Bredon School, formerly Pull Court, is a private school in Bushley, Worcestershire, England. The house was built for the Reverend Canon E. C. Dowdeswell by Edward Blore between 1831 and 1839. The site is much older and Blore's house replaced an earlier mansion. The Dowdeswells had been prominent in local and national politics since the 18th century, with many serving as members of Parliament. The family sold the house in 1934 to the parents of Richard Seaman, a prominent pre-war racing driver, who lived there until his death in a crash in the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix. In 1962, the court became a school, Bredon School, founded by Lt-Col Tony Sharp and Hugh Jarrett, for the education of boys who had failed the Common Entrance Examination. It remains a specialist school with a focus on educating children with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia.
| Bredon School, formerly Pull Court | |
|---|---|
 "large, competent, highly monumental" | |
| Type | House, now school |
| Location | Bushley, Worcestershire |
| Coordinates | 52°01′23″N 2°12′08″W / 52.023°N 2.2023°W |
| Built | 1834–1839 |
| Architect | Edward Blore |
| Architectural style(s) | Tudor Revival |
| Owner | Cavendish Education |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Pull Court, screen, archway and gates |
| Designated | 25 March 1968 |
| Reference no. | 1082217 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Stable Cottage |
| Designated | 30 May 1984 |
| Reference no. | 1178860 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | The Stalls |
| Designated | 30 May 1984 |
| Reference no. | 1082218 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | 1 & 2 Greenstreet Lodge |
| Designated | 30 May 1984 |
| Reference no. | 1178852 |
  Location of Bredon School, formerly Pull Court in Worcestershire | |
History
editThe political fortunes of the Dowdeswell family were established by Richard Dowdeswell (c. 1601-1673). His father, a successful lawyer, had bought Pull Court, and much other property in Worcestershire and neighboring Gloucestershire, in the early 17th century.[1] A prominent Royalist during the English Civil War, Richard Dowdeswell was returned as Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury in the Convention Parliament of 1660. His grandson, another Richard (c. 1653-1711), served as member for the same seat until the early 18th century.[2] A later descendent, William Dowdeswell (1721-1775), served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1765 under the Marquess of Rockingham.[3] In the 19th century, the Rev. Canon E. C. Dowdeswell, who had sought preference in the church rather than politics, commissioned Edward Blore to build a new mansion at Pull, near the site of the Dowdeswell ancestral home.[4]
The Court was sold by the Dowdeswell family in the 1930s and was bought by the parents of Richard Seaman, a racing driver. Seaman was killed in the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix.[5] Following the death of Mrs Lilian Beattie-Seaman in 1948, Pull Court was used by Wells Court School, a pre-prep school.[6][7] In 1962, Bredon School was established on the estate.[8]
Architecture and description
editAlan Brooks and Nikolaus Pevsner, in their Worcestershire volume of the Buildings of England series, describe Pull Court as "large, competent [and] highly monumental".[9] Mark Girouard, in his study The Victorian Country House, is less impressed, calling Blore's entrance frontage "weedily symmetrical".[10] The main construction material is limestone ashlar, although the north, entrance, front is faced with Lias stone. An archway leads into an enclosed courtyard, with the facing entrance frontage flanked by two wings.[9] The southern, garden frontage is of five bays. A service court lies to the east. The interior decoration is mainly Jacobethan in style.[11]
The court is a Grade II* listed building.[11] The Stable Cottage, another estate building, The Stalls, and a pair of Lodge cottages are all listed Grade II.[12][13][14] Tradition ascribes the landscaping of the park around the court to Capability Brown but there is no documentary evidence which supports the claim.[15]
Bredon School
editBredon School is a mixed-entry independent school for children aged 7–18 years, with a specialism in the education of children with the specific learning difficulties of dyslexia and dyscalculia.[a][8]
Notes
edit- ^ The school's location is described as being in Gloucestershire according to the school's own website,[16] but in Worcestershire by the Department for Education,[8] and by Historic England.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Dowdeswell, Richard (1601-73), of Pull Court, Bushley, Worcs". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Dowdeswell, Richard (c.1653-1711), of Pull Court, Bushley, Worcs". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Dowdeswell, William (1721-75), of Pull Court, Worcs". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Parishes: Bushley". www.british-history.ac.uk. British History Online. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "How Dick Seaman became a Nazi hero". www.theguardian.com. The Observer. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "The History of Pull Court". Bredon School. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ Wiliamsd, Richard (19 March 2020). A Race with Love and Death: The Story of Richard Seaman. Simon & Schuster UK. p. 355. ISBN 9781471179358.
- ^ a b c "Bredon School". get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. GOV.UK. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ a b Brooks & Pevsner 2007, pp. 210–212.
- ^ Girouard 1979, p. 417.
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Pull Court (Grade II*) (1082217)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ Historic England. "Stable Cottage (Grade II) (1178860)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ Historic England. "The Stalls (Grade II) (1082218)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ Historic England. "1 & 2 Greenstreet Lodge (Grade II) (1178852)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Pull Court". Parks & Gardens UK. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Bredon School". Cavendish Education. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
Sources
edit- Brooks, Alan; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2007). Worcestershire. The Buildings of England. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11298-6.
- Girouard, Mark (1979). The Victorian Country House. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-02390-9. OCLC 979203757.