Discover Clehonger: Churches and Architectural History

The buildings mentioned in Clehonger and Belmont place a clear emphasis on churches, historic houses and parkland. Their history ranges from a foundation dated 1341 to the Gothic Revival construction of the Abbey Church between 1854 and 1886. Belmont House adds a manor house dating from 1788 and a landscape park to the churches. The different periods and types of buildings can help you match the historical focus of a trip to your interests.

Churches and different periods of construction

The Church of All Saints in Clehonger is a parish church listed Grade I. A precise historical reference can be found in the north transept: Sir Richard Pembrugge had it built as a chantry chapel, which was founded in 1341. This highlights both the listing of the parish church as a whole and the function and date of a specific part of the building. This medieval reference point predates by a long time the Gothic Revival construction work later seen in Belmont.

The Abbey Church of St Michael and All Angels in Belmont, Herefordshire, was built in the Gothic Revival style by Edward Welby Pugin and Peter Paul Pugin between 1854 and 1886. It is listed Grade II*. Compared with the 1341 chantry chapel foundation, this represents a much later period of construction; its listing also differs from the Grade I listing of All Saints. The two churches can therefore be distinguished by their periods of construction and their respective classifications.

Belmont lych gate and its group of buildings

The Belmont lych gate belongs to a significant group of Gothic Revival Roman Catholic buildings. These include the Abbey Church of St Michael and All Angels, the monastery, almshouses, the school with its schoolmaster’s house, and the chapel of Belmont House. The monastery buildings of the Benedictine Abbey of St Michael and All Angels in Belmont are listed Grade II. The group thus extends beyond the church and monastery to include the school, almshouses and chapel.

North of the Abbey Church cemetery is a gatehouse with curved walls and piers. It is a Grade II-listed structure in the parish of Clehonger. Its architectural details add to the broader context: the specific form of the gatehouse can be considered alongside the Gothic Revival setting of the Belmont lych gate. If you look at architecture through its individual features, the curved walls and piers offer a specific point of reference; the group of buildings places the gate in a broader context.

Belmont House, the park and the cottages

Belmont House on Ruckhall Lane in Clehonger is listed Grade II*. It was built in 1788 for John Matthews to a design by James Wyatt. The landscape park at Belmont House is attributed to Humphry Repton; views across a ha-ha look out towards the River Wye. Belmont House therefore brings together the history of the house and a specific relationship between the parkland and the river. Unlike a church or gatehouse, it is also a place to consider landscape design.

Nos. 1 and 2 Manor Cottages in Clehonger form a pair of cottages. They probably date largely from the 17th century and were later altered. This cautious dating differs from the precise construction date of Belmont House: the cottages’ origins are placed within a period, without specifying a single year. Together with the later alterations, this is part of the pair’s architectural history.

For the wider travel overview: County Of Herefordshire.