Shugborough Hall facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Shugborough Hall
Front of the Hall, with Ionic colonnade
General information
Architectural style	Neo-Classical, Italianate
Location	Great Haywood, Staffordshire
Country	England
Coordinates	52°48′00″N 2°00′47″W / 52.80005°N 2.01295°W / 52.80005; -2.01295
Owner	National Trust, Earl of Lichfield (formerly)
Design and construction
Architect	Thomas Wright Samuel Wyatt James Stuart

Shugborough Hall is a beautiful old country house, known as a stately home, located near Great Haywood in Staffordshire, England. It sits on the edge of Cannock Chase, a lovely area of countryside.

For many years, the Bishops of Lichfield owned the land where Shugborough Hall now stands. After the dissolution of the monasteries (when the King took control of church lands around 1540), the estate changed hands several times. In 1624, a local lawyer named William Anson bought it. His family, the Anson family, owned Shugborough for three centuries!

Later, in 1960, the estate was given to the National Trust. This happened instead of paying a special tax called death duties after the 4th Earl of Lichfield passed away. The National Trust then leased it to Staffordshire County Council. In 2016, the National Trust took back full management. Today, Shugborough Hall is open to everyone. You can explore the main house, a museum, a kitchen garden, and even a working model farm.

History of Shugborough Hall
Exploring Shugborough Hall's Architecture
Images for kids
See also

History of Shugborough Hall

Admiral George Anson, 1st Baron Anson

The Shugborough estate has a long and interesting past. As mentioned, it was first owned by the Bishops of Lichfield. After the monasteries were closed down around 1540, the land was sold many times. Finally, in 1624, William Anson, a lawyer, bought it for £1,000.

In 1693, William Anson's grandson, also named William, tore down the old house. He built a new three-story building. This building is still the main part of Shugborough Hall today.

How the House Grew Bigger

William's older son, Thomas Anson, continued to make the house bigger in the 1740s. He added two smaller buildings, called pavilions, on either side of the main house.

These changes were paid for by Thomas's younger brother, Admiral George Anson. He was a very successful naval officer. He became Lord Anson in 1747 and later the First Lord of the Admiralty, a very important job in the navy. Admiral Anson made a lot of money during his career. When he died without children, he left most of his wealth to his older brother, Thomas.

Thomas also died without children. So, the estate went to his sister's son, George Adams. George then changed his last name to Anson to keep the family name connected to the estate.

The Earls of Lichfield and Their Challenges

In 1806, George's son Thomas became the 1st Viscount Anson. His son, the 2nd viscount, was made the 1st Earl of Lichfield during the coronation of William IV.

The 1st Earl of Lichfield loved to live a grand life. This led him to build up many large debts. In 1842, he was forced to sell almost everything inside the house. This huge sale lasted for two weeks!

His son, the 2nd earl, worked hard to bring the house and its contents back to their former glory. However, by the time his son inherited the estate, it still had a large mortgage (a loan using the property as security).

A Royal Visit to Shugborough

In 1831, a very special guest visited Shugborough Hall. Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, who would later become Queen Victoria, stayed there. She was only 13 years old at the time. She visited with her mother, the Duchess of Kent. This visit was part of a big tour they took around the country.

The Railway Line Through the Estate

Shugborough Tunnel - postcard, 1900s

A railway line, called the Trent Valley Line, runs through the southern part of the park. It was planned in 1845. The railway goes underground through the 777-yard (710 m) Shugborough Tunnel. This means it doesn't spoil the view of the estate.

The entrances to the tunnel are very fancy and are protected as Grade II listed buildings. The western entrance, built in 1847, is especially decorated. The main drive to the hall goes over the tunnel on a bridge, also built in 1847. This railway line is part of the important West Coast Main Line.

Shugborough Hall Today

After the 4th Earl died in 1960, the estate was given to the National Trust. This was done instead of paying death duties. The house officially opened to the public in 1966.

The National Trust then leased the estate to Staffordshire County Council. The council managed it for many years. Lord Lichfield kept an apartment in the hall until he died in 2005. He paid a small rent to the new owners. His son, the 6th Earl, decided to give up the apartment. This ended the family's direct connection to the estate.

In 2016, Staffordshire County Council gave the estate back to the National Trust. This move was expected to save the council a lot of money. The National Trust plans to invest more in the property to keep it wonderful for visitors.

Part of the exhibition of the work of Lord Lichfield

Today, the grounds and the mansion are open to everyone. Shugborough is known as "The Complete Working Historic Estate." This means you can see a working model farm museum from 1805. It has a working watermill, old kitchens, a dairy, a tea room, and even rare farm animals.

The estate also has England's only log-fired brewery that still makes beer for sale. It was restored in 1990. Since 2007, the brewhouse has been a working exhibit, run by Titanic Brewery.

Since 2011, the private apartments in the hall have a special exhibition. It shows the work of Patrick Lichfield, who was a famous photographer. You can see his cameras and lighting gear set up like his studio. There's also a gallery of his most famous photos.

Exploring Shugborough Hall's Architecture

Shugborough Hall has amazing architecture, both inside and out.

Inside the Hall: The State Rooms

The most grand rooms at Shugborough Hall are called the state rooms. These include The State Dining Room, The Red Drawing Room, The Library, The Saloon, The Verandah Room, The Anson Room, and The State Bedroom. These rooms are very fancy and beautifully decorated.

The Verandah Room holds a special 208-piece porcelain dinner service. This set was made to celebrate Admiral Anson's trip around the world in his ship, HMS Centurion. The dinner service was given to him as a thank you for helping to put out huge fires in a merchant area in Canton, China.

The State Bedroom looks out over the terrace. Queen Victoria slept in this very room when she visited as a child.

The State Dining Room
The Red Drawing Room
The Library

Inside the Hall: Private Apartments

The private apartments were where the 5th Earl and his family lived until 2010. The Boudoir is a special room with silver gilt wallpaper. It's the only room in the hall with hand-painted ceilings that have gold details.

Other rooms in the private apartments include The Lilac and Yellow Bedrooms, The Sitting Room, and the completely round Breakfast Room.

The hand-painted ceiling of The Boudoir
Guests' bathroom
Green sitting room, detail
Bedroom

Outside the Hall: Design and Features

Around 1693, William Anson tore down the old house and built a new mansion. The front of this house, which faced west, had three stories and seven sections, with a decorative railing on top.

Around 1748, his great-grandson Thomas Anson hired an architect named Thomas Wright to update the house. Wright added two-story pavilions on each side, connected to the main house by passages.

Around 1800, the house was changed even more by architect Samuel Wyatt. The pavilions and passages were made part of the main building. A new entrance was created on the east side, with ten Ionic pillars. These pillars look like carved stone but are actually hollow wood! This work was done for Thomas Anson, the 1st Viscount Anson, and his wife Anne Margaret Coke.

Today, the hall looks like a neo-classical building. It is covered in slate that has been sanded to look like stone.

Shugborough Hall in the 1820s
The 18th century Ionic portico
The rear façade of the hall
The garden from the house
The stable block in 2009
The hall seen from a hot air balloon
River Sow at the rear of the Hall
The farmhouse

The Park and Its Follies

Just like many landowners of his time, Thomas Anson (1695–1773) was very interested in designing his parkland. The land around Shugborough was mostly flat. So, trees, decorative buildings called follies, and water features were very important in shaping the landscape.

The grounds have several follies. Many of them, like The Chinese House and two Chinese-style bridges, have a Chinese theme. This was done to honor Admiral George Anson. Admiral Anson had visited Canton (now Guangzhou) in China. When he died, he left a lot of money to his brother Thomas Anson. This money was used to develop the hall and its beautiful estate. The Chinese House and the red iron footbridge are both very important historical structures.

In 1760, a famous architect named James Stuart was hired to design several monuments. Stuart had visited Athens, Greece, in the early 1750s. You can see the influence of Ancient Greek design all over Shugborough. Stuart designed a copy of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates and a grand triumphal arch based on the Arch of Hadrian in Athens.

The Shepherd's Monument and Its Mystery

The Shugborough inscription

The Shepherd's Monument is a stone and marble folly in the grounds of Shugborough Hall. It has mysterious letters carved into it: "O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V" and "D.M."

This monument became famous around the world in 1982. That's when a book called The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail talked about the mysterious Shugborough inscription. The monument was carved by Peter Scheemakers. Many theories have been made about what the letters mean. Some even suggest it might point to the location of the Holy Grail!