Toward the end of August, I visited Witley Court and Gardens, which is the remains of an Italian-style mansion set in Worcestershire and maintained by English Heritage. The mansion was built in the 1600s and expanded by John Nash in the 1800s for the Dudley family. (Nash architected many areas in London, such as Regent Street.) The house suffered a fire in the 1930s, and it was stripped of its furnishings and all important materials after the insurance company refused to cover it, even though only one wing of the house suffered in the fire. The house has beautiful maintained gardens and a working fountain that should not be missed.
The house is located after a short walk passed a lake, and visitors can take a boat trip on the lake if they wish to do so.
The house is sadly ruined due to the fire, but the shell remains a point of interest.
There are two fountains. One of the fountains is located in the formal gardens.
The fountain that is working is known as the Perseus and Andromeda Fountain. It starts up roughly on the hour, and eventually all of the fountains come on over the course of several minutes. I stayed to watch the fountain come to life.
The fountain jets at the bottom started first before the other higher jets functioned with the higher jets shooting water into the air. The fountain has an engine room, and water shoots up to 120 feet. It was restored with an electric pump in 2002. This fountain was impressive.
The conservatory overlooks the fountain and was built in the mid-1800s. It was heated with hot water pumps for the tropical plants that lived here.
I had a look inside the empty rooms of the house and learned what some of the rooms functioned as before the fire.
The ballroom was one of the rooms, and the ceiling was later raised to glorify the room. This would have been decorated in the French style popular in the 1880s and 1890s.
Next to the house ruins is the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, which is also a Grade I listed building. I went to take a look inside the church, and it is a beautiful building with white and gold walls and beautiful wall paintings and stained glass windows.
I spent a couple of hours at Witley Court and Gardens. I listened to the history of the house from one of the guides during my visit and watched the fountain.
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