THE MOST SPECTACULAR MANSION RUIN AFTER DISASTROUS FIRE HAD PLACE IN 1937.
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- Witley Court, Great Witley, Worcestershire, England is a ruined Italianate mansion. Built for the Foleys in the seventeenth century on the site of a former manor house, it was enormously expanded in the early nineteenth century by the architect John Nash for Thomas Foley, 3rd Baron Foley.
As you walk through the ruins of Witley Court in Worcestershire, you can feel the ghosts of its past life as one of England’s great country houses. At the end of the 19th century, it was a real-life Downton Abbey, hosting royalty at shooting parties and glamorous society balls, with a fleet of staff below stairs keeping things running smoothly. But after a fire ravaged the house in 1937, it was left as an empty shell until being taken over by English Heritage, who opened Witley Court for visitors to explore the ruins - and get a glimpse back in time to its glamorous heyday.
THE HISTORY OF WITLEY COURT
Witley Court started life less grandly as a Jacobean manor house. But in 1655 it was sold to the Foley family, who’d made their money in ironmongery, first producing nails and then cannons for the Civil War. Over the next 182 years, eight generations of Foleys (who were confusingly all named Thomas) reinvented themselves from industrialists to aristocrats and politicians, lavishing money on Witley Court along the way so it matched their new status.
Thomas #3 added an extra floor and two new wings. Thomas #4 built a new church with lavish Baroque interiors and created a lake at the front of the house. Thomas #7 commissioned Regency architect John Nash - designer of Buckingham Palace - to add grand porticoes. But the black sheep of the Foleys, Thomas #6 (aka ‘Lord Balloon’) had eaten, drunk and gambled their fortune away, so in 1833, Thomas #8 had to sell Witley Court to pay his debts.
Witley Court’s new owners were the Wards - Earls of Dudley. They’d gained a huge fortune from oil and coal mines in the Black Country and plantations in Jamaica. But heir Lord Ward didn’t come into his inheritance until he was 28. So Witley Court was let to Queen Adelaide, widow of King William IV, until 1846 when Lord Ward took over and set about transforming it again.
Ornate Italianate style was the peak of fashion, so the whole house was remodelled to match over the next six years. The exteriors were clad in Bath stone, a huge glass orangery was built, the gardens were landscaped, elaborate fountains were added and all hundred rooms were renovated with marble fireplaces and French-inspired white and gold mouldings.
The original simple manor house had become a palace. But it was Lord Ward’s son, second Earl of Dudley, who ushered in Witley Court’s heyday as the ultimate 19th-century party house. He inherited the house on his 21st birthday in 1888 - and celebrated with a three-day party including a ball for 214 guests, lunch for 900 local men and afternoon tea for 850 women and children, a fairground, bands, boating on the lake and a giant firework display.
After Dudley married Norfolk banking heiress Rachel Gurney, Witley Court hosted a string of shooting parties, with famous attendees including the Prince of Wales. It took a staff of over 100 butlers, footmen, housemaids, cooks, gardeners and stablehands to keep the place running. But Dudley was burning through his fortune at a rate, foreign competition was hitting his businesses and when his wife drowned in an accident in Ireland, he decided to sell up.
In 1920, Witley Court’s final owner was another rich industrialist, Kidderminster carpet manufacturer Herbert Smith. But the house’s glory days were over. Smith installed electricity and cut staff levels, and it lay almost empty much of the time. Then in 1937 a fire broke out in the house’s bakery while Smith and his family were away. Witley Court’s fire hydrants hadn’t been maintained so the fire spread unchecked, destroying the central and eastern sections.
Herbert Smith’s insurers wouldn’t cover the cost of rebuilding, so Witley Court’s grounds were sold for farming, the house’s contents were auctioned off and the building stripped of anything of value over the next 20 years. Witley Court was derelict and overgrown by 1972 when it was issued with a compulsory guardianship order and English Heritage took over.
Like 14 .
Great upload my friend
Magnificent 👌
🍃🌹🍃🕊🕊
Thank you! Cheers!
So beautiful❤️❤️,1like.thank you for sharing my friend😎👍
Thank you too my friend😎👍
Hello my friend. Nice to meet you.......This was so awesome video!! I enjoyed watching from start to end. Big Thumbs up... Best regards.
Thank you so much 🤗
Very nice sharing my frnd
Full watched,join you
Thank you so much 😊
It's a really gorgeous architecture. The garden is also an art. If I live here, happiness will come by itself.
Yes you are right this is a very impressive place.
Very nice sharing 👍
See you soon my dear friend
Thanks for visiting
Witam Jarku
Piękne video i wspaniałe widoki
Pozdrawiam Serdecznie
Bardzo dziękuję za wizytę oraz miły komentarzyk. Pozdrawiam
Jarek
Thanks for the impressive and fantastic video. Applause for the great project. 👏👏👍45
Many thanks my friend😎👍
Great sharing my friend . A big thumbs up. Greetings
Many thanks my friend!
Spectacular place and mansion. Great share.
Thank you very much my friend!
Mais um vídeo top meu amigo, aquele super Like 👍👍👍
Thanks a lot my friend 😎👍
Hello my friend! Wow! Amazing beautiful gardening!
Thank you very much my friend!
Wonderful place, the views of the mansion from above are spectacular and the garden is really beautiful as well. BIG like 👍
Many thanks!
Such a beautiful garden, lovely. I am happy they have kept it maintained. Thanks for the history.
Many thanks. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Greetings
Jarek
Amazing mansion my friend, awesome gardens and flowers!!!, very very cool, super like 5 for you, have a great and happy Valentine's day!!!, see you dude, thank you.
Thanks a lot for the visit and nice comment. Greetings
Jarek
@@Jarekthroughthelens you're welcome!!!!! 😊☺
Fantastic shots of this magnificent castle ruin and park and great video editing, my friend. I love the vivid colourgrading. The garden shots are stunning. Well done.👏👍👌
Many thanks. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Greetings
Jarek
Super flying, great shots!!!👍👌A really great tour. We like to give it a thumbs up! Have a great day and best regards Up'n'Down-Traveling
Thank you so much for your very nice comment👍 Greetings
Jarek
Dzieki bardzo Jarek za te video. Bardzo lubie zwiedzac takie historyczne budowle. Ujecia z drona sa fantastyczne. Pozdrawiam z Florydy.
Bardzo mi miło, że wpadłeś tu. Cieszę się, że filmik się podobał. Pozdrawiam
Jarek
Great work! Best wishes my friend! Big like! Has my support
Many thanks for the visit and support. Greetings
Jarek
Great video!💕 💕 I enjoyed very much👍😃👍
Thank you 🤗
Cudeńko, arcydzieło ręki i myśli ludzkiej :) 👍👍👍
Bardzo dziękuję za wizytę oraz super komentarzyk. Pozdrawiam
Hi my dear friend :) Nice movie :) paw left, of course, best regards and have a nice night "Thank you very much for your visit.🎬
Thank you very much!
Wpada co trzeba i 👀📺👍 Pozdrawiam cieplutko super tygodnia życzę 👋🌍👀👍😃
Super nuta 👊
Wielkie dzięki za wsparcie i również życzę miłego tygodnia 👍😃
Awesome spectacularin.Thank you. 👍
Thank you too👍
Awesome castle! A pity it is ruined by a fire in the past. Awesome coloured garden!
Yes I agree. Thanks for the visit. Greetings
Jarek
It's a very nice youtube video.
It's very interesting for me, who lives in a rural village in Japan.
Have a nice week
Thank you! You too! I'm really glad to hear that. Greetings
Jarek
That looks so awesome view of mansion.
Thank you very much. I'm really glad you like it. Greetings
Jarek
amazing mansion but sadly it was not maintained and being abandoned, keep safe always friend, liked
Thanks for visiting. Greetings
Jarek
Pięknie położony zespół pałacowy i te ogrody wtopione w park. Jak misterne hafty z drona wyglądają. 👍Brawo za tą kompozycję. Miłego dnia życzę. Hejka 👋🍀😊
Bardzo dziękuję i cieszę się, że się podobało. Pozdrawiam
Such a beautiful Mansion, awesome view outside.
You have done a remarkable job my friend by capturing so nicely with the drone. Nice color grading and music selection 👏. Love 💙 and respect 👍
Thank you so much for your very nice comment👍 Greetings
Jarek
Pięknie👍👍👍👍. Film pełna profeska. Pozdrawiam cieplutko
Bardzo dziękuję za miłe słowa. Pozdrawiam
Jarek
Fantastic video thank you😀😀😀😀😀
Thank you too😀😀
🖐Hello! Just stopping by and showing some love =) Full watch and big thumbs up for you! See you again friend!
-Ashley from Adventure Encounters
Thank you very much for the visit and support. Greetings
Jarek
Thank you for sharing a part of history and recently. Beautiful garden, music is a little bit drama :)
Thank you for the visit and nice comment. I've chosen a bit dramatic music because I thought it would fit the burnt ruins, however everyone can have different opinion. Greetings
Jarek
Oto jestem Jarku 💙 .
Wybacz, że często z kilkugodzinnym opóźnieniem reaguje a czasem i kilkunastogodzinnym.. Głównie w nocy mogę na spokojnie nadrobić zaległości w trakcie krótkich przerw od grania. Nie lubię pisać w biegu i lubię poświęcić z szacunkiem uwagę drugiej Osobie, obejrzeć cały filmik uważnie i napisać jak to ja dużo. Lubię się cieszyć razem z drugą Osobą Jej pasją.
Dziękuję z całego serca za ten przepiękny filmik. Jak zawsze coś pięknego i bardzo mnie poruszającego. Pozdrawiam cieplutko 💙 .
Dziękuję za wizytę. Dokładnie rozumiem brak czasu. Ja mam podobnie, jak zabieram się za montaż filmu to nie ma mnie na długi czas. Ten filmik zajął mi praktycznie całą sobotę i niedzielę. Pozdrawiam
Jarek
@@Jarekthroughthelens 💙 Jesteś cudownym człowiekiem 💙 . Dziękuję raz jeszcze za magię Twoich filmów. ogromny szacunek z mojej strony.
Wow very nice video upload look like a bro and thank you for the England history very interesting
I'm really glad you enjoyed it!
Szkoda, że ogień zniszczył taki piękny pałac. Jedynie co pozostało, to wspaniały ogród i te malownicze ruiny nad rzeką. Interesujące wideo Pozdrawiam. .
To prawda, wielka szkoda. Był bardzo bogato wyposażony. Pozdrawiam
Jarek
Very amazing video 👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏
Thank you so much 🙂
Wspaniale 🤩🤩 pozdrawiamy i życzymy przyjemnego dnia!!
Bardzo Wam dziękuję i życzę Wam miłej nocy. Pozdrawiam
High class location
May be if to much money we can stay there
Love this place
Thanks a lot for the visit and I'm really glad you like this place. It is really beautiful. Greetings
Jarek
Great footage!👍
Thank you! 👍
Great 👍
Thank you 👍
wow, great footage
Many thanks!
Just amazing this mansion 👍👌
Thank you👍
Woooow Love it 👍😍🤗
Thank you 🤗
Beautiful facility, should be rebuilt.
It really is very spectacular. It would be good to rebuild it. Greetings
Jarek
Super muzyczka i super film
Dziękuję
Amazing😍👍
Thanks 🤗
Witam.Świetny film,super prezentacja.Pozdrawiam😶👍
Super tygodnia Anno życzę 👋🌍😎
@@Mro.na_przypale_po_swiecie Dziękuje odwzajemniam😶
Bardzo dziękuję. Pozdrawiam
Jarek
@@Jarekthroughthelens Proszę bardzo.Ania z tej strony.😶
Mega ujęcia z drona 👌
Bardzo mi miło, pozdrawiam
Like 54 🎶🎵🎶🎵🇺🇸
Big thanks
Ale pięknie to zostało uchwycone 😍😍😍😍👍👍👍
Dziękuję!👍👍👍
Świetny film 👍
Dziękuję, pozdrawiam
Muito bonito!
Muito obrigado!
Pozdrawiam serdecznie
Dziękuję i pozdrawiam
Good big like i sub 👍😁
Big thanks
Swietny film, super ujęcia ! Pozdrawiam i zapraszam też do mnie na nowy materiał :)
Dziękuję za wizytę. Wieczorkiem zobaczę co nowego. Pozdrawiam
Jarek
Przepięknie 💕
Dziękuję
5 super
Thanks
So beautiful 😍❤️ I want to go✨✨ and thank you for supporting my channel ❤️ I join your channel ❤️ Fully watched
Thank you very much my friend!