Weston Park
Weston Park is a country house in Weston-under-Lizard, Staffordshire, England, set in more than 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of park landscaped by Capability Brown. The park is located 10 miles (16 km) north-west of Wolverhampton, and 8 miles (13 km) north-east of Telford, close to the border with Shropshire. The 17th century Hall is a Grade I listed building and several other features of the estate, such as the Orangery and the Stable block, are separately listed as Grade II.
History
The land on which Weston stands was first mentioned in the Domesday Book, when it was held by Norman Rainald de Bailleuil, Sheriff to Roger de Montgomery. The principal survivor of those distant times is the park which now forms part of the medieval deer park and forest. The land was then held by the de Westons of Weston from whom it passed by inheritance to a branch of the Mytton family. Their heiress, Elizabeth Mytton married Sir Thomas Wilbraham and, through the Wilbraham's daughter Mary carried the property to the Earls of Bradford through her marriage to Richard Newport, 2nd Earl of Bradford of the first creation.
The house was built in 1671 for Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham. Although it is often claimed that she was her own architect, there is no conclusive documentary evidence for this and it is most likely that the executant architect was William Taylor, who is known to have been at Weston Park in 1674. Lady Wilbraham was evidently an enthusiastic patron, however, and her heavily-annotated copy of Palladio’s book (I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura) remains in the collection at Weston Park. The three storey twelve bayed south front of the House was originally the entrance front but alterations and improvements carried out in the latter 19th century for Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford of the second creation involved the movement of the main entrance to the east front.
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In the eighteenth century, with the failure of the male line of the Newport Earls of Bradford, Weston was inherited by Sir Henry Bridgeman, 5th Baronet, whose mother Lady Anne Bridgeman (née Newport) was a granddaughter of Lady Wilbraham. The Bridgemans were already substantial landowners in Shropshire and in Warwickshire but chose to make Weston their main seat. Sir Henry Bridgeman commissioned Capability Brown to landscape the park. He also employed James Paine in the 1760s to make alteration to the House and, in the park, to add a Roman Bridge and Temple of Diana.
The grade I listed Roman Bridge crosses the Temple Pool in a single stone built arch.[1] The grade I listed Temple of Diana is actually an Orangery and garden house. Built in stone ashlar in three bays and fronted with ionic columns, the interior is decorated with painted panels by G.B.I. Colombe, depicting the life of the goddess Diana.[2] It was later described by the renowned architect as "my greenhouse at Weston".
Weston Now
Weston, the House and 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of Capability Brown Parkland was gifted to the nation in 1986 by the 7th Earl of Bradford, with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund. It is now in the care of the trustees of the Weston Park Foundation.
The Granary
The 1767 Granary building was restored in 2009 with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, it is now a farm shop and art gallery with a restaurant opening on Saturday May 1, 2010.
Unlike the rest of the estate the Granary is open all year round and is free to enter.
Royal venue, summit venue & festival venue
Over the years, Weston has played host to many distinguished guests including King George V's daughter Mary, and the Princess Royal, who spent part of her honeymoon amid its gracious surroundings. More recently, the G8 Summit Retreat was held at Weston in 1998 with the heads of State or Government present including US President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin and, since 1999, the grounds of Weston Park have been used as one of the sites of the annual dual-site Virgin sponsored V Festival, the other site being Hylands Park in Chelmsford.
The park also hosts the annual Midland Game Fair which takes place on the third weekend of September. The fair, which hosts traditional British country pursuits including working dog trials, fishing and animal husbandry, attracts up to 50,000 visitors from both Britain and Ireland.
See also
- List of Grade I listed buildings in Staffordshire
- Western Park
References
- ↑ "Name: BRIDGE AT SJ 813104 List entry Number: 1039268". English Heritage. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ↑ "Name: TEMPLE OF DIANA AT SJ 811104 List entry Number: 1188135". English Heritage. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- English Heritage; Images of England, photograph and detailed architectural description of Weston Hall
- English Heritage; Images of England, photograph and detailed architectural description of Orangery
- English Heritage; Images of England, photograph and detailed architectural description of Stable Block
- Weston Park Official website
External links
Coordinates: 52°41′34″N 2°17′17″W / 52.6929°N 2.288°W