Ockwells Manor is a fifteenth century manor house near Maidenhead built ca 1450 by John Norreys Esquire, Keeper of the Great Wardrobe of Henry VI, and has been described by Nikolaus Pevsner as “the most refined and the most sophisticated timber-framed mansion in England” (Buildings of Berkshire, 1966). It is also famous for the armorial stained glass still in its original position in the windows of the Great Hall. Our study includes:

Our study includes:
The re-identification of the men represented by the armorial glass and their biographical details (see article in Cornerstone, the Journal of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings vol 25, no 4). Efforts to identify one particular armorial achievement at Ockwells led to a study of the stained glass in Great Malvern Priory, and this has been published as a booklet by the Civic Society (Great Malvern Priory: Rebuilding the Quire in the 15th century).

Documenting the restoration of Ockwells in the Victorian period, when its dilapidated state gave rise to fears that it would be pulled down. Ockwells was one of the cases that inspired William Morris to found the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
Changes in ownership together with major changes to the structure of the house over the centuries.

John Norreys, who died in 1466, is linked to the origin of civic life in Maidenhead. In 1451 Norreys and his brothers help to found a guild based at a chapel in the middle of the High Street
Ockwell's Manor
Armorial Stain Glass