Gerry Brooke visits South Gloucestershire for a look around historic Acton Court, which has now opened its doors for the summer

T he eagle eyed amongst you might have spotted Acton Court recently in historian David Starkey's television programme about the life and times of King Henry VIII.

Filmed in the snow, if only for a minute or so, the old manor house looked quite dramatic. And if that wasn't enough, the house also featured on a Channel 4 Time Team programme.

It was here at Iron Acton, in 1535, that wealthy owner Nicholas Poyntz went out of his way to entertain the Tudor monarch and his queen, Anne Boleyn.

Poyntz was a courtier associate of the king's minister Thomas Cromwell and the powerful Duke of Somerset.

Nicholas spared no expense in adding a new east wing for the king's entourage, with 350 craftsmen labouring to get it finished over a nine-month period.

His grandfather, Sir Robert Poyntz, had previously entertained King Henry VII on his way to Bristol in 1436.

Did Nicholas get his reward? Well, it's thought that he was knighted during the visit, so yes.

We are very lucky to still have Acton Court. In the 1980s, the mansion, used as a farmhouse for many years, was in imminent danger of collapse.

Its rescue in 1984 was thanks to that champion of neglected historic properties Dorothy Brown and her Bristol Visual and Environmental Buildings Trust. After putting their faith in a large grant which never materialised, the trust sold the house to people who could find the restoration money – English Heritage.

As nothing had been done to the house since the 1530s, the repair bill was immense.

Acton Court, which replaced yet another old manor house, is built on a Domesday site. What we see today is just one remaining wing, the rest being demolished 300 years ago when the mansion was demoted to a lowly farmhouse.

Over the years, several important discoveries have been made at the manor, including Britain's oldest remaining sundial, now in the British Museum.

Other finds include children's longbows, found in the moat, Venetian glass and early clay pipes.

As well as the story of Queen Elizabeth I sleeping at the court (very unlikely), there is a tale concerning Sir Walter Raleigh. Apparently a servant became so alarmed on seeing him smoking a pipe of tobacco in the gardens that he dowsed him with a bucket of water.

What Raleigh's reaction was we don't know.

The mansion's 12 acres of garden have now been restored, as has the old moat, now partly filled with water.

Visitors can also see some full-size cast iron sculptures of the type of farm animals that would have supplied the kitchen at the time of the Tudors.

In 1994, restoration workers unearthed an old garderobe, or toilet, unseen for more than 400 years, which connected to the moat.

As it's so wide, it has been suggested that it was constructed specially for King Henry's visit.

A tiny picture of a ship, looking remarkably like Cabot's The Matthew, has also been found scratched in old plaster.

The Poyntz family, who had owned a mansion on this site since 1364, died out in 1680.

Acton Court is open to the public until August 23, with tours of the house and grounds conducted by professional guides daily, except on Mondays and during special events. Call 01454 228224 or see www.actoncourt.com