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Chronological Summary of Dated Building Works and other Significant Events
Pre-1066 district known as Smitham in possession of a man called Harding
Post-1066 Smitham came into the possession of William I and was leased to Earl Alberic
1086 when the Domesday Book was written, Geffrey de Wirce or de la Guerche was subtenant, termed the Lord of Smite
c.1100 Lordship passed to Robert, Earl of Delient and Leicester, and by him or his son it was sub-let to Nigel d'Albany
1140's Roger de Mowbray (Nigel d'Albany's son) gave the Lordship of Smite to Richard de Camvill, of Didleton Castle, near Bicester in Oxfordshire. De Camvill gifted his Lordship of Smite to Gilbert, Abbot of the Monastery of Our Blessed Lady at Waverley, that the Cistercians might establish a monastery. The gift of land was confirmed by Roger de Mowbray on the 6th of July 1150
1150 Cistercian abbey founded. Coombe Abbey (then known as The Abbey of Cumbe) was founded by Cistercian monks.
late C12 Existing back walls of cloister, chapter house entrance, lavatorium, etc.
1345 Abbot Geoffrey murdered in the Abbey
1451 Sir Thomas Mallory broke into Combe Abbey.
mid Cl5 Existing cloister tracery
1509 Cloister windows glazed.
1539 Abbey dissolved: ruination begins
1539 During the dissolution of the monasteries, Coombe Abbey and its lands were surrendered to Dr. London sent by Thomas Cromwell, the Abbey and its possessions then belonged to King Henry VIII.
1539-57 Various short-term owners
1557 Reversion to the Crown
1557-81 Leased to Sir Robert Kelway
1550's Conversion to a residence probably begins
1581 Sir John Harington purchases Combe
1580's John Harington built a new house, incorporating parts of the Abbey buildings.
1590 Dated fireplace, room 100, SW wing (destroyed)
1603-08 Princess Elizabeth (Queen of Bohemia), daughter of James I, came to live and be educated at Coombe Abbey.
1605 In the month of November Guy Fawke's famous "Gunpowder Plot" failed, as did the attempt to seize Princess Elizabeth from Coombe Abbey and make her Queen of England.
1622 Craven family obtains possession, for £36,000. Coombe Abbey was purchased by Elizabeth Craven, widow of Sir William Craven, (Lord Mayor of London in 1610-11, one of the richest men in his day), the Craven family remained as owners of Coombe Abbey for 300 years.
1634 Park enclosed: 650 acres. William, son of Sir William Craven became Baron Craven of Hampstead Marshall, Berkshire and obtained a license from Charles I to enclose 650 acres of land at Coombe to make a Park, this is thought to be the origin of Coombe Country Park.
1652 Parliamentary survey of Abbey
1656 Daniel King's view of Combe (earliest illustration)
1667 Gibson rebuilds SW wing
1680's George London extends formal gardens
c.1680 William Winde surveys Combe
1682-84 Winde's additions: west range and Great Hall rebuilt. The Great Hall later became known as the North Parlour
1682 A West Wing (overlooking the gardens today) was added to the house, the architect being Captain William Winde, who also designed Buckingham House later converted to Buckingham Palace.
1684 Dated rainwater heads on west front; dated doorcase in Great Hall; dated ceiling in room 122
1690 Dated rainwater heads on south elevation
c.1690 Knyff's perspective view of house and gardens
1691 Winde's designs for Griffin Gate
1746 Map of Binley, incl. part of Combe Park
1770 Lancelot Brown surveys gardens
1771-73 Binley parish church built, probably by Brown
1771-77 Lancelot "Capability" Brown was employed to re-design the gardens and surrounding land at Coombe. Brown remodels gardens and park and constructs the lake and ha-ha. Gate Lodges, Menagerie, dog kennels, boat house and stable block built
1778 Mathias Baker surveys Combe Abbey estates and Park
c.1800 Repairs (N. cloister roof, pre-1797) Indoor tennis court built, early 1800s
1817 The indoor "Real" Tennis Court was built, (known today as The Courthouse).
1823 Estate survey
1820s Major alterations to the Abbey. Lewis N. Cottingham working at Combe?
1825 Dated rainwater head on North Parlour (Rm. 30)
1834 Cottingham's scheme for proposed extensions
1842 Edward Blore surveys Combe
1849 Estate survey plan by Bland Hood Galland
1861 W. Eden Nesfield surveys Combe
1861-5 William Eden Nesfield was employed to make alterations to the house in "Gothic Revival" style. The east wing and part of the north wing of the Abbey were demolished and rebuilt in the new style. Servants accommodation, stable block and a new coach house were also built during this time. William Andrew Nesfield (father of Eden Nesfield) landscaped the gardens on the south and west side of the Abbey, constructing the moat and canal leading to the lake. During this time William Miller, Head Gardener to Lord Craven was given the responsibility of designing and planting the north and east gardens, the kitchen garden was created which was to become renowned locally for the exotic fruits grown in its hot houses, (today sadly we can only see the outer walls). The gardens then taking a more formal element than that created by Capability Brown were from time to time open to the public.
1863 Additions to stable block and new coach house W. Andrews Nesfield creates moat and west garden
1864 Dated foundation stone of rebuilt east range. William Miller designs garden layout
1875 Dated engraved glass in room 7
1886-87 First edition Ordnance Survey map
1907-08 Internal refurbishing of west range; inserted south window. New drains. Electricity supply New terrace alongside moat; garden temple built
1923 Craven family auction historic contents of Abbey
1923 End of Craven occupation: The auction of the Coombe Estate. Abbey and its grounds sold to John Gray for £38,000. The 218 acres of woods, parkland and lake to the west were sold to a syndicate of 8 local businessmen, who pledged "... that the land would not be used for development and would continue to remain unspoilt." Three members of the syndicate established residences on the part of the land they owned, and all 8 jointly owned the remaining 114 acres (including the 90 acre pool) and developed it for their recreation, also opening the pool to anglers as it had been during the Earl of Craven's days.
1925 Sale of architectural antiques; demolition of east and part north ranges
c.1925-30 Interior of west range remodeled; attics removed; flat roofs created
1930's Survey plan (undated)
1934-1938 Coventry Corporation involved in lengthy talks with Rugby District Council and Warwickshire County Council to explore the possibilities of one day acquiring Coombe Abbey and its parkland for use as a public open space.
1938 William Lindley produced a plan that would firstly, sterilise the 218 acres of woods, parkland and lake that the syndicate had bought and secondly, give Coventry Corporation a twenty one year option to purchase those lands as and when they became available. As a result William Lindley received £11,310 compensation, Sidney Penn £1,420, Albert Ward £1,100 and the joint owners of the Pool and woods £7,000.
1939-45 The conifer plantation known as the Wrautums was virtually removed to provide pit-props during the war, leaving the large field area as we see it today.
1952 John Gray leased Coombe Abbey to the General Electric Company as a residential training centre.
1950's Ruins of east range reroofed; hard tennis court laid out
1958 Coventry Corporation purchase Combe Pool and woodland, those parts of the estate that were held by Sidney Penn and Albert Ward, under the terms of the 1938 agreement.
1959 Swimming pool constructed at Abbey
1960 Abbey Listed by DOE, Grade I ; other buildings, Grade II
1964 GEC terminates lease of Coombe Abbey, and at the end of March-1964 move the trainee hostel to "The Grange" at Copsewood, adjacent to the GEC Telecommunications main site.
1964 Coventry City Council purchased Coombe Abbey and its estate of 150 acres for £35,000. This purchase, when added to the 1958 purchase of Combe Pool and woodlands was the penultimate step to acquire the present day Coombe Country Park - only the Deer Park was now to be acquired.
1960's Wrought iron gates from the Griffin Gate removed to Coventry; pillars moved to present entrance
c.1965 Flat roofs of north and west ranges renewed
1964-66 In preparation for opening the grounds as a Regional Park, most paths were improved, the swimming pool and tennis court (constructed by the mulberry trees on the large lawn to the NW of the house by GEC apprentices in 1959, but not adequate for public use) was removed and the area returned to lawn, a boat house was built by the top pool. A car park was created behind the trees to the East at the northern end of the drive, the drive was widened and resurfaced to form the entrance, and the old driveway to the east was re-opened to form the exit. A significant task was dredging the eastern end of the lake, which had become heavily silted and overgrown with reeds. To the east of the house, a large and impressive children's play area was created. Within and near the ground floor of the east wing, limited refreshment facilities, and an information point was set up and public toilet facilities built.
1966 Coombe Abbey Regional Park (comprising 250 acres) was opened to the public on 14-May-1966.
1965-71 Abbey buildings empty and disused for approx. 7 years
1970 The Coombe Abbey Regional Park achieved Countryside Park status and was re-titled "Coombe Country Park".
1970 Boating facilities were added on part of the main lake, an Interpretive Centre was created in established woodland area and several nature trails were opened.
1971-92 Abbey leased to Historic Productions Ltd. The ground floor of the West wing and North wing were used for Mediaeval banquets.
1974 The Old Deer Park and The Woodlands (88 acres) purchased by Coventry City Council. The eastern part of the old Deer Park forms the site of the new visitor centre, plus a large stretch of open grassland used for special events. The park now totaled 372 acres.
1976 Repairs to three west gables and first gable on south side (£25,160)
c.1980? Conversion of the building adjacent to the "Real Tennis court" to the Granary Public House
1983 Repairs to roof of SW range; centre south gable and window rebuilt; extensive repair programme drawn up (£1 million)
1985 Restoration phase 1: west front pediment and windows; renewal of main roof of west range (£410,000); Great Hall chimney dismantled
1988 Survey of condition by David A. Walter. Repairs to roof of Watergate building
1989 Coombe Abbey offered publicly for expressions of interest in developing the property
1992 The development to restore Coombe Abbey into a "No Ordinary" hotel began. Building work also began on a new Visitor Centre facility incorporating a themed dining venue, and a new children's adventure playground. Extensive rebuilding and refurbishment of the buildings was undertaken, including building a new East wing by adding two more stories above the existing basement and ground floor, and rebuilding the Great Hall chimney. The "Real Tennis court" and the Granary Public House were converted to a conference centre. The children's play area was partly used for the new east wing, but mostly restored as a garden.
1993 Coombe Abbey's Visitor Centre opened, followed by the opening of the Abbeygate - the new venue for Coombe Abbey's award winning Mediaeval banquets.
1995 Coombe Abbey Hotel - a "No Ordinary Hotel" - opened with 63 bedrooms, Cloisters Restaurant, Chapter House Bar, Private Dining Room, Conference and Banqueting facilities on 17th February 1995.
1999 Coombe Abbey Hotel opened a further twenty bedrooms on the East Wing in July 1999.
2004 Internet version of this story first published on 13-May-2004.
2004 Part of the Old Deer Park was designated as a wildflower meadow. It includes a public trail, open from mid-Apr to end-July - details outlined in Woodland Walks brochure.
2004 The Menagerie was put up for leashold sale in Jun-2004 by
Coventry City Council. See 
Coventry
Evening Telegraph article for
details.
2004 The No Ordinary Hotels group is about to lodge a planning application
for 40 extra bedrooms and new restaurant with Rugby Borough Council.
Coventry City Council supports the application, and is poised
to revert to a landlord and tenant arrangement before the works take place.
See Coventry Evening Telegraph article for details.
SOUTHERN
ASPECT : Feb-2004
Panorama from 10 yards down the drive, but with
geometry adjusted to show building at constant height
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