Hewell Grange
Encyclopedia
This article is about the Hewell Grange country house and estate. For Hewell Prison, see Hewell (HM Prison)
Hewell Grange is a country house in Tardebigge
, Worcestershire
, England
.
It is a Grade II listed building; the park is on the national register of historic parks and gardens. The lake is also a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
the property passed to Thomas Windsor Hickman.
Thomas had drawn attention to himself by showing "uncommon valour" fighting the French
. At the age of 15 he commanded a troop of horsemen, impressing King Henry VIII. Hewell Grange was no gift however: Henry had visited Thomas' own manor at Stanwell
, Windsor and took a liking to the manor. He proposed to swap Stanwell for Hewell Grange and the surrounding lands. Thomas was reported to be unhappy with the deal, but had to accept.
) until it was sold to the state in the 20th century. There are several ruins dotted about the estate, which suggest the Windsors have built a succession of grand houses over the past 400 years.
Lord Windsor
, later the first Earl of Plymouth (1857–1923) commissioned Bodley
and Garner
to build the current country house in a lavish Jacobean style (1884–91).
from 1946 to 1991, when it became HM Prison Hewell Grange, a Category D open prison
. Over the years two other purpose built-prisons were opened on the estate - HMP Blakenhurst and HMP Brockwell, which held different categories of prisoners.
In June 2008, the 3 prisons formally merged to create HMP Hewell
. Blakenhurst, Brockhill and Hewell Grange prisons remained at their existing sites but were brought under a single management team.
Hewell (HM Prison)
This article is about Hewell Prison. For information regarding the Hewell Grange country house and estate, see Hewell GrangeHM Prison Hewell is a multiple security category men's prison, located in the village of Tardebigge in Worcestershire, England...
Hewell Grange is a country house in Tardebigge
Tardebigge
Tardebigge is a village in Worcestershire, England.The village is most famous for the Tardebigge Locks, a flight of 36 canal locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal over 220 feet over the Lickey Ridge. It lies in the historic county of Worcestershire.-Toponymy:The etymology of the...
, 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is a Grade II listed building; the park is on the national register of historic parks and gardens. The lake is also a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
Origins
The land was originally part of the estates of Bordesley AbbeyBordesley Abbey
Bordesley Abbey was a 12th century Cistercian abbey near the town of Redditch, in Worcestershire, England.The abbey's foundation has been attributed to Queen Maud, but it is actually down to Waleran de Beaumont, Count of Meulan who gave the monks of Garendon Abbey in Leicestershire some more land....
. At the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
the property passed to Thomas Windsor Hickman.
Thomas had drawn attention to himself by showing "uncommon valour" fighting the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. At the age of 15 he commanded a troop of horsemen, impressing King Henry VIII. Hewell Grange was no gift however: Henry had visited Thomas' own manor at Stanwell
Stanwell
Stanwell is a suburban village in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne. It is located 15.7 miles west south-west of Charing Cross and half a mile from the southern boundary of London Heathrow Airport and the London Borough of Hillingdon...
, Windsor and took a liking to the manor. He proposed to swap Stanwell for Hewell Grange and the surrounding lands. Thomas was reported to be unhappy with the deal, but had to accept.
Development
The estate remained a seat of the Windsor-Clive family (who were made Earls of PlymouthEarl of Plymouth
Earl of Plymouth is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation was in 1675 for Charles FitzCharles, illegitimate son of King Charles II by his mistress Catherine Pegge...
) until it was sold to the state in the 20th century. There are several ruins dotted about the estate, which suggest the Windsors have built a succession of grand houses over the past 400 years.
Lord Windsor
Robert Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth
Robert George Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth GBE, CB, PC , known as The Lord Windsor between 1869 and 1905, was a British nobleman and Conservative politician.-Background:...
, later the first Earl of Plymouth (1857–1923) commissioned Bodley
George Frederick Bodley
George Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
and Garner
Thomas Garner
Thomas Garner was one of the leading English Gothic revival architects of the Victorian era. His name is usually mentioned in relation to his almost 30-year partnership with George Frederick Bodley...
to build the current country house in a lavish Jacobean style (1884–91).
Prison
The house was used as BorstalBorstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
from 1946 to 1991, when it became HM Prison Hewell Grange, a Category D open prison
Open prison
An open prison is an informal description applied to any penal establishment in which the prisoners are trusted to serve their sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security and so do not need to be locked up in prison cells...
. Over the years two other purpose built-prisons were opened on the estate - HMP Blakenhurst and HMP Brockwell, which held different categories of prisoners.
In June 2008, the 3 prisons formally merged to create HMP Hewell
Hewell (HM Prison)
This article is about Hewell Prison. For information regarding the Hewell Grange country house and estate, see Hewell GrangeHM Prison Hewell is a multiple security category men's prison, located in the village of Tardebigge in Worcestershire, England...
. Blakenhurst, Brockhill and Hewell Grange prisons remained at their existing sites but were brought under a single management team.
External links
See also
- 6839 Hewell Grange, a Grange Class locomotiveGWR 6800 ClassThe Great Western Railway 6800 Class or Grange Class was a mixed traffic class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive. There were 80 in the class, all built at the Swindon works.-History:The GWR locomotive standardisation policy pursued by G.J...
named after the building.