Charlecote Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charlecote Park |
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View toward the front in 2017
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| General information | |
| Type | Country house |
| Location | Charlecote, Warwickshire, England |
| Coordinates | 52°12′19″N 1°37′00″W / 52.20520°N 1.61657°W |
| Construction started | Mid 16th century |
| Owner | National Trust |
Charlecote Park is a grand country house from the 1500s. It sits by the River Avon in Charlecote, Warwickshire, England. The house is surrounded by a large deer park. It's about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Stratford-upon-Avon. Since 1946, the National Trust has looked after Charlecote Park. It is open for everyone to visit.
Contents
Discover Charlecote Park's History
The Lucy Family's Long Story
The Lucy family has owned the land where Charlecote Park stands since 1247. Sir Thomas Lucy built the original house in 1558. Even Queen Elizabeth I once stayed in the room that is now the drawing room!
Over many years, different members of the Lucy family changed the house. So, even though it looks like an old Elizabethan building, much of what you see today was actually rebuilt in the Victorian era. In 1823, George Hammond Lucy inherited the house. He wanted to make it look like its original 1500s style again.
Shakespeare and the Deer Park
Charlecote Park covers a huge area of 185 acres (75 hectares). It stretches all the way to the River Avon. There's a famous story that William Shakespeare might have hunted rabbits and deer in the park when he was young. Some say he was even brought before the local judges for it!
From 1605 to 1640, Sir Thomas Lucy was in charge of the house. He had twelve children with Lady Lucy. After he passed away, Lady Lucy managed the house. She was known for being very religious and for giving gifts to the poor every Christmas. Her three oldest sons inherited the house one after another. Later, her grandson, Sir Davenport Lucy, took over.
A Special Painting and Famous Visitors
In the great hall, there is a painting from 1680 called Charlecote Park by Sir Godfrey Kneller. This painting is important because it shows one of the earliest images of a person of African descent in the West Midlands region. It shows Captain Thomas Lucy with a young boy in the background. In 1735, a child named Philip Lucy, who was of African descent, was baptised at Charlecote.
Around 1760, the famous landscape designer Capability Brown worked on the gardens and land around the house. Because of its beauty, Charlecote became a popular stop for important visitors to Stratford. These visitors included writers like Washington Irving (in 1818), Sir Walter Scott (in 1828), and Nathaniel Hawthorne (around 1850).
In 1823, George Hammond Lucy inherited Charlecote. He married Mary Elizabeth Williams. Her detailed diaries tell us a lot about what life was like in Victorian Charlecote. Starting in 1829, the house went through seven years of big renovations. This included adding an extension on the side facing the river.
In 1890, an artist named Edith Mary Hinchley created a special family tree on deerskin. It included 500 family shields! She was a genealogist and a friend of the Lucy family. This amazing "Lucy Deerskin" is still at Charlecote Park today.
After Mary Elizabeth and Henry passed away in 1890, their daughter Ada Christina rented out the house. Over time, the family started selling off parts of the estate to help with their expenses. In 1946, Sir Montgomerie Fairfax-Lucy gave Charlecote to the National Trust. This helped cover taxes after his mother, Ada, passed away. His brother, Sir Brian, took over in 1965. Sir Brian's wife, Alice, did a lot of research on Charlecote's history and helped the National Trust bring the house back to its former glory.
What You Can See at Charlecote Park Today
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The Great Hall at Charlecote Park has a special ceiling that looks like timber but is actually painted plaster. It's a perfect place to see the many family portraits. Other rooms have colourful wallpaper, decorated ceilings, and wooden walls. You can also admire beautiful furniture and artworks, including a painting of Queen Elizabeth I from her time. The original two-story Elizabethan gatehouse that leads to the house is still just as it was.
Inside the house, you can see a real letter from Oliver Cromwell, written in 1654. It called the owner at the time, Richard Lucy, to a special meeting. There's also a portrait of George Lucy from 1760 by Thomas Gainsborough.
The Warwickshire County Record Office keeps many old family papers from the Lucy family at Charlecote. The house also has a display of old carriages and a special area showing how laundry and brewing were done long ago.
In April 2012, Charlecote Park was even featured on the BBC1 show Antiques Roadshow!
The grounds of Charlecote Park are huge and lovely. A beautiful formal garden called a parterre has been rebuilt based on its original plans from the 1700s. You can also see animals like fallow deer and Jacob sheep at Charlecote. The Jacob sheep were brought to England from Portugal in 1755 by George Lucy himself!
