Madresfield Court
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Madresfield Court is located next to the village of Madresfield, in Worcestershire. It is the ancestral home of the Lygon family (spelled Ligon in America}, who became Earls Beauchamp.
In 1593 Madresfield Court was rebuilt, replacing a 15th century building. It was again remodelled in the 19th century to resemble a moated Elizabethan house and contains more than 100 rooms. The chapel was sumptuously decorated in the Arts and Crafts style by the architect Philip Charles Hardwick.
The Court was the home of William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp. Evelyn Waugh was a frequent guest to the house and is said to have based the Flyte family in Brideshead Revisited on the Lygons. During World War II, the house was planned as a place of evacuation for the Royal family. It is currently the home of Rosalind, Lady Morrison, neice of the 8th and last Earl Beauchamp.
Madresfield Court is also the name of a variety of apple, first cultivated at the house.
