The television series 'The Manor Reborn', which aired in December 2011, showed how nine of Avebury Manor's rooms and part of the garden were redecorated and redesigned in five different styles: Tudor, Queen Anne, Georgian, Victorian and 20th century.
This imaginative process drew on the team's expertise, historical research, and inventories from other houses of the selected periods to help recreate inspirational interiors for the rooms.
The refurbishment of Avebury Manor was designed so that the rooms reflected the period in which the residents of Avebury Manor lived, and you can learn about these people as you go around. Furniture and objects were either recreated by modern craftsmen or genuine antique furniture was restored.
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Highlights of Avebury Manor
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The Tudor period
The Tudor dining room was created with hand crafted oak furniture and rush mat flooring. The marriage room was also recreated, inspired by the marriage of widowed Debora Dunch to the High Sheriff of Wiltshire in the late 1590s.
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The Georgian period
A large, light Palladian dining room was decorated to illustrate the Williamsons' residence during the Georgian era. The walls are covered with hand-painted wallpaper from China, which includes some images of Avebury and reflects Williamson’s status as a well-travelled man of importance.
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The Edwardian Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of any home, and this one has been set in Edwardian times. The kitchen has been laid out as if it's just been used, with a range, a dresser, pots hanging on the wall and food on the table, even a newspaper featuring the sinking of the Titanic.
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The 20th century
The south library, now the Billiard Room, was originally created out of a service room by the Jenners. It has been furnished with cosy armchairs where visitors can sit and read, or play a game of billiards, just as the Jenners' guests could have done in the early 20th century.
In the Keiller parlour you'll find the room set in the way that Alexander Keiller himself may have designed it, with easy chairs, drinks table, lamps all reminiscent of the 1930's. Often the most popular room as it reminds people of their grandparents’ homes.
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Avebury Manor Garden
This delightful garden is arranged as a series of 'rooms', each with a different character, including Kitchen Garden, Topiary Garden, Lions Walk, Church Garden, East Garden, Half Moon Garden, Orchard, Monks Garden and South Lawn. Throughout the year you will see many changes taking place, but in the summer months you can expect to see a wide variety of annual plants across all areas of the Manor Garden, especially Monks Garden and Half-Moon Border. Plants will include Zinnia, Salvia, Cleome, Dahlia, Cosmos, Cornflower, Marigold, Nasturtium, Sweet Pea and some other interesting and unusual varieties.
