Henley Hall, Shropshire

Henley Hall, viewed from the A4117.

Henley Hall is an 18th-century Grade II*-listed country house in the parish of Bitterley, Shropshire, UK.[1]

It is a generally three-storey building originally constructed during the mid-18th century in brick with a slate roof. Flanking wings were added at both ends of the original linear building c. 1772 and further major extensions carried out in 1875 and 1907. The hall is surrounded by landscaped and formal gardens covering some 60 hectares. The hall itself is listed grade II* and the orangery, outbuildings, dovecote and Bitterley main gate are listed Grade II.

It is situated 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northeast of Ludlow town centre, just off the A4117 road to Cleobury Mortimer. The Ledwyche Brook flows by the estate.

History

The hall was originally built by the Powys family in the early 17th century. The estate was sold to Thomas Knight in 1770, who commissioned its modernisation circa 1772.[2]

The landscape park was laid out in the late 18th century and the formal gardens created by Edmund Thomas Wedgwood Wood after he bought the site in 1874. Notable features include Pulhamite rockwork, a ha-ha, an Elizabethan octagonal dovecote and a walled garden. There is also a former sunken garden created by Italian prisoners of war. The estate is surrounded by yew hedges, although the original yew maze has been lost.[3] The main gates were brought from Wirksworth hall during the 19th century.

Since 1966 the property has belonged to the Lumsden family. Under the stewardship of the present Charles Lumsden the hall and estate are now made available for weddings, shooting parties and team-building activities. A cedar tree arboretum has been established.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Henley Hall and Attached Walls, Balustrades and Steps to South, Bitterley". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  2. ↑ Newman, John. Shropshire.
  3. ↑ "Henley Hall". Retrieved 2012-10-03.
  4. ↑ "Henley Hall". Retrieved 2012-10-03.

Coordinates: 52°22′52″N 2°40′33″W / 52.381°N 2.675752°W / 52.381; -2.675752

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