Another Great Day Out…..

Share with us a great day out at Brodsworth Hall and Gardens.

A Brief Historical Note:  Charles Sabine Augustus Thellusson inherited an enormous 8,000 acre estate in Yorkshire in 1859.  He had clear ideas as to what he wanted for both a House and his Garden so Brodsworth is his creation.  Mid-Victorian wealthy used their homes and gardens to display their wealth, they may not have had ‘Honourable Status’ of nobility but individual grandeur would make up for that.  The House gives you an unique view of owner and servants and of a life style long gone.  English Heritage acquired the house in 1990 and opened it to visitors in 1990. But it had stood empty for many years.  Mining subsidence and acid rain had taken its toll of the structure both inside an out.  The decision was taken that the house had to be secured and where necessary restored but the contents and interior decor would simply be too costly to restore so are preserved as is. The House is constructed of yellow Yorkshire Sandstone, which apart from being vulnerable to the weather does  glow in the sunlight.  Located surrounded by open lawns and sat on a slight rise the house presents a dramatic appearance……

The South Front

West Front and Croquet Lawns

The Servants Wing is to the left

The View from the Front Entrance framed by four Pillars

Guest Bedrooms

The Maids Bedroom in the Servants Wing

 

Whilst the House and contents are being preserved it is still necessary to secure the structure. Skilled stone masons are replacing balustrade columns and badly eroded blocks.

The Gardens are a different matter and much effort has been put into ensuring that they are restored to there original dignity and grace.  Again like many house of that period the gardens reflect the owners desire to replicate the great gardens and the style of Continental Europe.  Each corner you turn you will find a different landscape and the scale is indeed large…I reckon you will leave and still not have seen every aspect of this garden.  What you will readily note is that from most aspects the house is still dominant.

The Fountain Garden in Italian Style

Rich Flower Beds grace this part of the Garden

Topiary Bushes dress the Drives

Grottoes, Ferneries, Statues and Topiary plus a Swizz Summer House

Evening over the Croquet Lawns

Like all Old Estates* there is an Estate Church, whilst no longer part of the Brodsworth Hall Estate as it is to-day it is a working everyday church….

Saint Michael and All Angels Church, Brodsworth

FOOTNOTE:

Historians will know that there was a Brodsworth Hall long before 1859. The Old Hall no longer exists. In fact the Estate was once part of a long running Legal battle over inheritance a battle that went on for over half a century.  It was also a turning point in inheritance law to prevent similar disputes occurring.  Recycling is often thought as a modern process… but new Brodsworth Hall made good use of materials from the old Hall.  If you visit, admire the majestic internal doors they are from the old Brodsworth.

 

 

Like us you can also you can enjoy a Cream Tea in the courtyard an ideal way to complete you day out…I hope you enjoy

10th August