Area outside garden walls - Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens - view of the hall
An afternoon visit to Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens during October 2018 (middle of autumn so leaves out and pumpkins out for Halloween).
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens are situated adjacent to the west side of Castle Bromwich Hall, a Jacobean Mansion. They are in the old centre of Castle Bromwich, a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull of the English West Midlands area.
Castle Bromwich Hall was built between 1557 and 1585 by Sir Edward Devereux, the first MP for Tamworth. Sir Orlando Bridgeman bought the Hall and Gardens in 1657 for his son, Sir John Bridgeman I. He made changes to both around the year 1700 advised by his cousin, Captain William Winde. The gardens were designed as a formal arrangement of self-contained garden areas. Some of these were ornamental and some working. They were separated by walls, hedges or level-changes at terraces. On the death of Sir John Bridgeman I in 1710 his son, Sir John Bridgeman II, continued to extend the Gardens westwards until they reached their present size of 10 acres (40,000 m2). He also improved the Hall.
The Gardens were developed by further generations of the family, later to become the Earls of Bradford. Lady Ida Bridgeman was the last member of the family to live at the Hall before her death in 1936 and the Gardens were well looked after again under her care. The Hall was then rented out and they fell into decline. A planning application was made in 1983 for the building of housing. Luckily, the planning inspectors employed by West Midlands County Council realized the importance of the Gardens. It was decided that restoration was essential and work started to clear the undergrowth and repair the damage caused by vandals. The Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens Trust was formed to restore and maintain them.
These 10 acres (40,000 m2) walled Baroque gardens are listed grade II* and are the only remaining example in the country of a formal English garden design. They are being restored as near as possible to the period 1680–1740, which was when they were at their best, and contain over 600 species of plants from the time.
The Holly Maze is a mirror image of the one at Hampton Court Palace designed by George London and Henry Wise. The Kitchen and Fruit garden is based on a design by Batty Langley from his book "New Principles of Gardening".
A DVD of the gardens by Great Britain Online is available.
The area outside of the garden walls.
You can see Castle Bromwich Hall from down here!
Castle Bromwich Hall, now a hotel during a visit to Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens. Access to the garden near the hall is for guided tours only, so this was as close as I could get!
Castle Bromwich Hall (grid reference SP142898) is a Jacobean Mansion in the village of Castle Bromwich, which is situated in the northern part of the West Midlands county, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
The Hall was built between 1557 and 1585 by Sir Edward Devereux, 1st Baronet of Castle Bromwich, MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire. It was single storey with a plain entrance. It was then bought by Sir John Bridgeman (son of Orlando Bridgeman, keeper of the Great Seal) in 1657. He extended and improved the property in 1672, adding the second floor and a large front porch. The porch projected out by ten feet from the main building. Above the twisted columns of grey stone of the porch are two figures in niches, called Peace and Plenty. The coat of arms and monogram of Sir John is carved into the stone above the doorway.
The Bridgemans were created Barons Bradford in 1794 and Earls of Bradford in 1815. A marriage brought Weston Park into their possession after which the Castle Bromwich Hall was often rented out.
The Hall is famous for having twelve windows (one for each Apostle) and four dormers above (one for each Evangelist). The garden door passed through a grapevine which was always trimmed into the form of a cross. The Hall and Long Gallery were panelled with dark oak timber, and the dining room with pitch pine from the United States. The ceilings were adorned with designs of fruits and shells. In 1810 a tapestry of three sections made in Brussels was hung in the drawing room. One of the windows in the Long Gallery had the arms of Sir Edward Devereux and his wife Catherine. There were many secret doorways and hiding holes. Built into the high garden wall was a brick open air cold water bath dated 1733. The garden maze with 6 ft high holly hedges was a mirror image of that at Hampton Court. The North Garden has double iron gates which lead into the adjacent Church grounds.
The Hall has had many famous visitors including The Duke of Connaught, The Duke and Duchess of Teck, The Duke and Duchess of York, Prince and Princess Christian, Queen Mary and William Gladstone.
The last family member to live in the Hall until her death in 1936 was Ida Bridgeman, Countess of Bradford. She really loved this home and the village, holding the garden fete in the Hall grounds and mingling with the villagers.
It was then used for storage during World War II. After the war, it was leased out as an apprentice training centre for the GEC, and then used as building company offices while the outbuildings were used by other small companies.
The Hall was sold in 2007 to Theodore Alexander, furniture designers and manufacturers who planned to restore the property and open their European showroom there in 2008. In 2009, Castle Bromwich Hall was put up for sale, with the estate agents Knight Frank, with an asking price of £5,000,000 (circa $8 million US). It was sold for £1,750,000 (circa $2.8 million US), then underwent extensive restoration and was opened as a hotel in October 2011.
The Hall is usually open to the public for hotel accommodation only. The surrounding Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens are one of the last examples of Formal English Gardens in the country and have been restored by Castle Bromwich Gardens Trust (established 1985), which holds a long lease from the City of Birmingham. These gardens are a popular tourist attraction and are open to the public.
The conservation area of Castle Bromwich is centred on the Hall.
Grade I Listed Building
Listing Text
CASTLE BROMWICH CHESTER ROAD
1.
5108
(South-West Side)
Castle Bromwich Hall
SP 1489 22/271 11.11.52.
GV
2.
Late C16 or early C17, remodelled with additions circa 1657. Heightened and altered
internally 1719. Enlarged by Rickman, 1825-40, by addition of north-east tower
wing, passages lining courtyard. Plan: hollow square with 3 wings on south, staff
wing on north-east. Stone dressed red brick. 3 storeys, plinth, floor bands, stone
coped gables with finials, central south front balustraded parapet. Stone mullioned
and transomed leaded casement windows, mainly 3 and 4 light. Central 2 storey rusticated
stone south projection has 1st floor window flanked by arched niches with statues,
1697 by Sir William Wilson, above broken segmental pediment on 4 Corinthian columns,
inner pair with twisted shafts.
Interior: exceptionally fnine late C17 plasterwork by Gouge, ceiling paintings
by Laguerre. Internal remodelling, 1685-1702, by William Winde. C.L., 17.8.1912
and 9.5.1952.
Castle Bromwich Hall, Bakehouse, Stable Block, Pigeon House. East and West Forecourt
Walls, Walls to north, east and south sides of garden, Flight of Steps and Pedestals
in west garden all at Castle Bromwich Ball form a group with the Gatepiers to
forecourt of Castle Bromwich Hall, Birmingham Road.
Listing NGR: SP1428489779
This text is from the original listing, and may not necessarily reflect the current setting of the building.
Area outside garden walls - Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens - view of the hall
An afternoon visit to Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens during October 2018 (middle of autumn so leaves out and pumpkins out for Halloween).
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens are situated adjacent to the west side of Castle Bromwich Hall, a Jacobean Mansion. They are in the old centre of Castle Bromwich, a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull of the English West Midlands area.
Castle Bromwich Hall was built between 1557 and 1585 by Sir Edward Devereux, the first MP for Tamworth. Sir Orlando Bridgeman bought the Hall and Gardens in 1657 for his son, Sir John Bridgeman I. He made changes to both around the year 1700 advised by his cousin, Captain William Winde. The gardens were designed as a formal arrangement of self-contained garden areas. Some of these were ornamental and some working. They were separated by walls, hedges or level-changes at terraces. On the death of Sir John Bridgeman I in 1710 his son, Sir John Bridgeman II, continued to extend the Gardens westwards until they reached their present size of 10 acres (40,000 m2). He also improved the Hall.
The Gardens were developed by further generations of the family, later to become the Earls of Bradford. Lady Ida Bridgeman was the last member of the family to live at the Hall before her death in 1936 and the Gardens were well looked after again under her care. The Hall was then rented out and they fell into decline. A planning application was made in 1983 for the building of housing. Luckily, the planning inspectors employed by West Midlands County Council realized the importance of the Gardens. It was decided that restoration was essential and work started to clear the undergrowth and repair the damage caused by vandals. The Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens Trust was formed to restore and maintain them.
These 10 acres (40,000 m2) walled Baroque gardens are listed grade II* and are the only remaining example in the country of a formal English garden design. They are being restored as near as possible to the period 1680–1740, which was when they were at their best, and contain over 600 species of plants from the time.
The Holly Maze is a mirror image of the one at Hampton Court Palace designed by George London and Henry Wise. The Kitchen and Fruit garden is based on a design by Batty Langley from his book "New Principles of Gardening".
A DVD of the gardens by Great Britain Online is available.
The area outside of the garden walls.
You can see Castle Bromwich Hall from down here!
Castle Bromwich Hall, now a hotel during a visit to Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens. Access to the garden near the hall is for guided tours only, so this was as close as I could get!
Castle Bromwich Hall (grid reference SP142898) is a Jacobean Mansion in the village of Castle Bromwich, which is situated in the northern part of the West Midlands county, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
The Hall was built between 1557 and 1585 by Sir Edward Devereux, 1st Baronet of Castle Bromwich, MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire. It was single storey with a plain entrance. It was then bought by Sir John Bridgeman (son of Orlando Bridgeman, keeper of the Great Seal) in 1657. He extended and improved the property in 1672, adding the second floor and a large front porch. The porch projected out by ten feet from the main building. Above the twisted columns of grey stone of the porch are two figures in niches, called Peace and Plenty. The coat of arms and monogram of Sir John is carved into the stone above the doorway.
The Bridgemans were created Barons Bradford in 1794 and Earls of Bradford in 1815. A marriage brought Weston Park into their possession after which the Castle Bromwich Hall was often rented out.
The Hall is famous for having twelve windows (one for each Apostle) and four dormers above (one for each Evangelist). The garden door passed through a grapevine which was always trimmed into the form of a cross. The Hall and Long Gallery were panelled with dark oak timber, and the dining room with pitch pine from the United States. The ceilings were adorned with designs of fruits and shells. In 1810 a tapestry of three sections made in Brussels was hung in the drawing room. One of the windows in the Long Gallery had the arms of Sir Edward Devereux and his wife Catherine. There were many secret doorways and hiding holes. Built into the high garden wall was a brick open air cold water bath dated 1733. The garden maze with 6 ft high holly hedges was a mirror image of that at Hampton Court. The North Garden has double iron gates which lead into the adjacent Church grounds.
The Hall has had many famous visitors including The Duke of Connaught, The Duke and Duchess of Teck, The Duke and Duchess of York, Prince and Princess Christian, Queen Mary and William Gladstone.
The last family member to live in the Hall until her death in 1936 was Ida Bridgeman, Countess of Bradford. She really loved this home and the village, holding the garden fete in the Hall grounds and mingling with the villagers.
It was then used for storage during World War II. After the war, it was leased out as an apprentice training centre for the GEC, and then used as building company offices while the outbuildings were used by other small companies.
The Hall was sold in 2007 to Theodore Alexander, furniture designers and manufacturers who planned to restore the property and open their European showroom there in 2008. In 2009, Castle Bromwich Hall was put up for sale, with the estate agents Knight Frank, with an asking price of £5,000,000 (circa $8 million US). It was sold for £1,750,000 (circa $2.8 million US), then underwent extensive restoration and was opened as a hotel in October 2011.
The Hall is usually open to the public for hotel accommodation only. The surrounding Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens are one of the last examples of Formal English Gardens in the country and have been restored by Castle Bromwich Gardens Trust (established 1985), which holds a long lease from the City of Birmingham. These gardens are a popular tourist attraction and are open to the public.
The conservation area of Castle Bromwich is centred on the Hall.
Grade I Listed Building
Listing Text
CASTLE BROMWICH CHESTER ROAD
1.
5108
(South-West Side)
Castle Bromwich Hall
SP 1489 22/271 11.11.52.
GV
2.
Late C16 or early C17, remodelled with additions circa 1657. Heightened and altered
internally 1719. Enlarged by Rickman, 1825-40, by addition of north-east tower
wing, passages lining courtyard. Plan: hollow square with 3 wings on south, staff
wing on north-east. Stone dressed red brick. 3 storeys, plinth, floor bands, stone
coped gables with finials, central south front balustraded parapet. Stone mullioned
and transomed leaded casement windows, mainly 3 and 4 light. Central 2 storey rusticated
stone south projection has 1st floor window flanked by arched niches with statues,
1697 by Sir William Wilson, above broken segmental pediment on 4 Corinthian columns,
inner pair with twisted shafts.
Interior: exceptionally fnine late C17 plasterwork by Gouge, ceiling paintings
by Laguerre. Internal remodelling, 1685-1702, by William Winde. C.L., 17.8.1912
and 9.5.1952.
Castle Bromwich Hall, Bakehouse, Stable Block, Pigeon House. East and West Forecourt
Walls, Walls to north, east and south sides of garden, Flight of Steps and Pedestals
in west garden all at Castle Bromwich Ball form a group with the Gatepiers to
forecourt of Castle Bromwich Hall, Birmingham Road.
Listing NGR: SP1428489779
This text is from the original listing, and may not necessarily reflect the current setting of the building.