Picture of Woolsthorpe Manor

Setting Study for Woolsthorpe Manor, Home of Sir Isaac Newton

For the National Trust (2018)

Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire is the former home of Sir Isaac Newton, and has been a place of scientific pilgrimage for centuries. It is a relatively humble farmhouse, and its small grounds include Newton’s famous apple tree. It is located on the edge of a large village, and is not set within designed grounds. Recent decades have seen incremental changes to the setting of the property, including suburban growth, mineral extraction, road schemes, and poorly-sited infrastructure such as street lights.

The project describes in detail the immediate, intermediate and wider settings of Woolsthorpe Manor. It also analysed views to and from Woolsthorpe Manor, and the approaches to it used by local people and visitors, including historic routes which would have been used by Sir Isaac Newton. The report presents a wide range of recommendations for the protection and enhancement of the setting of Woolsthorpe Manor. It also identifies a series of monitoring points which can be used to record future changes (both positive and negative) in the setting of the property.