WYAC Visit to Witley Court 12th July 2009

by Lian Sean Wild.

Witley Court is a spectacular, privately owned ruined grand country house set in over 40 acres of ground - which is now under the stewardship of English Heritage. We were visiting the house to learn all about its history, how the house got into the state it is in, how it is currently being managed – and also what the plans are for the future.

Entering the grounds You enter the grounds through a specially constructed visitor's entrance. This includes a brand new car park, shop and cafe. Many older people can remember coming to the house for free: visitors who came in the 1960s and early 1970s could park their cars immediately in front of the house itself. They often complain that now you have to pay when once it was free. However, if you went onto the grounds before 1972 (the year it was officially opened to the public) then you were actually trespassing!

When we started our tour we were led through the woods to the lake. The pathway passes over a dam which forms the lake (the lake is artificial). The original road did not take the current winding route but led directly up to the house over a causeway through the middle of the current lake. At the time the original causeway was constructed a person's wealth was measured by the number of lakes they owned. By the time the house was rebuilt in the mid-1800s your status was measured by the size of your lake – not by how many you have!

We were told that the path along the side of the lake had to be closed because a dead tree posed a danger to the public. But the tree can't be removed because a protected bat species has roosted in the hollow trunk of the tree. Until the bats have gone the tree can't be removed, and until the tree is removed the path is going to remain closed. From the opposite side of the lake you can see the entrance to an underground boathouse where the Earl of Dudley used to keep punts. You can't easily get to that now because the rotten tree is in the way!

Looking directly over the lake in the far distance we could see a clock tower rising above the tree line. Fans of CBBC's Sorcerer's Apprentice will recognize the tower as the wizard's house. The story is that the Earl of Dudley liked to take his guests down to the lake and boast that he owned everything as far as the eye could see (well over 20,000 acres at the time). Oldham cotton magnates bought Abberley Hall and, it is claimed, the clock tower was built just to annoy the Earl of Dudley (because now he could see a big clock tower he didn't own). In fact John Joseph Jones built the tower as a memorial to the cousin he inherited the estate off.

A very large and impressive oak tree dominates the side of the lake closest to the house. This is an American Basket oak, and although ancient looking is only 150 years old.

Exploring the house After crossing the public track and walking up to the house itself we were given a brief talk on its recent history. The house was originally built in the Jacobean period for the Foley family. They fell on hard times and eventually sold the estate to the trustees of William Humble Ward. The Ward family (eventually to become the Earls of Dudley) had made their fortune from the coal, iron and steel industry in Dudley (if you've ever been to Merry Hill then you've been shopping on the site of their steel works!). They lavished a small fortune on the house, creating an Italianate palace fit for a king. In fact, the future King Edward VII was a regular visitor to the house, and the house was lent to Queen Adelaide (the widow of William IV) in 1843. The Ward family lived an incredibly lavish lifestyle. Our guide pointed out an original window from the Jacobean house. Although it is a shame that the house is a ruin it is fascinating from an architectural point of view to see how the house has been modified over the years (you wouldn't get to see this if the house was still intact). In the cellars of the house you can still find the original undercroft, including a vault where the family would hide their valuables in case of attack by marauders. It was surprising to learn how much of the original house is still remaining under the Victorian additions. When the second earl reached the age of 21 he threw a massive party that lasted 3 days – with free beer for the locals and a huge firework display on the final night. There is a story that the Earl liked to invite his friends to the lake, give them each a gold sovereign and have skimming competitions to see who could skim a coin the furthest – like you would a pebble at the beach!

Of course, there was no way the family could keep spending money the way they were and eventually (in 1920) they had to sell up. It was bought by Sir Herbert Smith, a carpet manufacturer from Kidderminster. He did much to upgrade the house (he installed electricity) but he cut down on the staff and closed a lot of public footpaths – so he isn't well liked locally. In 1937, while he was away from the house, a fire destroyed much of the east wing. However, that wasn't the end of the house. Herbert Smith still lived in the west part of the house for many months after the fire while he pondered what to do next. In fact the house was under-insured and he didn't have the money to refurbish it. Because of this the grounds and house were sold off in lots – eventually falling into the hands of an architectural salvage firm who stripped the house and sold off whatever they could.

The House Now Our guide described the work that English Heritage have carried out since they took over stewardship. They are in the process of recreating the formal gardens next to the east wing. These were the most beautiful of all the gardens – the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) lived in the east wing so that he could overlook these gardens.

Looking out over the East Parterre garden, restored using historical and archaeological evidence.

One of the most important projects English Heritage have championed (besides stopping the house becoming any more ruined) is the rebuilding of the Poseidon fountain (in fact it is officially called the Perseus and Andromeda fountain but everyone knows it is the Poseidon fountain). The fountain was was officially opened by Prince Charles on 25th November 2003. A television documentary was made of the renovation works (a great place to learn more about the fountain is http://www.fordwaterpumps.co.uk/WITLEY.htm).

The Future The house will never be rebuilt to its former glory. In fact, an estimate was carried out on how much it would cost to completely restore Witley Court: it came to approximately £1.2 billion (and that just goes to show how much money the Ward family had). It is sad that the house was allowed to fall into disrepair but what we learned was that now the house is a great source of information for architectural historians wanting to learn how country houses have been changed and developed through the ages. Although Witley Court is privately owned nothing can ever be done to damage the house or its grounds: it is now under the care of English Heritage on behalf of the nation.

Interesting facts Do you want to see what the house looked like in the late 1960s, before it was opened to the public? The house formed the backdrop to the original video to Procul Harum's song “A Whiter Shade of Pale” and the band can be seen walking around the house and the lake around the Perseus and Andromeda fountain (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PmisbzxwoQ).

A guided tour of the stable block, an area few visitors are allowed to visit.

Exploring another part of the house normally closed to the public.