At their August meeting, the Friends of Coughton Court heard the Story of the Rise and Fall of Witley Court, told with great enthusiasm by Ray Sturdy.
Ray took his audience from the earliest building in the 1600s, commissioned by the Royalist High Sheriff of Worcestershire, Richard Russell. This was a house of red sandstone set in 400 acres.
The second owner in the 1700s was Lord Foley, an iron-founder, who expanded the house, created a lake and built a church for the village of Great Witley.
The third owner was the first Earl of Dudley, who owned 26,000 acres of land around Dudley and was a member of one of the richest families in the UK and indeed the world. Under his land was some of the best coal available and using this, Lord Dudley provided the entire infrastructure to set up a manufactory providing work for many of his tenants. The quality of the iron products was outstanding and Brunel insisted on using Dudley chains to launch his ships.
The Earl of Dudley was greatly loved: he set up apprenticeships for boys, training for girls in domestic work; he authorised cheap rents and free coal and was generally concerned for the welfare of his workers.
The second Earl employed 40 gardeners and had 200 acres of deer park. Plantations in the Caribbean added to the family wealth and the Earl was an innovator: he installed new boilers in the house and had hot running water pumped to wash basins in the bedrooms.
Tragedy struck the family when the Earl’s beloved wife was drowned: he could no longer bear to live at Witley Court and in 1920 he sold it to Herbert Smith.
Herbert Smith was a very different owner and did not have the same paternalistic attitude as the Earls of Dudley. On his watch, in 1937 Witley Court was destroyed by a fire which, it was said, could be seen 100 miles away. The house was left to fall into ruin but in 1952 the government placed a preservation order on it and in 1989 English Heritage assumed responsibility for it.
The ruin and its grounds attract many visitors and the nearby church, built by Lord Dudley has a breath-taking Baroque interior.
Ray Sturdy’s obvious love for his subject has encouraged many “Friends” to start planning a visit.
For further details see friendsofcoughton.btck.co.uk or secretary on 01386/833767
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