The story ofWainman

House

We start by turning the clock back to 1949, when the house was transferred to the National Trust from the National Land Fund. Around the same time, the Hon. Alexandrina Peckover also gifted 50 acres of land in the town and her family home, Bank House, next door.

Bank House was renamed Peckover House and opened to the public, whereas this townhouse was let to private tenants until 2009.

Following a large-scale conservation project, it is now a holiday let with added historic interest. Decorated and furnished in a style from the late Georgian period, the house has been named after the Wainman family who occupied it at that time.

Wainman HouseWelcome to

Who lived here and what was Georgian life like? Here we reveal a little more of the story of this historic townhouse, the family that called it home and the exciting project that restored it to its former glory.

Now it’s your turn to experience living in this historic gem.

Some changes have occurred here nevertheless. Originally it was a three-storey, three-bay house (three windows wide), but sometime between 1770 and 1850 the house was extended with another two bays added. Not only did it increase the size, but also the status of the house.

After 1850, a substantial series of rooms at the rear were built and used as doctors’ consulting rooms for the next 100 years.

The old surgery rooms were removed by the National Trust in 1960 to leave the house we see today.

Wisbech was flourishing, bustling with a population of nearly 5,000 (c. 20,000 today).

Thomas Clarkson of Wisbech was waging a war to abolish the slave trade. Ships carried produce from the surrounding farms to the ports of Hull and London.

For £1.15s (£110 today) the Mail Coach ferried passengers, daily, to and from the attractions of London.

Wisbech also had its own attractions with balls and assemblies held monthly at the Rose and Crown Hotel, in the marketplace.

Wainman HouseThe history of

GeorgianWisbech (1760 – 1820)

“You could travel from Wisbech to London for just 12s.6d (£37 today) if you travelled on the outside of the coach!”

“…one of the most perfect Georgian streets of England”

Description of North Brink, Wisbech by Nikolaus Pevsner in The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire

Wainman House was part of the early eighteenth-century (c. 1720) development of the thriving merchant town of Wisbech. Many houses of this period have been sub-divided and altered over the years, so it’s not surprising that this rare survival is now Grade I listed.

As we turn the clock back, we find George III on the throne. Suffering from recurrent fits of madness, it was during his reign that Britain lost its American colonies but emerged as a leading power in Europe.

“…one of the most

Oglethorpe was a learned man who wrote a number of medical books, and was interested in the world around him.

The family led a comfortable life here, attended to by servants.

They would have entertained at home and it’s likely they attended the assemblies and balls held at the Rose and Crown.

Oglethorpe died prematurely in 1800, aged 49. Ann remained here until her death in 1850 at the age of 90.

Following Ann’s death the house was occupied by a succession of doctors and their families.

It’s thought Oglethorpe conducted his business from the house, which was common practice at the time. His neighbours, the Peckovers, ran their business from a purpose-built banking hall attached to their home, hence the original name Bank House.

After Oglethorpe’s death, his wife Ann extended the house and rearranged the rooms, including the Drawing Room, which was moved downstairs, providing two additional bedrooms upstairs.

We know little of those who lived in the house before the late 1700s when it was home to the surgeon Oglethorpe Wainman, his wife Ann and daughters Marian and Beatrix.

Whowere theWainmans?

A homefamilyIn Georgian times, North Brink was a prestigious address and properties were expensive.

“When Oglethorpe insured the house against fire it was valued at £800, which is equivalent to over £1,000,000 today.”

the time. His neighbours, the Peckovers, ran their business from a purpose-built banking hall attached to their home,

After Oglethorpe’s death, his wife Ann extended the house and rearranged the rooms, including the Drawing Room, which was moved downstairs, providing two additional bedrooms upstairs.

In Georgian times, North Brink was a prestigious address and properties were expensive.

Dinnerwith the Wainmans

Mirrors adorning the walls helped reflect light back into the room.

Dinner would have usually consisted of two courses, each containing as many as 13 individual dishes, and would have been served around 8pm.

Guests would only select the dishes they wanted,

and used the same knife, fork and spoon throughout their meal.

These would then be cleaned by a servant between dishes, and wine glasses were rinsed in a water-filled container each time a different wine was selected.

The Wainmans may have suffered in the morning from the excesses of the night before. An infusion of bark dissolved in a little water was recommended for heartburn, a hangover headache could be improved by washing the hair with cold water, while indigestion could be cured by drinking sea-water.

When it came to freshening your breath, brushing your teeth was not the solution! Tooth powder was not often used at that time and when it was, it was made up of four ounces of charcoal, beaten, sifted and mixed with two ounces of powdered bark.

A late night

“The Georgian card pack was made up of the Jack of Spades, Jack of Hearts, and King of Diamonds all drawn in profile, whilst the rest of the court are shown with a full face”.

“Light levels in the main rooms of the house were low, similar to that of a 30 watt bulb.”

After dinner the ladies retired to the Drawing Room, where Ann would prepare and serve tea. The men would join them later for coffee and cards.

As darkness fell, the rooms would most likely have been lit by candles, though oil lamps were available.

Theconservationproject

A combination of severe structural problems, extensive dry rot and a lack of modern amenities meant that a huge conservation project was needed to reinstate the structural integrity of the building and bring this historic townhouse back into use.

Early investigations revealed that emergency work was needed to prevent the building collapsing, after we discovered a load bearing beam wasn’t holding anything up!

Work continued until the summer of 2013 to conserve and convert the building – including roof repairs, joinery (particularly windows), addition of a new kitchen and bathrooms, as well as the restoration of the historic décor.

conservation

We’ve used illustrations and inventories of the contents from similar properties of the period to help us restore the house. And when it came to the painted finishes of the walls and woodwork, we took a number of paint samples and examined them under the microscope - some rooms revealed as many as

thirty successive decorative schemes!

Traditionally, Ann’s house would have been decorated with lead paints. The colours we’ve used closely replicates a decorative scheme thought to have been introduced by the Wainman family.

If Ann Wainman was to return to her home today, the current furnishings, their arrangements, the fabric and curtains would be of a style familiar to her.

“Lead poisoning was a common cause of death amongst decorators, often referred to as painter’s colic.”

Traditionally, Ann’s house would have been decorated

colours we’ve used closely

scheme thought to have

We’ve used fabrics made from robust modern materials, specially designed to meet the needs of everyday use, but emulating Georgian patterns.

Did you know that the Georgians had fitted carpets? These had to be made in 27 inch wide strips, due to the technology available and stitched

together to make one large fitted carpet. In the Drawing Room you’ll see a replica carpet, based on a 1790 design, made in this traditional fashion.

It’s not unusual to make discoveries during restoration work in an historic building such as this and we’ve certainly uncovered some surprises, including a particularly fine array of wallpapers.

These papers illustrate the development of wallpapers from early Georgian hand-printed to the mass-produced machine-

printed examples of the late Victorian age. We even revealed a particularly rare hand-printed wallpaper in one of the first floor bedrooms, dating back to 1720, which was originally fixed to the wall with nails. It’s one of the earliest wallpapers in the collection of the National Trust.

Fragments of newspapers, pencil sketches, long-lost

letters stuffed behind wall panelling and a 100-year-old message scribbled on a window frame were also discovered. These are now archived in the collection at Peckover House.

It’s amazing to think we’re still uncovering the stories of our places and their past.

“Grafitti left by a tradesman when replacing the window, says: ‘After doctor’s riot, 1913’. According to newspaper reports this refers to a baying mob of locals surrounding the house of a doctor. It follows another popular doctor killing himself after allegations that he had been slandering other GPs in the town. Eventually, the angry crowd dispersed, but not before smashing the window.”

“The house has been furnished with Georgian antiques and a number of modern replicas made by local craftsmen.”

Can you tell the difference?

printed examples of the late letters stuffed behind wall

The outside of Wainman House enhances the historic importance of the interior. A rare survival, it’s not often a domestic property along with its detached Grade II stable buildings and enclosed gardens remain intact together. At some time between Ann Wainman’s ownership in 1803 and the National Trust’s acquisition in 1949, the stables were altered and extended further.

Today, the stabling still appears as it did in use, however the upper floor was converted in 2000. The ‘Coach House Loft’

is now a bright and spacious two bedroom holiday cottage, sleeping up to five, which can be let with Wainman House for larger groups.

The small cottage adjacent to the stables provides additional accommodation for Peckover House.

Don’t forget to explore the garden of Peckover House next door.

The storycontinues outside

We hope you enjoy your stay and we look forward to welcoming you at Peckover House, where the story continues…

www.nationaltrustcottages.co.ukGet in touch 0844 800 20 70

Photography © N

ational Trust Mike H

enton, Sue James and Fisheye Im

ages © N

ational Trust 2013. The N

ational Trust is a registered charity, number 205846.