Hanbury Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hanbury Hall |
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| General information | |
| Type | Stately home |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Location | Hanbury, Worcestershire |
| Coordinates | 52°16′18″N 2°05′00″W / 52.271788°N 2.083261°W |
| Completed | c. 1706 |
| Owner | National Trust |
Hanbury Hall is a grand country house built in the early 1700s. It stands in a large park in Hanbury, Worcestershire, England. The main part of the house has two floors and is made of red bricks in the Queen Anne style.
Hanbury Hall is a very important historical building, known as a Grade I listed building. Other parts of the property, like the Orangery and Long Gallery, are also listed. Today, the National Trust looks after Hanbury Hall, and it is open for everyone to visit.
Contents
History of Hanbury Hall
Building the Hall (1700s)
Hanbury Hall was built by a rich lawyer named Thomas Vernon. He started building it in the early 1700s. Thomas Vernon's family had been gathering land in Hanbury for a long time. But it was Thomas, with his successful legal career, who made the family's land much bigger.
The Hall was likely finished around 1706. The date "1701" above the front door might have been added later, during the Victorian times.
The house looks very even and planned, but the back wall seems older. This might mean that Thomas Vernon started building in stages. He and his wife, Mary, first got the land where the old house, Spernall Hall, stood in 1692.
At first, the Hall had a big main room and smaller rooms in other parts. An old historian from the 1700s, Treadway Nash, said that the house had "many windows and doors, rooms small, many closets."
Later in the 1700s, a woman named Emma Vernon (who owned the house) married Henry Cecil, 1st Marquess of Exeter. He didn't like the small rooms. So, he changed the inside of the house to make the rooms bigger. He also removed the old formal gardens and created a more natural-looking park. This was a popular style at the time.
Emma Vernon had a secret relationship with the local vicar, William Sneyd. She often snuck out of the Hall to see him. After her marriage ended, her ex-husband sold everything inside the house. Emma couldn't move back in until he passed away in 1804. She then lived in her childhood home with her third husband. Emma died in 1818. People say her ghost, dressed in black, still walks the path she used to take to visit the vicar.
The 1800s
After Emma's marriage ended in 1791, the house was empty for a while. When Emma moved back in, many repairs were needed. After Emma died in 1818, her cousin, Thomas Shrawley Vernon, inherited the estate. His grandson, Harry Foley Vernon, became the first Baronet of Hanbury in 1885. A Baronet is a special title, like a knight, that can be passed down in a family.
The 1900s
Sir Harry Vernon's son, Sir George Hamilton Vernon, took over the Hall. Sir George had a difficult life, and during this time, farming income dropped. Because of this, Hanbury Hall was not looked after very well.
Sir George Vernon passed away in 1940. There were no more heirs, so the special title of Baronet ended. His wife, Doris, moved back into the Hall after his passing and lived there until 1962.
Hanbury Hall and the National Trust
After Lady Vernon passed away, the National Trust took over Hanbury Hall. They made important repairs. For a while, the Hall was rented out and only open to the public sometimes. Now, it is open daily for visitors to explore. In 2019, over 227,000 people visited Hanbury Hall.
Inside Hanbury Hall
The main house is built in the Queen Anne style. It has two floors and an attic. It's made of red bricks with a special pattern called Flemish bond. The roof is tiled and sloped, and there are big brick chimney stacks. Hanbury Hall was officially listed as a Grade I building in 1952, meaning it's a very important historical site.
Amazing Paintings
One of the most special things about Hanbury Hall is the artwork. The famous English painter Sir James Thornhill painted the staircase, the ceiling of the main hall, and other rooms.
These paintings include a small picture of a political event from 1710, which helps us know when they were created. The main paintings around the staircase tell the story of the Greek hero Achilles. Above them, on the ceiling, is a huge painting of the Olympian gods.
The Long Gallery
The Long Gallery building was built around 1701, also in the Queen Anne style. It's made of red bricks. This building has two floors. The top floor has wooden walls and is used as a gallery, where art might be displayed. The basement used to be a dairy.
Gardens and Grounds
Formal Gardens
The first formal gardens at Hanbury Hall were designed in 1705 by George London. They were inspired by famous gardens like those at Het Loo Palace and the Palace of Versailles in France. However, these formal gardens were removed in the late 1700s and replaced with open grassy areas.
In the 1990s, the formal gardens were brought back to life! People used the original plans from 1705 to make them look just like they did hundreds of years ago. They were officially opened again in 1995.
The Orangery
The Orangery is a building about 120 meters (120 yards) west of the main Hall. It was built around 1750. This one-story building is also made of red bricks with a tiled roof. The front of the Orangery faces south and has many windows. The middle three windows are special, with a carved fruit basket and flowers above them. The roof has decorative urns and pineapple shapes. Inside, the floor is tiled. The Orangery is also a Grade II* listed building.
The Sundial
To the southwest of the Orangery, you can find a sundial from the mid-1700s. It stands on a square stone base. The column holding the sundial is carved like an urn with rope-like details. On top of the column is a decorative carving, where the sundial sits. This sundial is a Grade II listed building.
Images for kids
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The Ice House at Hanbury Hall.
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Hanbury Hall park and garden.
