NATIONAL TRUST
IN a previous edition, we looked at some of the properties near Hinckley, and a bit beyond, in the East Midlands which are owned and ran by the National Trust.
Here is a guide to some of the best they have to offer in the other half of the Midlands.
Most are no more than an hour away from Hinckley.
Baddesley Clinton, near Knowle
Just south of Knowle in Solihull, there’s a Grade I Listed moated manor house that holds secrets which date back to the 13th century.
It was back in 1438 that Baddesley Clinton Manor was purchased by John Brome , who held the post of Under-Treasurer of England. The building was then said to have featured gun ports and possibly even a drawbridge.
In 1517 the ownership of the house passed to Brome’s granddaughter who was married to Sir Edward Ferrers, who was High Sheriff of Warwickshire, and remarkably it remained in the hands of the Ferrers family for 500 years.
Now owned by the National Trust , much of the manor house, as seen by visitors today, would have been built by Henry Ferrers, who was a lawyer, diarist and antiquarian, in the late 1500s.
Additions he made include the stained glass featuring the family’s coat of arms which appear in many public rooms of the house.
It’s also thought he built the Great Hall, although it was rebuilt in brick and extended in the 18th century but in the same style.
Described as a Tudor refuge and a “sanctuary” for the Ferrers family, it’s also where persecuted Catholics were hidden away from priest hunters in its secret hiding places during the 1590s.
There are several priest holes in Baddesley Clinton that are believed to have been built by Saint Nicholas Owen, who was a lay-brother of the Jesuits, but was later tortured to death by what was then a Protestant government.
Some of these hiding holes can be found in wood panelling and in ceilings, but one of the more complex is actually contained in an old toilet (known as a garderobe) that historians claim could have been occupied by up to a dozen people.
It’s said that fugitives would have been able to slide down a rope from the first floor and through the toilet shaft into the house’s former sewers running the length of the building.
The house, which has featured in Granada’s Sherlock Homes series and The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual, boasts a wealth of 16th century carvings and furniture as well as the 19th century accessories.
Birmingham Back to Backs What the National Trust says:
These are carefully restored, atmospheric 19th-century courtyard of working people’s houses.
An atmospheric glimpse into the lives of the ordinary people who helped make Birmingham an extraordinary city.
Visits to the Birmingham Back to Backs are by guided tours only. Booking prior to visit is essential. Please call the booking line on 0121 666 7671 to book.
On a fascinating guided tour, step back in time at Birmingham’s last surviving court of back to backs; houses built literally back-to-back around a communal courtyard.
Moving from the 1840s through to the 1970s, discover the lives of some of the former residents who crammed into these small houses to live and work. With fires alight in the grates, and sounds and smells from the past, experience an evocative and intimate insight into life at the Back to Backs.
Once your tour is done, why not take a reminder of your visit home from our gift shop or take a sweet walk down memory lane in our 1930s sweet shop.
Roundhouse Birmingham What the National Trust says: Nineteenth century canalside stables and stores in Birmingham city centre. To be transformed into a hub from which to explore the city by foot, bike or boat.
The Roundhouse is one of Birmingham’s most interesting and iconic buildings. Built in 1874 by the Birmingham Corporation it was originally used as a stables and stores. Designed by local architect W.H.Ward, the horseshoe shaped building has become a real landmark in the city.
The National Trust and Canal & River Trust have plans to revitalise the Grade ll* listed building. As well as restoring the building and creating a focal point on the city’s canals, it will be a base from which to explore Birmingham’s canal network by boat, bike or on foot.
Charlecote Park, WarwickWhat the National Trust says:
A Victorian home set in landscaped deer park
Overlooking the river Avon on the edge of Shakespeare’s Stratford, Charlecote Park has been part of this corner of rural Warwickshire for centuries. Still the Lucy family home after 900 years, you can explore the vision of the Victorian owners George Hammond Lucy and his wife, the formidable Mary Elizabeth, who extended their home and filled it with treasures from their European travels.
Linger in the rooms open to our visitors in the central portion of the house to discover more about the collection brought together by generations of the family whose tastes, lifestyle and varied fortunes are all reflected here
Today, the kitchen is brought to life in cooking and costume. Across the courtyard you can explore the laundry and brewhouse which once hummed with the activity of a busy working estate. Discover the stables which house the family’s carriage collection, each with its own story to tell.
Stroll through the gardens that Mary Elizabeth loved so dearly, from the formal parterre to the shady woodland garden with rare plants and borders full of colourful herbaceous planting.
Picnic, play and wander through the wider parkland, inspired by ‘Capability’ Brown, with views across the river Avon. Our historic herds of Jacob sheep and fallow deer roam freely here and you can see them at close quarters all year round.
Please note: the house closed on Wednesdays is
Farnborough Hall, Banbury
What the National Trust says:
Honey-coloured stone house with exquisite plasterwork and fine landscaped garden
Re-opening in April 2017. Farnborough Hall is open from April - September, as it is still lived in by the Holbech family.
Nestled in the heart of rural Warwickshire, surrounded by elegant lakes and fine landscape gardens sits Farnborough Hall. Made from the locally quarryed Hornton honey-coloured stone, this country house shimmers in the sunlight.
Inside, the finest 18th-century plasterwork, depicting natural beauty and wildlife, adorns the interiors. On your way around you’ll spot many treasures that were collected during the Grand Tour, as well as sentimental family items and photographs.
Coughton Court, AlcesterWhat the National Trust says:
Coughton Court is an imposing Tudor house set in beautiful gardens with a collection of Catholic treasures
Coughton Court is the home of the Throckmorton family who have lived at Coughton since 1409. John de Throckmorton, Under Treasurer of England to Henry VI, acquired Coughton in the early 15th Century through his marriage to Eleanor de Spiney. Their descendants have held it for 600 years and, although the National Trust has owned the house since 1946, the family still live here. The present resident, Mrs McClaren-Throckmorton, and her family enjoy occupancy of the house under a 300 year lease.
The origins of Coughton Court lie in pre-conquest times and there is evidence of a house on this site from the 14th Century. The present building was begun in the 15th Century and has since survived in a family who for much of that time were impoverished, persecuted or imprisoned for their adherence to the Catholic faith.
Explore this story of fascinating personalities through the ‘family album’ of portraits and Catholic treasures around the house. Coughton is still very much a family home with an intimate feel and the family still manage the stunning gardens which they have created.
There is still more to enjoy away from the house and gardens. For the little ones there is an activity shed with a wealth of games and activities to keep them busy.