Spetchley Park
Encyclopedia
Spetchley Park in the hamlet of Spetchley
, near Worcester
, England
, has belonged to the Berkeley family
, who also own Berkeley Castle
in Gloucestershire, since it was first built in 1606.
The original house was burned down on the eve of the battle of Worcester
, 1651, by disgruntled drunk Scottish Presbyterian Royalists to prevent Oliver Cromwell
from using the house for his headquarters. All that is left from the Tudor house is part of the moat. After the fire Robert Berkeley
converted the stables into living accommodation, and when the family fortunes improved the present Palladian house was built of Bath stone
in 1811, to designs by the Catholic architect John Tasker.
Today, in the garden at Spetchley very little has changed since Ellen Willmott
’s day. It is a garden of contrasts: there are walled gardens, a melon yard with its original glasshouses, a horse pool, Victorian conservatory, a delightful Root House’, statues, fountains, architectural follies, rose gardens, lakes and bridges, superb herbaceous borders and magnificent specimen trees.
A famous regular visitor to Spetchley was the composer Edward Elgar
, who had gone to a Catholic school on the estate and in later years stayed at Spetchley many times, living in the Garden Cottage. The pine trees nearby are called "Elgar's Pines" and according to his inscription for his hosts in their copy of the score, they inspired him to write parts of The Dream of Gerontius
.
In 1940, during World War II
, Spetchley was earmarked to be used by Winston Churchill
and the Cabinet in the event of London becoming too dangerous during the Blitz, or a successful invasion by the Germans
and the subsequent loss of London. After the Battle of Britain
, Spetchley was instead used by the USAAF 8th Air Force as a place of recuperation for its pilots – a basketball court was put up on the front lawn.
Every December the garden is lit for the annual Illuminated Trail, when the gardens are transformed into an illuminated winter-evening walk. Hundreds of lights and special effects make this a very popular evening, attracting 10,000 people each year to this ten-night event.
Spetchley
Spetchley is a hamlet located in the County of Worcestershire, England, and lends its name to the Civil Parish in which the hamlet is located....
, near Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, has belonged to the Berkeley family
Berkeley family
The Berkeley family has an unbroken male line of descent from a Saxon ancestor before the Norman conquest of England in 1066 to the present day.-History:...
, who also own Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK . The castle's origins date back to the 11th century and it has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.The castle has remained within the Berkeley family since they reconstructed it in the...
in Gloucestershire, since it was first built in 1606.
The original house was burned down on the eve of the battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
, 1651, by disgruntled drunk Scottish Presbyterian Royalists to prevent Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
from using the house for his headquarters. All that is left from the Tudor house is part of the moat. After the fire Robert Berkeley
Robert Berkeley (judge)
Robert Berkeley was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1624. He suffered considerably for giving a judgement in favour of Ship Money....
converted the stables into living accommodation, and when the family fortunes improved the present Palladian house was built of Bath stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
in 1811, to designs by the Catholic architect John Tasker.
Today, in the garden at Spetchley very little has changed since Ellen Willmott
Ellen Willmott
Ellen Ann Willmott was an English horticulturalist. She was an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society, and a recipient of the first Victoria Medal of Honour in 1897. She cultivated more than 100,000 species of plants, and sponsored expeditions to discover new species...
’s day. It is a garden of contrasts: there are walled gardens, a melon yard with its original glasshouses, a horse pool, Victorian conservatory, a delightful Root House’, statues, fountains, architectural follies, rose gardens, lakes and bridges, superb herbaceous borders and magnificent specimen trees.
A famous regular visitor to Spetchley was the composer Edward Elgar
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos...
, who had gone to a Catholic school on the estate and in later years stayed at Spetchley many times, living in the Garden Cottage. The pine trees nearby are called "Elgar's Pines" and according to his inscription for his hosts in their copy of the score, they inspired him to write parts of The Dream of Gerontius
The Dream of Gerontius
The Dream of Gerontius, popularly called just Gerontius, is a work for voices and orchestra in two parts composed by Edward Elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by John Henry Newman. It relates the journey of a pious man's soul from his deathbed to his judgment before God and settling into Purgatory...
.
In 1940, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Spetchley was earmarked to be used by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and the Cabinet in the event of London becoming too dangerous during the Blitz, or a successful invasion by the Germans
Operation Sealion
Operation Sea Lion was Germany's plan to invade the United Kingdom during the Second World War, beginning in 1940. To have had any chance of success, however, the operation would have required air and naval supremacy over the English Channel...
and the subsequent loss of London. After the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, Spetchley was instead used by the USAAF 8th Air Force as a place of recuperation for its pilots – a basketball court was put up on the front lawn.
Every December the garden is lit for the annual Illuminated Trail, when the gardens are transformed into an illuminated winter-evening walk. Hundreds of lights and special effects make this a very popular evening, attracting 10,000 people each year to this ten-night event.