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« on: Saturday 18 December 10 19:10 GMT (UK) »
Hello, I cannot seem to find any photos of the Priory mansion which was owned by the Wengers in Trentham, If anyone knows of any sources of pictures could you please let me know it would be greatly appreciated
I am now going to try and describe the old house from what i can remember as an 11 year old back in 1961 as i feel there should be some written record of the old property. If anyone can add anything at all please contact me and i will update my description.
The old Priory mansion which I think it was called was owned by the Wenger family I have no idea of any dates etc, and was situated on the road now aptly called Wenger Crescent. If you were to come up from the A34 nearly opposite the Poachers Cottage Restaurant, (formerly the Cafe Monica), to the left of the cemetery and mausoleum you will come to the original gate posts of the driveway, go up to the top of the road and turn right on to Werburg Drive, take the next left which is Wenger Crescent and the house occupied a large site on the left hand side of the road, down as far as the old Cedar tree, if it is still there. On the other side of Wenger Crescent, opposite the old house were the tennis courts, possibly two, and some overgrown garden If you looked across the road to the left of the house was a small coppice with a formed archway running towards the rear or the house ,which you could walk through. Then you had the house, I can remember it being a very old large ivy clad house, though i cannot recall just how many downstairs and upstairs windows there were, in my thoughts there was Five or Six windows of each, and in the middle of the house on the lawn was a very old rotten Oak tree. To the right of the house was another overgrown garden, I can remember a six or eight sided fountain made from sandstone panels being there. If you went down to the right of the house you came to the wine cellar go down the steps into the cellar and you could see the many wine racks which by now were all empty, all except for a few remaining full soda siphons (what good fun they were). Carrying on down the side of the house you were blocked by part of the stables so you had to turn right to the end of the building to where i think there was a possible road. I can recall there being a large wall on the other side of the “road” With a very large lean to greenhouse attached to it, I can remember picking grapes from the old vine which rambled through the greenhouse both inside and outside where it had found its way passing through the many broken panes. Going between the end stable and the greenhouse wall then turn left there was stables on both sides of a cobbled road, again I cannot remember just how many stables there were possibly Ten or Twelve. Looking down between the stables I think you would see the driveway which you came up from the A34. Before the housing estate was built there were acres of fields, most probably used mainly as pasture and grazing land. I do not know where the Wengers property borders were, at a guess I think they may have run from near to the A34 to New Inn Lane, and the other way from close to the old railway line , just behind Werburg Drive on the left down as far as the brook on the right. Unfortunately I cannot recall much more on the Wengers Priory Mansion, so if anyone can add too or correct anything I have got wrong it would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. What a wonderful house this would have been. I. Thanks for reading this, hope someone will come up with some more pieces of the jigsaw Thanks Bailzie
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