Hagley Hall
Encyclopedia
Hagley Hall is an 18th century house in Hagley
, Worcestershire
. It was the creation of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton
(1709–73), secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales
, poet and man of letters and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer
. Before the death of his father in 1751, he began to landscape the grounds in the new Picturesque
style, and between 1754 and 1760 it was he who was responsible for the building of the house as it is seen today.
in the 14th century. Probably the most famous event here took place just after the Gunpowder plot
and before the present hall was constructed. At the time the house was described as "convenient and built mostly of wood".
After the plot was discovered, two of the miscreants, Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton escaped arrest at Holbeche House
and travelled south to ask Humphrey Littleton
for his assistance. At the time Muriel Littleton, the widow of John Lyttelton
who had died in prison, lived at Hagley Park. However Humphrey had the use of the house.
They were captured at Hagley Park on the 9 January 1606 because the authorities had been informed of their presence by Littleton's cook - John Fynwood. He had been alarmed by the quantity of food that was being consumed by Littleton and had seen Robert and Stephen. Despite Littleton's protests that he was not harbouring anyone, a search was made and another servant, David Bate, showed where the two plotters were escaping from a courtyard into the countryside. The two had been on the run for two months and they had Littleton to thank for evading the law for that long.
designed by Lord Camelford, Thomas Pitt
of Encombe, James "Athenian" Stuart
, and Sanderson Miller
. The follies include Wychbury Obelisk
on Wychbury Hill
built in 1764 for Sir Richard Lyttelton. This is visible for many miles; the Temple of Theseus
built from 1759 to c.1762 at a cost of £300. This was a gift from Admiral Smith, Lyttelton's half-brother. Other small buildings include some small classical buildings; a sham ruined castle and the 'The Four Stones', or Ossian
's Tomb as it was termed, on the summit of Clent Hill
. Horace Walpole, notoriously hard to please, wrote after a visit in 1753, "I wore out my eyes with gazing, my feet with climbing, and my tongue and vocabulary with commending". In April 1786 John Adams
(the future second President of the United States on tour with Thomas Jefferson
—who would serve as his vice president before becoming President himself) visited Hagley and other notable house in the area, after visiting them he wrote in his diary "Stowe
, Hagley, and Blenheim
, are superb; Woburn
, Caversham
, and the Leasowes
are beautiful. Wotton
is both great and elegant, though neglected". In his diary was damming about the means used to finance the estates, but he was particularly enamoured with Hagley, although he did not think that such embellishments would suit the more rugged American countryside.
The hall itself was designed by Sanderson Miller
and is the last of the great Palladian houses to be built in England.
On Christmas Eve 1925, a disastrous fire swept through the house destroying much of the Library and many of the pictures. Despite boiling lead pouring from the roof through the house, all those within managed to escape. At the height of the blaze when nothing more could be salvaged from inside, the 9th Viscount was heard to mutter "my life's work destroyed". He and his wife painstakingly restored the house, except for the staff quarters on the top floor.
In 2009 the hall is the family home to Christopher Charles Lyttelton, 12th Viscount Cobham and his wife Tessa. The house contains a fine example of Rococo
plasterwork by Francesco Vassali and a unique collection of 18th century Chippendale
furniture and family portraits, including works by Van Dyck, Joshua Reynolds
, Cornelius Johnson and Peter Lely
. It is set in 350 acres (1.4 km²) of landscaped deer park grazed by Fallow Deer
of several colours. Wychbury Hill
, although part of the Estate, is kept open to public.
A 19th century account of the house and park from and the Lyttelton Family ghost story are available.
built a series of 4-6-0 steam locomotives names after various halls. Locomotive 4930
was named Hagley Hall and is preserved on the nearby Severn Valley Railway
.
Hagley
Hagley is a village and civil parish on the northern boundary of Worcestershire, England, near to the towns of Kidderminster and Stourbridge. The parish had a population of 4,283 in 2001, but the whole village had a population of perhaps 5,600, including the part in Clent parish...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
. It was the creation of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton PC , known as Sir George Lyttelton, Bt between 1751 and 1756, was a British politician and statesman and a patron of the arts.-Background and education:...
(1709–73), secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
, poet and man of letters and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
. Before the death of his father in 1751, he began to landscape the grounds in the new Picturesque
Picturesque
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
style, and between 1754 and 1760 it was he who was responsible for the building of the house as it is seen today.
Treason
There has been a park at Hagley since the reign of Edward III of EnglandEdward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
in the 14th century. Probably the most famous event here took place just after the Gunpowder plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
and before the present hall was constructed. At the time the house was described as "convenient and built mostly of wood".
After the plot was discovered, two of the miscreants, Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton escaped arrest at Holbeche House
Holbeche House
Holbeche House is a mansion located near Kingswinford, on the borders of Staffordshire. It is the building in which some of the central Gunpowder plotters were captured, and the rest killed.-Gunpowder Plot:...
and travelled south to ask Humphrey Littleton
Humphrey Littleton (plotter)
Humphrey Littleton died on 7 April 1606 at Red Hill outside Worcester. He was executed for his involvement in the Gunpowder plot. Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton who had escaped from the fight at Holbeche House were captured at Hagley Park on the 9 January 1606 despite Littleton's protests...
for his assistance. At the time Muriel Littleton, the widow of John Lyttelton
John Lyttelton (MP)
Sir John Lyttelton was a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.He was the eldest son of Gilbert Lyttelton and married Meriel, daughter of Sir Thomas Bromley, Lord Chancellor of England...
who had died in prison, lived at Hagley Park. However Humphrey had the use of the house.
They were captured at Hagley Park on the 9 January 1606 because the authorities had been informed of their presence by Littleton's cook - John Fynwood. He had been alarmed by the quantity of food that was being consumed by Littleton and had seen Robert and Stephen. Despite Littleton's protests that he was not harbouring anyone, a search was made and another servant, David Bate, showed where the two plotters were escaping from a courtyard into the countryside. The two had been on the run for two months and they had Littleton to thank for evading the law for that long.
The present landscape
The present landscape was created from about 1739 to 1764, with folliesFolly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
designed by Lord Camelford, Thomas Pitt
Thomas Pitt
Thomas Pitt , born at Blandford Forum, Dorset, to a rector and his wife, was a British merchant involved in trade with India....
of Encombe, James "Athenian" Stuart
James Stuart (1713-1788)
James "Athenian" Stuart was an English archaeologist, architect and artist best known for his central role in pioneering Neoclassicism.-Early life:...
, and Sanderson Miller
Sanderson Miller
Sanderson Miller was a pioneer of Gothic revival architecture, and a landscape designer who often added follies or other Picturesque garden buildings and features to the grounds of an estate....
. The follies include Wychbury Obelisk
Wychbury Obelisk
The Wychbury Obelisk stands on Wychbury Hill, Hagley near Stourbridge, in Worcestershire, England...
on Wychbury Hill
Wychbury Hill
Wychbury Hill is a hill situated off the A456 Birmingham Road, at Hagley, Stourbridge, on the border of West Midlands and Worcestershire.It is divided between the parish of Hagley and former parish of Pedmore. It is one of the Clent Hills. The hill offers good views across the Severn Valley as...
built in 1764 for Sir Richard Lyttelton. This is visible for many miles; the Temple of Theseus
Temple of Hephaestus
The Temple of Hephaestus, also known as the Hephaisteion or earlier as the Theseion, is the best-preserved ancient Greek temple; it remains standing largely as built. It is a Doric peripteral temple, and is located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos hill....
built from 1759 to c.1762 at a cost of £300. This was a gift from Admiral Smith, Lyttelton's half-brother. Other small buildings include some small classical buildings; a sham ruined castle and the 'The Four Stones', or Ossian
Ossian
Ossian is the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a character from Irish mythology...
's Tomb as it was termed, on the summit of Clent Hill
Clent Hills
The Clent Hills lie 9⅓ miles southwest of Birmingham city centre in Clent, Worcestershire, England. The closest towns are Stourbridge and Halesowen, both in the West Midlands conurbation. The Clent Hills range consists of, in order from north-west to south-east: Wychbury Hill, Clent Hill , and...
. Horace Walpole, notoriously hard to please, wrote after a visit in 1753, "I wore out my eyes with gazing, my feet with climbing, and my tongue and vocabulary with commending". In April 1786 John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
(the future second President of the United States on tour with Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
—who would serve as his vice president before becoming President himself) visited Hagley and other notable house in the area, after visiting them he wrote in his diary "Stowe
Stowe House
Stowe House is a Grade I listed country house located in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school. The gardens , a significant example of the English Landscape Garden style, along with part of the Park, passed into the ownership of The National Trust...
, Hagley, and Blenheim
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, residence of the dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England's largest houses, was built between...
, are superb; Woburn
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
, Caversham
Caversham Park
Caversham Park is a Victorian stately home with parkland in the suburb of Caversham, on the outskirts of Reading, England. Historically it was in Oxfordshire, but since 1911 it has been in Berkshire.-Early History:...
, and the Leasowes
The Leasowes
The Leasowes is a 57 hectare estate in Halesowen, historically in the county of Shropshire, England, comprising house and gardens....
are beautiful. Wotton
Wotton
Wotton may refer to:Places*Wotton, Devon*Wotton, Gloucester*Wotton, Surrey**Wotton House, Surrey, a Grade II listed building. Originally a country house and the seat of the Evelyn family, it is now a training and conference centre....
is both great and elegant, though neglected". In his diary was damming about the means used to finance the estates, but he was particularly enamoured with Hagley, although he did not think that such embellishments would suit the more rugged American countryside.
The hall itself was designed by Sanderson Miller
Sanderson Miller
Sanderson Miller was a pioneer of Gothic revival architecture, and a landscape designer who often added follies or other Picturesque garden buildings and features to the grounds of an estate....
and is the last of the great Palladian houses to be built in England.
On Christmas Eve 1925, a disastrous fire swept through the house destroying much of the Library and many of the pictures. Despite boiling lead pouring from the roof through the house, all those within managed to escape. At the height of the blaze when nothing more could be salvaged from inside, the 9th Viscount was heard to mutter "my life's work destroyed". He and his wife painstakingly restored the house, except for the staff quarters on the top floor.
In 2009 the hall is the family home to Christopher Charles Lyttelton, 12th Viscount Cobham and his wife Tessa. The house contains a fine example of Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
plasterwork by Francesco Vassali and a unique collection of 18th century Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale
Thomas Chippendale was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director...
furniture and family portraits, including works by Van Dyck, Joshua Reynolds
Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...
, Cornelius Johnson and Peter Lely
Peter Lely
Sir Peter Lely was a painter of Dutch origin, whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court.-Life:...
. It is set in 350 acres (1.4 km²) of landscaped deer park grazed by Fallow Deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
of several colours. Wychbury Hill
Wychbury Hill
Wychbury Hill is a hill situated off the A456 Birmingham Road, at Hagley, Stourbridge, on the border of West Midlands and Worcestershire.It is divided between the parish of Hagley and former parish of Pedmore. It is one of the Clent Hills. The hill offers good views across the Severn Valley as...
, although part of the Estate, is kept open to public.
A 19th century account of the house and park from and the Lyttelton Family ghost story are available.
Locomotive
The Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
built a series of 4-6-0 steam locomotives names after various halls. Locomotive 4930
GWR 4900 Class 4930 Hagley Hall
4930 Hagley Hall is a Great Western Railway, 4-6-0 Hall class locomotive. Built in May 1929 at Swindon Works to a design by Charles Collett. It is one of eleven of this class that made it into preservation. The train is named for Hagley Hall in Worcestershire....
was named Hagley Hall and is preserved on the nearby Severn Valley Railway
Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...
.