Kings Weston Estate near Shirehampton is home to one of the largest collections in the UK of buildings designed by Sir John Vanbrugh. Vanbrugh was a 17th-century architect, dramatist and herald, best known as the designer Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and Castle Howard in York.
Kings Weston was originally owned by the Crown during its days as a medieval manor before it was granted to the Berkeley family shortly after the Norman Conquest.
Several centuries later, in 1570, Kings Weston was purchased by Sir William Wynter, the son of a Bristol merchant and sea captain, and Vice Admiral of England to Queen Elizabeth.
Wynter built himself a fine new mansion with viewing towers to take advantage of the spectacular location overlooking the river, before selling the mansion and the estate to Robert Southwell in 1679.
The current Kings Weston House was built shortly after between 1712 and 1719 and was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, and was remodelled between 1763 and 1768 by Robert Mylne and again between 1845 and 1850 by Thomas Hopper.
Mr Philip John Miles bought the estate in 1833 for £210,000. During World War I, the house was used as a hospital, and following Philip Napier Miles' death in 1935, it was auctioned and bought by Bristol Municipal Charities and leased to the education authority for use as a school.
It was later used as Bath University School of Architecture, and later as a Police Training Centre for Bristol Constabulary between 1970 and 1995.
The building was abandoned for five years before it was partially restored as a Business and Conference Centre by local businessman John Hardy. The building was bought by Norman Routledge at the end of 2012, who renovated the house and opened it again as a conference and wedding venue, as well as a communal residence.
The Kings Weston Action Group have been in charge of preserving and enhancing the historic landscape around the house since April 2012. The remains of the historic park are made of almost 220 acres split in ownership between Bristol City Council and the National Trust whose 93 acres of Shirehampton Park are leased to Shirehampton Golf Club.
Here are 18 photos from our visit to the Kings Weston estate.
1. War memorial
The War Memorial was built in 1921 to remember the men who fell in the Great War (1914 - 1918) on land donated by Philip Napier Miles.
2. Stone dial
Located Near Penpole Point, the stone dial existed before 1688, when the Merchant Ventures paid £5 for its repair, and was likely to be used as a seamark for ships entering the Avon below.
3. Penpole Lodge ruins
Located in Penpole Wood, the lodge had been designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1723 to catch the eye across the park at its boundary with the Common on Penpole Point. The lodge was pulled down in 1952 after years of dereliction.
4. Sports ground
Near Penpole Lane, the vast field includes a colourful array of black and red stands.