 Witley Court
Ravaged by fire in 1937, this was effectively the end of Witley Court, which
only 100 years prior to the accidental destruction, had been remodelled
as a grand Italianate palace for the Earl of Dudley. It is distressing
to see such a vast and impressive country house lying ruinous but, at
the same time, it is a spectacular sight in its state of dereliction.
The history of Witley Court
is well documented from the time of the Domesday survey, and there remains
evidence of a vaulted medieval building beneath the Victorian foundations.
At the beginning of the 16th century a country house, a church,
and some 400 acres made up the manor of Witley. One hundred years later
a brick, Jacobean house replaced the medieval manor house, and a picture
of this is still in existence. It was this mansion that formed the basis
for the transformation of Witley Court into the magnificent Victorian
palace that stood here in the mid-19th century. Prominent
London architects were commissioned to work on the evolving shape of
Witley Court but nothing remains of Henry Flitcroft's work, and very little of John
Nash's neo-classical villa was left in situ. Samuel Whitfield Daukes
introduced the fashionable Italian styling to Witley Court, leaving only the
Ionic columns of the entrance portico free from the honey-coloured Bath
stone cladding.
It is difficult to imagine
the sight that met visitors approaching Witley Court from the long drive,
but it surely must have been breathtaking because even today, it
stands as a majestic roofless shell of splendid dimensions. Looking around
the inner court, before entering Nash's classical ornamental
porch, there is much evidence of the red brick Jacobean house, exposed
by the loss of the Bath stone cladding over the years. An elegant conservatory
of massive proportions, with a series of continual arched windows and
low-level stone balustrades, once contained a mass of indoor foliage,
and looked down to the spectacular Perseus and Andromeda fountain in
the south parterre garden. A little to the west of Witley Court visitors
may enter the parish church, a rather plain rectangular building
externally, but with a surprisingly sumptuous interior that should not be missed.
Fortunately, the little church did not suffer in the devastating fire
of 1937 and, with careful restoration, represents one of the finest
baroque church interiors in Britain.
Once a status symbol of industrial
wealth, political influence, and Victorian entrepreneurs, Witley Court
had known opulence, entertained Royalty, and hosted many great sporting
events. Then, towards the end of the 19th century, the Dudley
fortunes went into serious decline, resulting in the sale of Witley Court
in 1920. Sir Herbert Smith was the unpopular new owner, a millionaire
who had made his money from the carpet industry. After the fire Witley
Court changed hands several times, its fate more or less sealed
by a salvage dealer who purchased the house in 1954. Everything of any
value from Witley Court, including the marble chimneypieces, the heavy plate
glass from the conservatory, statuary that had adorned the gardens, and
all the roof materials, was sold off. Dangerously close to demolition,
a guardianship order was imposed on the estate in 1972 and, since 1984,
it has been in the care of English Heritage.
An on-going programme of
restoration has secured the future of this outstanding country house and
gardens, making it an extremely popular venue with visitors to the Worcester
area. |
