History: National Trust
And English Heritage

An impressive castle on the outside but a warm and intimate home on the inside, the Croft family have been associated with this special place since 1086.

Whatever the weather, a visit to the impressive three-acre walled garden is a must. Surrounded by medieval parkland landscape, Croft’s grounds contain an internationally important collection of veteran trees, including the ‘Quarry Oak’ which is over one thousand years old. A walk to Croft Ambrey, an iron aged hill fort, will lead you past the impressive ‘Candelabra Oak’, which at nine hundred years old was a sapling at the time of Magna Carta.

Berrington Hall overlooks Capability Brown’s final project: undulating grassy parkland leading to a fourteen-acre serpentine lake. This special place is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with its very own ‘Heron Island,’ a large colony return here every spring to build nests and raise their young.

Despite the mansion’s austere exterior, inside rooms are surprisingly intimate and elegant.

Ludlow Castle is one of the finest medieval ruins in England. The Castle was built originally as a Norman Fortress to hold back the unconquered Welsh. In the 14th Century it was enlarged into a magnificent palace for Roger Mortimer, then the most powerful man in England. In the 15th Century under the ownership of Richard, Duke of York, the Castle was involved in the Wars of the Roses.

In 1501 Prince Arthur (son of Henry VII and brother to Henry VIII) lived in Ludlow Castle for a short time with his bride Catherine of Aragon – yes, the one that went on to become the first of Henry’s six wives. Abandoned in 1689 the castle quickly fell into ruin, described as ‘the very perfection of decay’ by Daniel Defoe.

Although the present building was begun in 1079, much of the earlier Saxon structure remains, including sections of the crypt, chapel, nave, and south transept.

The Cathedral contains some of the finest examples of art and architecture from Norman times to the present day, including the famous Mappa Mundi, the medieval Chained Library and the Hereford Magna Carta.

In the 1850’s Witley Court came into the ownership of William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley who remodelled it in the ornate Italianate style also used at Osborn House for Queen Victoria. With his immense wealth, Dudley held lavish house parties attended by friends including the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII).

Following a devastating fire in 1937, a Witley Court became one of England’s largest and most spectacular ruins. Surrounding the stark ruin, vibrant parterre gardens now recreate Witley Court’s opulent heyday. They feature the Perseus and Andromeda Fountain, now fully restored it is considered one of the grandest fountains in Europe.

Worcester Cathedral is one of England’s loveliest cathedrals. With royal tombs of King John and Prince Arthur, medieval cloisters, ancient Norman crypt and chapter house, and magnificent Victorian stained glass.

There is also a fascinating ancient library and archive, which houses the second largest collection of medieval manuscripts in any cathedral in the UK.

Not the biggest National Trust property, but one of our favourites – it’s a hidden gem! The site has been in the Benthall family since 1100: Staunch Catholics, a reminder of the Benthall family’s religious leanings are five marks on the entrance porch – a secret symbol meaning ‘priest’s welcome here’. Over the porch is a small chamber to hide those visiting priests.

In the floor is a small compartment, presumably for hiding sacred vessels if danger threatened. Standing high on a hill above Ironbridge Gorge and the famous 18th century Iron Bridge, the Hall’s exterior is beautifully Elizabethan in style, but the interior is where Benthall Hall really shines; the marvellous oak staircase was built in 1618 while upstairs the drawing room has a richly decorated plasterwork ceiling and lavish panelling.

Three attractions in one – the Castle, the museum and the gardens are all worth a mention in their own right! Perched high on a rock above the world-famous garden terraces, Powis Castle contains one of the finest collections of paintings and furniture in Wales. It was originally built as a fortress by Welsh Princes and evolved into the ancestral home of the Herberts and Clives.

The link with Robert Clive gives rise to the beautiful collection of treasures from India displayed in the Clive Museum. The world-famous gardens include grand Italianate terraces blasted from the solid rock and overhung with clipped yews.

Viriconium (Wroxeter) was once the fourth largest city in Roman Britain. Wander the extensive ruins – including remains of the bathhouse and explore a reconstructed town house from a city which was almost as large as Pompeii.

The audio tour and objects found during excavations here (now on display in the museum) helps you to discover the daily lives of the people who lived here.