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Weston Park

At Home at Weston Park - Country Houses of Shropshire

Overview Practicalities

Section:

Tour highlights

Stay exclusively at Weston Park, a 17th-century house set in ‘Capability’ Brown parkland on the border of Shropshire and Staffordshire.
Nationally significant houses, most still in family ownership, with fine collections of paintings, furniture, silver and porcelain.
Led by Weston Park’s curator, the country house expert, Gareth Williams.
Special arrangements, private access and out-of-hours visits.

Shropshire is one of the least-known counties in England and yet it is one of the largest and most beautiful, with delightfully varied topography. The minerals beneath its surface gave birth to the Industrial Revolution, although it remains essentially rural and home to some outstanding but little-known country houses, many of which are still in private family ownership.

A delightful aspect of this tour is that our home throughout is Weston Park, the historic former residence of the earls of Bradford. The group has exclusive access to this great country house, now vested in an independent charitable trust. With its internationally important collections of fine and decorative art, you are free to wander through its rooms and grounds at leisure. Weston Park’s curator, Gareth Williams, author of the definitive book on the county’s houses, is our host and tour leader.

From this exceptional base, we explore the architectural highlights of the region, considering their origins, evolution and ongoing conservation. Earliest is the 13th-century fortified manor house Stokesay Castle. Pitchford Hall is one of the country’s finest timber framed houses, while its 17th-century tree house is a rare survival. Acton Scott Hall dates from 1580, while the influence of classical architecture becomes apparent at Acton Round and in the large-scale building of Attingham. As the influence of the Picturesque movement grew, so the planning of houses became influenced by their landscape settings. This is seen with dashing originality at Longner Hall, at Millichope Park, and in the magnificent mansions of Willey Park and Oakly Park.

Few of these houses are normally accessible to the public, while the visit to the National Trust’s Attingham is a private one.

Practicalities

Two sharing: £4,080. Single occupancy: £4,280.

Travel by private coach; accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 3 lunches and 5 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions and donations for houses; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.

Weston Park, Weston-under-Lizard: set in 1,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown parkland. A country house where one may stay, rather than a hotel, offering the experience of being a guest while the family is away. Single occupancy rooms are doubles for sole use.

Unavoidably, there is quite a lot of walking on this tour and it would not be suitable for anyone who has difficulties with everyday walking and stair-climbing. Coaches can rarely park near the houses, many of the parks and gardens are extensive and the houses visited don’t have lifts. Average distance by coach per day: c. 60 miles.

Are you fit enough to join the tour?

Between 10 and 24 participants.

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