Witley Court

A week ago this past Sunday my friends/neighbors down the hall invited me to go on an excursion to Stokesay Castle.  They suggested we could go to Whitley Court as well.  The Stokesay trip was shrouded in fog, but that added an eerie quality to our visit.  By the time we had finished our tour of Stokesay, the fog had lifted and we were able to see the beauty of the Shropshire countryside as we drove toward Witley Court in Worcestershire.

I had never heard about this place and it was even more interesting to realize that it's only 10 miles away from Worcester.  This English Heritage site has had a manor on the property since the 11th century.  It was owned by a cousin of William the Conqueror.  The 17th century owners rebuilt the medieval home on a "grander" scale.  The grounds cover 400 acres, including  wilderness gardens, woodlands, parklands, a lake and gorgeous formal gardens.

 The house went through a number of different iterations beyond the re-build in 1610.  The property expanded in the 18th century.  The final remodelling of manor finished in 1850 under the first earl of Dudley, a major industrialist of England's West Midlands.

The ticket office cum gift shop is the entry to a number of lovely walks, some of which led to the great home.

The Victorian era remodel transformed the house into an Italianate palace. 

The opulence of this place made it a popular destination for British royalty.  Lavish weekends included coming of age parties, hunting parties and other exercises in excess. 

All that came to an end in 1937 when a devastating fire gutted the mansion.  A Stratford Upon Avon company bought the property in 1954 and sold off the remaining fixtures, leaving it a hollow shell.

Beyond the ruins, the site still boasts some real treasures.  The magnificent fountain featuring a depiction of Perseus  slaying the dragon guarding Andromeda.  The fountain goes off once an hour on the hour spewing great arcs of water.

The baroque church is also an incredible treasure.

I would have never known about this amazing property if my friends hadn't suggested the outing.  The best part is that it's only a few miles away.  My friends and I agreed that this is a great site for a day trip for the Study in England students.  Personally, I'd love to come back in the late spring/early summer to see the gorgeous flower beds in all their glory.