Ellys Manor House, manor house in Great Ponton, Lincolnshire, England
Ellys Manor House is a manor house in Great Ponton built in the early 1500s, featuring Tudor and Flemish architectural details with stone walls and large fireplaces throughout. The building served as a wool merchant's residence and is now protected as a Grade II* listed structure.
The site began as a medieval manor house in the 14th century and was enlarged and remodeled around 1520 by Anthony Ellis, a wool merchant from Calais. The building became a church rectory in 1923 before returning to private ownership later in the 20th century.
The house takes its name from Anthony Ellis, a wool merchant whose family wealth shaped its decoration and purpose. The wall paintings depicting animals and fable scenes reveal how educated and prosperous households in the 1500s chose to adorn their private spaces.
Visitors should look up at the ceilings and walls when inside, as the historic wall paintings are located in the upper rooms and are easy to overlook. The house sits in a small village setting, so planning your route in advance is helpful for visiting.
The wall paintings include a rare depiction of Aesop's fable of the Wolf and the Crane, a scene uncommon in wall paintings of that era. This artistic work was hidden beneath plaster for centuries until its discovery in the 1930s revealed one of the finest examples of early 16th-century domestic art.
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