army possessed the manor in 1938 following the death of Thomas Knowlys-Parr for the duration of World War Two. (2)

In 1946, local builders, P.J.A. and G.A. Day purchased the manor and used serveral acres of the land for the construction of houses, and sold on the manor and remaining land. The new owner, Leonard Metcalfe, made further alterations to the building up until his death in 1958. The manor was made Grade 2 listed in 1953.  (2)

In 1959, the manor was scheduled to be demolished for housing. A local campaign resulted in the manor being brought by Portsmouth City Council in 1960, this was financed by selling off two acres of the remaining land for housing, and leasing the building to the Youth Hostel Association. (2)

While serving as a hostel, the manor was upgraded to a Grade 2* listed building in 2003, the manor became a favourite for ghost hunters across the UK. The hostel was eventually closed in 2006, and the manor was sold off by the council when the upkeep costs became too high, following the collapse of a timber support. (2)

The manor was put up for sale by auction on 21st September 2010, but failed to meet its reserve price. (2)  The manor was first listed on the Heritage at Risk Register by English Heritage in 2011. (2)

In Janurary 2013, the council handed Wymering Manor, along with a grant of £30,000, over to The Wymering Manor Trust. (2) On 5th May 2013, the Trust held it's first community open day, and ended up receiving a further £50,000 from the People's Millions. (1)

Following a survey in 2014 the unearthed the evidence of Deathwatch beetles in the oak beams, the cost of restoration was estimated at £2.5 million, leaving the trust searching for further funding. (1)

References:

Pevsner, N., The Buildings of England: Hampshire and The Isle of Wight. Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1967

Historic England. Wymering Manor (Youth Hostel) (1245180). National Heritage List for England. 

Portsmouth's 'haunted' manor house fails to sell. BBC. 21 September 2010.

Council gives away £375,000 manor 'because it is haunted'. The Daily Telegraph. January 2013.

Restoration hopes despite decay of 'haunted' Wymering Manor. BBC. 13 January 2014.