Friday 31 October 2014

Wonderful Witley at Halloween

It's a Friday and it's Halloween, what to do?

Visit a burnt out 19th century John Nash (designer of Buckingham Palace) designed haunted palace, that's what!

Poor Witley Court is a mere ghost of its former self.  Burnt out in 1937 and stripped of all its metalwork (the stunning ironwork gates now reside in the USA at Lake Havasu City in Arizona), it stands forlorn in beautiful Worcestershire countryside. 
 I'm afraid this post is rather photo heavy, Witley is huge and very sprawling, and despite being in ruins there is probably more to see than a lot of places we have visited
The beautiful Perseus and Andromeda fountain is now fully restored and fires on the hour.  Each display lasts 15 minutes and the main fountain is 120 feet, the second highest in England behind Stanway House 
 There is still so much detail left in the stonework
 This wing is allegedly haunted
 Another fountain, as if one is not enough!
 The back of the house, and the largest Portico on a country house in England
 The dormant fountain

The orangery on the left, larger than most executive houses, connected to the main house by a glorious sweep of stone facade
 Close up of the portico


One half of the orangery, complete with ancient grape vines                                                       

View of the fountain from the orangery

 Intricate plasterwork still survives in what would have been the grand staircase

 I'm wearing Moto jeans £1, Timberland boots ebay £12 (including postage), leather bag £1, silk scarf probably 50p or a pound, all second hand and my free jacket from earlier in the year.

Finally, Autumn arrives in England and the leaves are all changing colour




























Well, we didn't see any ghosts thank goodness, but Witley is capable of sending shivers down the spine even in broad daylight!

4 comments:

  1. What a wonderful place, although it's sad that it is in such a state of disrepair. Still, it makes for some very atmospheric photos! xxx

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    Replies
    1. It's hanging on in there, Curtise. They've just completed some repair work recently. It's a truly spine tingling place!

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