The Court stands at the entrance of a small valley which was formed about ten thousand years ago during the last ice age. This is shown quite clearly on the 1878 Ordnance Survey map as “Cwm Brook”; a small stream ran down the valley from Brooks farm past the Court and Western farm and on to Cadoxton Sheeping moor.
The area is made up of red marls and Rhaetic conglomerates which were formed some 220 million years ago, this was topped off with blue lias limestone formed 190 million years ago, all of which would have been ideal building material for the Court.
The Court has very solid foundations due to the presence of the limestone outcrop which will have made it a natural site for building high quality homes going back many centuries. It is clear from the archaeology of the site that its properties were understood for at least 800 years. The dovecote that remains on site is dated back to the 13th Century and will probably be roughly contemporaneous with Magna Carta (although not related to it).
Notwithstanding the abundance of good quality limestone on and around the site, when the present family home and other buildings were built in about 1870 some use was made of the material left on site from buildings dating back to medieval times but the main part of the house was built with limestone from various other quarries in the South Wales area.
The Court was constructed on the edge of a steep rocky escarpment on the north side of the ravine that is now followed by the lower end of Gladstone Road which was constructed in 1911. The position of The Court has good southern views over the Bristol Channel, and was probably chosen for its defensive position with commanding views to the south.
There is reputed to have been a small spring just in front of the dovecote which bubbled out through the path, it originated from a well within the grounds of The Court. It has been said that this was a stone lined well about 15feet deep; it was located in the area just to the west of the house where the shrub beds were within an enclosed garden. The well was filled in many years ago so it may be difficult to locate.
There appears to be a water supply inside the greenhouse that may be from a natural spring.