{{Infobox building | image = Shephalbury Manor, Stevenage 2014-02-02.JPG | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = The house in 2014 | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_label = | pushpin_relief = | former_names = | alternate_names = Shephalbury Manor | etymology = | status = | cancelled = | topped_out = | building_type = | architectural_style = Neo-gothic | classification = | location = | address = | location_town = [[Stevenage]] | location_country = [[England]] | coordinates = {{coord|51.8861|-0.1799|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} | altitude = | current_tenants = [[Coptic Orthodox Church]] | namesake = | groundbreaking_date = | construction_start_date = | construction_stop_date = | est_completion = | topped_out_date = | completion_date = 1864 | opened_date = | inauguration_date = | relocated_date = | renovation_date = | cost = | ren_cost = | client = | owner = | landlord = | affiliation = | height = | architectural = | tip = | antenna_spire = | roof = | top_floor = | observatory = | diameter = | circumference = | weight = | other_dimensions = | structural_system = | material = | size = | floor_count = | floor_area = | elevator_count = | grounds_area = | architect = [[T. Roger Smith]] | architecture_firm = | developer = | engineer = | structural_engineer = | services_engineer = | civil_engineer = | other_designers = | quantity_surveyor = | main_contractor = | awards = | designations = | known_for = | ren_architect = | ren_firm = | ren_engineer = | ren_str_engineer = | ren_serv_engineer = | ren_civ_engineer = | ren_oth_designers = | ren_qty_surveyor = | ren_contractor = | ren_awards = | number_of_rooms = | parking = | url = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> | embed = | embedded = | references = | footnotes = }} '''Shephall Manor''', also known as '''Shephalbury Manor''', is a [[Grade II listed]] building in [[Stevenage]], a town in [[Hertfordshire]], England.
The house was designed by [[T. Roger Smith]] in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|neo-Gothic]] style,<ref name="Ashby5">{{Harvnb|Ashby|2002|p=84}}</ref> and was completed in 1864.<ref name="AshbyHills5"/> The house was built for Unwin Unwin Heathcote, who had inherited the manor of Shephall in 1862<ref name="AshbyHills5">{{Harvnb|Ashby|Hills|2010|p=102}}</ref> from his father, Samuel Heathcote Unwin Heathcote.<ref name="Ashby4"/> Unwin Unwin Heathcote had had the previous manor house demolished, which had passed through the Nodes family between 1542<ref name="Ashby3">{{Harvnb|Ashby|2002|p=82}}</ref> and 1761,<ref name="Ashby4">{{Harvnb|Ashby|2002|p=83}}</ref> before being split between three daughters<ref name="AshbyHills4">{{Harvnb|Ashby|Hills|2010|p=101}}</ref> and part of it sold to Michael Heathcote of London,<ref name="Ashby4"/> who passed his share to his grandson Samuel Unwin in 1818,<ref name="AshbyHills4"/> who then purchased the remainder and changed his name to Samuel Heathcote Unwin Heathcote.<ref name="Ashby4"/> The original, small manor house was known as Shephalbury Manor and had twelve rooms and domestic offices.<ref name="AshbyHills3">{{Harvnb|Ashby|Hills|2010|p=100}}</ref> When the old house was demolished, a rose garden was planted on the site.<ref name="AshbyHills5"/>
After Unwin Unwin Heathcote died in 1893, Colonel Alfred Unwin Heathcote was the last of the family to live at the manor. After his death in 1912, the house was let to Colonel Woods,<ref name="AshbyHills5" /> then to David Augustus Bevan in 1926 and Lieutenant Colonel Morgan Grenville Gavin in 1937.<ref name="AshbyHills6" /> The Heathcotes remained the Lords of the Manor until 1939 when the manor was sold by Michael Heathcote to William Harriman Moss.<ref name="AshbyHills6">{{Harvnb|Ashby|Hills|2010|p=103}}</ref> During the Second World War, the house was used to house children who had been evacuated there by the Waifs and Strays society. When they left, it became a convalescent home for Polish officers, and then a school for Polish children.<ref name="AshbyHills6" /> In September 1947, Shephall Manor was commandeered by the Stevenage Development Corporation, who leased it to the [[Inner London Education Authority]]. The grounds were then opened for public recreation.<ref name="Ashby8">{{Harvnb|Ashby|2002|p=87}}</ref>
After the New Towns Act 1981, Shephall Manor and most of its land was owned by the New Towns Commission, and the rest was already owned by [[Hertfordshire County Council]]. The Inner London Education Authority was disbanded so the Manor was no longer required as a school.<ref name="Ashby9">{{Harvnb|Ashby|2002|p=88}}</ref> The Shephalbury Manor Action Committee was formed to save the site from development, as the Manor was not listed and the trees were not subject to preservation orders. Their campaign was successful, and in November 1988, it was listed under the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 as a building of special architectural and historic interest and achieved Grade II listed status on 17 May 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101101157-shephall-manor-stevenage|title=Shephall Manor, Stevenage, Hertfordshire|publisher=British Listed Buildings|accessdate=17 April 2017}}</ref> The house was bought by the [[Coptic Orthodox Church]] and the grounds were opened to the public as one of Stevenage's district parks.<ref name="Ashby10">{{Harvnb|Ashby|2002|p=89}}</ref> The chapel of Archangel Michael and Saint Anthony inside the house served as main parish church for 15 years until the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George was built adjacent to the house.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.copticcentre.com/the-parish/|title=The Parish|publisher=The Coptic Orthodox Church Centre UK|access-date=21 January 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{Commons category|Shephalbury Manor}} {{Commons category|St George's Cathedral, Stevenage}}
===Notes=== {{Reflist}}
===Bibliography=== {{refbegin}} *{{cite book|last=Ashby|first=Margaret|title=Stevenage History & Guide|edition=2nd|date=1 March 2002|publisher=[[Tempus Publishing]]|isbn=0752424645}} *{{cite book|last1=Ashby|first1=Margaret|last2=Hills|first2=Don|title=Stevenage: A History from Roman Times to the Present Day|edition=1st|date=2010|publisher=Scotforth Books|isbn=978-0752424644}} {{refend}}
{{Listed buildings in Hertfordshire|G2}}
[[Category:Stevenage]] [[Category:Grade II listed houses in Hertfordshire]] [[Category:Manor houses in England]]