INVISIBLE as it is from public roads, Downton Hall to the north of Ludlow —not to be confused with nearby Downton Castle—has long been one of England’s mystery houses. Its position seems to have been chosen with an unerring eye to the view and the red-brick building (Fig 1) enjoys a splendid vista east across a broad valley to the distinctive profile of Titterstone Clee Hill. When it was last written up for COUNTRY LIFE in 1917, H. Avray Tipping gave appropriate prominence to the splendid Music Room (Fig 4), one of the most remarkable interiors of its period in the West Midlands, but, in the second part of the 20th century, the house disappeared completely from the public eye. Recent restoration and the progress of architectural scholarship into what is quite a complex history make a revisitation timely.
The way in which the owners of Downton changed their names repeatedly through successive generations is more than usually confusing, but helps to explain how the estate was progressively consolidated. In the late 17th century, it was divided between no fewer than four families: Hall, Shepherd, Pearce and Wredenhall. In 1726, the wealthy, but childless lawyer Serjeant William Hall left his estate to his nephew William Shepherd, who took the name Hall, but died unmarried in 1731. His fortune passed to his sister Elizabeth, who had married Wredenhall Pearce; as the latter’s mother, Anne Wredenhall, was the heiress to the Downton element, so, on her death in 1731, the component parts of the core of the current estate were united and the scene was set for the building of a commensurate house to supersede the assorted minor homes of the various components.
This story is from the January 26, 2022 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 26, 2022 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Too divine
Four actresses earn the plaudits this month, for parts ranging from Sarah Siddons to Charlotte Bronté
Stashed away
The vast collection of the late George Withers, encompassing everything from Prattware pot lids to barometers, doubles up as a guide to the mid-market collecting fancies of the past 60 years
Parsley of Macedon
Not quite a native, alexanders can taste like joss stick-tainted celery or sweetly spiced parsnips, depending on your method, warns John Wright
A hungry heart
A man who strove, sought and found, Wassily Kandinsky pioneered not one, but two artistic movements against the tumultuous backdrop of early-20thcentury Europe, as Holly Black relates
Royal favours
AFTER much speculation as to what might be the favourite flower Her of Elizabeth II, the truth was revealed at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2019.
Smart thinking
A private family garden near Godalming in Surrey How does a garden design begin? With a lot of questions and by finding a central theme says James Alexander-Sinclair
Escape to the hills
These four houses in the county of Surrey can offer the best of both worlds: rural settings and easy access to London
A little help from your friends
Driven to distraction by paint charts? A colour consultant could be the answer for anyone befuddled by choosing the right hue
A (crab) apple a day
They may be too tart to eat, but crab apples can be made into all sorts of good things, from jellies to salves, and may even have been Adam and Eve's forbidden fruit, says Ian Morton
The sound of centuries past
The past 50 years have seen an energetic revival of the instruments that would have been played in Bach's day. Henrietta Bredin meets players fascinated by the noises Baroque composers would have heard