The Best Preserved Medieval Home In Britain | American Viscountess
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- Опубліковано 9 кві 2024
- Pitchford Hall in rural Shropshire is an immaculately preserved half-timbered house, lost by the family in 1992 but reclaimed 25 years later through the efforts of the family. The land was first deemed sacred by the ancient Romans who discovered a natural spring of pitch oil, giving the home it's name. Restoration efforts involve repairing the house's exterior with traditional medieval methods, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.
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I can't believe the amount of jealousy and envy fueled comments. I am glad that this lady was able to recover her family home after 25 years of work and sacrifices, good for her. The repairs alone will support dozens of contractors for years. Once the house id finished it will provide income for many employees.
Are you a Viscount ?
Thank you, I am also saddened by the judgements. This old lady is sick of people “shoulding” on each other.
This is what happens when you let the peasants have a voice.
@@cuchulain1647 Poor little Princess what are you upset about ? 👸
Well said. These homes are historic treasures. I understand not everyone has access to such a home…I couldn’t afford to cut the grass there. However, I wouldn’t want to imagine a world without these beautiful links to the past that are being so loved and well cared for. 👏
i'm from working class Oldham, not working due to a disability, still living in the semi detached house my parents bought nearly 50 years ago and i love this stuff, some commenters need to get over their obvious chip on the shoulder bitterness and jealousy.
Yes. I very much agree with you.
I'm so glad you spoke up with such altruism! Cheers!
Or maybe they ought to do something about the cause of such feelings. The rich live off everyone elses hardship.
The gov..steal our wages by threat of imprisonment and spend it on things we want not at all, like millions of violent and aggressive immigrants.
The only people who are allowed to be rich are corrupt, they either work in government or employ the gov.
I think yoid understand their feelings better had you been one of the masses who were forced to sell their parents house to pay for care. Care that had already been paid for out of their wage packets.
Then youd be in some dingy bedsit fighting to get housing benefit .
I am very fortunate that I live in the building my ancestors build between 1720 and 1760.
It’s also a half timbered house, but much smaller (around 280square meters living space) and it is in Germany, not England.
We are regular working folks that had some animals and centuries back there where big ponds that my ancestors tended to and they where the sole fish “producer” of the region.
I am unbelievably grateful that I can live in this amazing house with all the history of my ancestors together with my lovely wife.
It is in perfect living condition, however it’s not in its original state like it was back then.
It got repaired and renovated over the centuries so people can keep living in it.
But the inside of the house, the openly visible half timbered walls, the crooked little rooms etc still show its age on the inside and make it so incredibly comfortable for me.
I really hope that when I have children, at least one of them will continue to live in this house and give it to their children etc.
I want this house to be a place of stability and peace for my extended family (and friends also).
Whenever they want to come somewhere and have it comfortable they can live here.
Whenever a friend needs a place to stay they can stay in our house since we have more than enough space, the whole first floor is fully furnished with bedroom, living room, multiple bathrooms etc which are completely unused, waiting for visitors.
We are definitely not rich, but are fortunate enough to have somewhat good jobs at around 30 so we can’t talk about owning such an incredible mansion, but what we have is still very dear and important to our hearts!
Great story. Yes, hope your children keep the family home going!!
I wish them all the luck!
Amazing 💖
You and your wife are very blessed to be able to live in a family home that many generations live before. Those home are beautiful. And yes you are rich in your heart. ❤ Opening your home to friends and family says a lot about you. God bless you and family. May always be someone in your family to keep the house, tell stories about your ancestors and pass the property to the next generations.
That's awesome.
This is true love. Supporting your wife throughout this journey is heartwarming.
People mentioned the bad comments but I don’t see them. I’m glad that I’ve only seen positive ones. Preserving homes is such a monumental task. Only a few minutes in but already love it. (Update) I’ve now seen the negative comments…wow 🤦🏼♀️
Ditto.
There are so many abominable creatures who have nothing nice to say, so they create would-be menaces to give themselves some airs ; this is the only psychological explanation I have.
I presume they have been removed. ? 😂
Pretty amazing that they were able to save this huge piece of human history.
I have to say, watching this video made me happy. It is one of the best things I have watched on UA-cam.
What a stunning property. I am glad they were able to buy it back into the family.
It should belong to the nation now.
@@patcampton7163I wonder what the Muslims will do with it once they take over 🤔
For all snippy commentators you should understand the responsibility and sometimes burden that these old houses bring with them, for those that buy or inherit them it’s a lifelong job to upkeep them often with financial struggles as they require vast amounts of money to maintain them in the correct manner, it’s not for the faint hearted!
What a lucky little boy to be able to grow up in this beautiful , historic, gently-haunted house with all of those amazing grounds to roam. I hope he has lots of cousins and friends to come over. It’s the childhood of dreams. I love dthis episode, amazing!
,,👍
This home is way back in my ancestry. My great-grandmother was Anvalyn Pitchford before she married!
It so wonderful that your relatives got it back!
Do you want to visit it ,now its back?❤
@@nelliebly6616 I'd love to, but it's a bit far from Oxford, Mississippi, USA! Definitely not a day trip!!!
@@OxfordHeirlooms My goodness! How the mighty have fallen. Bless your little ole heart, sweetie.
I used to know a farmer Pitchford in Shropshire. I.imagine the name must come from the lord of the Manor.
Oh, to own back your childhood home. Memories from times past to future memories.
I will own my childhood home. 5 people living in a 906 SQ FT home with 1 bathroom. I will update the electrical and sell that place to a young couple who can put in the sweat equity to make it their home.
oh i know - an isolated small hill farm, up a stony lane where there isn't (wasn't) the constant monotonous sound of engines.
I love how England has families that have lived in homes for generations and I love all the history there.
This place is STUNNING!!! From someone who comes from a massive loud,busy,dirty American city in Wi this place looks like my idea of Heaven. The beautiful land and trees and fresh air and the house 😮 it just kept going and getting bigger and more amazing at every turn.. When Julie said it was like an Alice in wonderland feeling i couldn’t agree more. I felt a Secret Garden meets Alice in wonderland lol I could only dream of seeing a place like this in real life. I am so happy the family was able to get it back and make it stunning again. Those children will have some amazing stories to tell as they get older. And that treehouse 🥰everything about this estate makes me happy. The priest hole and the attics and bell tower the amazing land just WOW!!!!’
As I said earlier in these posts, I'm of American descent, and I appreciate the neighbourliness of my Stateside blood kin and their fellow-citizens. Best Wishes!
During the conversation in the Treehouse, I love how our American Viscountess is holding her cup and saucer. So refined.
And her outfit is wonderful. Stylish and sophisticated. She's done her homework, heartwarming to see.
I'm thrilled for the family and for the artists who get to rent the workshops. They get to be creative and support and revive a piece of English history. Once is gone. There is nothing more to do.
It's great that folks in GB use buildings
forever. We in the U.S. misuse land and
buildings, which is depressing to me.
The smithy is magnificent.
What Gracious Hosts.
May they live to great age in good health.
Props to James. So supportive.
we do that too, depends on the building and where it is.
Yes. In US we demolish houses build by renown architects like Craig Elwood. That is what Christ Pratt and Catherine Schwarzenegger just did with the 1950's "Zimmerman House" house built by Elwood, that they bought for 12.5 million.
Yeah, I moved to downtown ish Houston 5-6 years ago and I did notice when I first got here that they have a lot of old brick buildings and homes still in tact. My apartment building is from the art deco era! 💕 I think part of it is that flood and hurricane heavy areas require a certain degree of heft and resilience in the buildings. There are plenty of dilapidated and neglected structures but I think we’ve got more repurposed and preserved buildings in more places than in the average American town and I love it!
Unfortunately it happens here as well. My town had a huge art deco cinema building in perfect condition (because it was used as a very popular bingo hall). The council allowed it to be demolished to build a Lidl in its place.
We don't really have a choice considering planning permission makes it impossible to build anything new. Thats how we got a massive housing crisis.
This is my absolute favourite episode. This family are just lovely and their devotion to their home and history is beautiful.
We moved toShropshire in 1991 and I remember reading about Pitchford passing out of the hands of the family who had been there for centuries….and what a heartbreak it must have been for them.( I can well imagine how I would have felt) …..so it’s wonderful to hear they have got it back. So often these beautiful houses are lost to the people who love them and then terrible things happen…..they end up mysteriously burning down ( insurance!!) This happened to beautiful Parnham in Dorset now a ruin.
As a Texan living in England for over two decades, many thanks to my fellow Texan for helping to return the painting to its rightful place. It made me so proud to hear of this. I love my home state and fellow Texans but now I’m so honoured to live in this beautiful country I now call home. ❤
Earnest question: why’d you leave?
Why the hell would you leave Texas to live here??
Love…and he loves Texas as much as I love England. Hope this answers your questions gentlemen.
,,👍
@@Secretorder13 Im an american but would move from the US to the UK if they would give me the opportunity.
Wonderful. So happy that lovely family got their home back again. Truly a remarkable property.
We had the great good fortune to be able to visit the house in 2019. I hope that visits will once again become possible when J&R feel it's ready to receive us! The optimism, dedication and hard work of the family in restoring this priceless treasure is truly extraordinary. They deserve every success.
We thank them for sharing their home.
Nothing stops my beating heart like a half timbered house, but the upkeep seems insurmountable! Rowena seems to love this house, truly a member of her family she is devoted to!
I'm only 5 minutes into this, but already, while I am paying close attention to the conversation, the puppeteering part of me is also delighted by young Edward quietly showing off his puppetry skills with his friend Doggy. Right, on with the video!
Yes!
I found it so cute to see him with his lovely doggy!
I really hope he will never be ashamed of his lovely stuffed friend and keep him with him for his whole life!
Me and my wife still love our cute stuffed animals to this day and nothing could ever take them away from us, they are very dear to our heart!
@@rolux4853 OH YES! We are surrounded by old stuffed friends as well as new ones, because one can never have too many teddy bears. They are dear to both of us, and we are old (but young at heart)! Each one has a name and a personality and you know, sometimes they invite us to their parties and sometimes not.
I'm in Australia. There are no houses here like Pitchford Hall, so it is marvellous to view this program. Really admired the ladies for swimming, and the library was wonderful. Best thing was the enthusiasm of all concerned. Thanks.
Well, yeah, cause you would’ve had the people that I was off from there they were completely different way of life, wouldn’t they?
@@vickyfisher-bz4jj That makes no sense at all! What are you trying to say?
My brother has moved to Australia, I just think I’d miss the seasons and the history that we’re surrounded by in the UK. I’m also terrified of spiders 😱
@@sian2337seasons? Is it not just overcast year round?
Impressed by the Library, colourful taste and exuberance of Queen Elizabeth First Era. Fabulous visit with charming people. Incredible dedication to restore this Venerable Historic house. Bravo to the Pitchford Family and all participants in the arduous restoration in the normes. The billows in the smithy's house, we had the same, with added iron feet as a low table in front of a log fire place in France. Sad ending to its working life.
What a journey this family went through. I am glad they recovered their house. Impossible to imagine the mixed emotions when they came back after 25 years... amazing documentary.
Once they started talking about ghosts, I wondered what types. Maybe a business man without trousers, a scout master with an arrow in his neck, a ww2 captain, a house mistress, a caveman, a peasant woman....
😂😂😂
I was very impressed by the grit & fortitude this couple exhibited in their efforts to reacquire their ancestral home! What an incredible story! I hope things continue to work out for them!! And that they set up many safe guards to try to prevent a similar fate in the future.
I was so moved when the absent painting was hung in its space of prominence. Extraordinary.....!
so much pride and love for family and heritage! God bless them as they restore their family memories!
I got married at Pitchford church just behind the trees and remember Rowena sometimes coming to church. I can’t believe they got it back - it was so sad to see it empty and neglected for so long.
What a lovely lady so glad she got the home back it is beautiful!
I love when they walked into the pink room and the good vibes they felt and I really like the little boy tagging along and and participating.❤
This is just the best story - and I love that they're all open to, and talking about the positive spirits that reside within the house.
Captivating tour! The family is lovely and I adore their passion for Pitchford Hall. The library is a cheerful restoration; so nice to see all of the volunteers come together and put their hearts into the restorations. I look forward to updates.
Gorgeous!! It’s like a modern fairy tale (with a lot of elbow grease) that they were able to get it back. I also love that the series hostess is an American Vicountess. Double fairy dust!
This is just fascinating history. So happy the family was able to get the property back. It would be such a shame to let this beautiful history go to ruin. Thank you for sharing.
I enjoyed the whole film. I am especially enamored of the library. I love to read, for a start. I am just so excited about your library! It is so enchanting. It looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. I am excited for you that you got your house back. I hope to get our houses back into the family, like you. Your story inspires me to try to get our family estate back. I am terribly homesick for our houses. I just want to go home.
It kills me that her family had to sell the furnishings. But at least she got the home back. This was an amazing video. So fascinating all together. Great tour! Great accomplishment.
It WAS difficult to see the skimpy, rather tattered, mismatched furniture strewn about the house, wasn't it?
Yes it was😢
What a story, heartbreaking initially, good for them that they were able to get it back, lovely people.
I love that you all allowed that little boy to tag along. Really accentuates the heart of this old home. I'm inspired anew with our own little plot of land. Thank you for this wonderful story and family❤️
I watched Ladies of London and was thrilled to see Julie hosting this program.
Historic beautiful house with fabulous grounds and other out buildings. That treehouse was amazing. A story regarding its history of ownership loss and having the commitment struggle to own preserve it again for history and their children which is really interesting. Love the pod cast regarding Pitchford Estate. So much loss of historical estates in England after WWI. This house remained in the family until 1992 which is quite the feat. Lost then 25 years later back in the family again. Now that is an unusual amazing story. The attic rooms for servants quarters must of been hot in the summer and freezing in the winter.😮 Love the library! It just needs some overstuffed chairs. A magical estate and family.
What an absolutely lovely family, and a truly heartwarming tale of buying back a lost family house and beginning the journey of restoring it to its former glory. The almost psychedelic gothic library is an absolute delight. I hope you can go back in a few years time and meet the family again and see how the restoration has progressed.
Houston is my adopted hometown and Houstonians are famously generous. I would love to know who purchased the painting. What a lovely gift to donate the picture.
I absolutely LOVED this whole beautiful story. I smiled the entire time and even shed some happy tears. What an extraordinary achievement for this beautiful couple. I wish them continued success in preserving this amazing home 😍🇦🇺♥
Stunning, and so glad that you were able to get it back to the family and restore it back to its glory.
Glad they didn't try to cram all of this into a 52 minute video. Enjoyed all the different settings and scenes and stories. My favourite part was the lath and plaster tutorial, gleaning practical knowledge from a skilled worker.
Beautiful restoration. I enjoyed learning the methods of using pitch and whitewash. Especially enjoyed seeing the tree house.
I enjoyed watching this video. So happy for the family being able to get it back. Great restoration progress. ❤
The drama and tension hanging that painting!! Good job Rupert!
Great story of such a historical family home. I enjoyed every bit of this program. The young boy was magnificent with his energy and youth. ❤😊 thank you so much American Viscountess for your dedication to bring back these homes, showing the hard work and pure tenacity these projects take, to a lively, restored and functioning Great Home❤😊
It was nothing like this, but I was raised in one of our family homes in which my mother also grew up. Parts of the house were from 1865 and other parts had been added on over the decades. Not old by British standards, obviously, but a great place for a child to explore and in which to let one's imagination run wild. As they stand in the room this woman painted red as a teenager (were these former servants' rooms?), I go back to my gabled bedroom with a hidden attic off of it. It was a magical place filled with old family heirlooms and, I think, a ghost or two! Thanks for sharing this tour which brought back memories to me of a much humbler but equally loved family home.
Lovely mansion, so glad they were able to recover it and are now restoring it.
If I ever get to travel to GB, I hope I can see this home. So beautiful, so happy you were able to get your family home back!
I loved this show so much! Thank you!! Amazingly, at this time I am reading Samuel Pepys' Diary...! His patron and employer was Lord Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, and Hinchingbrooke is frequently spoken of, and visited!!
This family and their restoration efforts are wonderful! Keep up the great work!
What an amazing estate, I truly hope that the family are able to continue their journey of restoring this beautiful home.
What an inspiring story and its lovely to watch the whole family's love and joy for their house.
Rowena is quite quite lovely, stunning. James a very lucky chap. We too lost our home, but in the 70's. Not Lloyds, Burma Oil. It wasn't as grand or as beautiful as Pitchford, it's only mention in a book of British houses (where one or two had whole chapters) is ' a proportionate villa of some merit'. But we loved it. The gardens and park were exceptional, two brothers went one to China the other India collecting trees where they were planted. Occasionally I drive past it, the village has two modern housing estates, the park is badly overgrown with bracken, gorse and brambles. The lodge already shonkie in our day has been replaced by something indescribably awful. So I totally support Rowena and James and the love of their home and the courage of their conviction. Bizarrely I was at school in their corner of the world but had not heard of Pitchford before this evening, my friends there are now either dead or badly decaying, though I would have loved to have seen it in it's hayday and mine. Regards Phillip
I'm very sorry. That must be hard for you.
Dear Catty, thankyou. It was actually the second house my family had lost. Although I never knew the former. My family moved from the original family home in the 1870's, following a Victorian scandal! The shame of which meant my forebears came to the home I grew up in some years following that on 'remittance'. Thanks to the marvels of the interweb our original home or seat is well documented, as is the family shame! That house also had tremendous gardens. I believe it's now owned by a wealthy chap who's spending his fortune on it's restoration. Whilst I'm writting this the thought occurred to me that the occupants of my old family home might have known the occupants of Pitchford as they're only about 30 or 40 miles apart! Salutations
Amazing place, so happy you got it back, so much history. Has to be an awesome place to live. Cheers from Newfoundland, Canada.
So happy for you to get your family home back. Ignore the naysayers. Plow forward and save your family history and Britain's History. It is a big task. God speed on your journey!
What a gargantuan task. Wow. When the roof is leaking things go south pretty fast. It's probably all overwhelming, everything that needs fixing. I think I would fix the roof first. Glad they got the home back. Wish I could have kept my parents house but couldn't afford it and it needed a lot of work. My old house needs a lot of work and I can't fix it. It's only me and I'm 70 and do work full time but gotta live. I only work at Walmart all night stocking shelves.
At 70 years old?! OMG! I hope you can retire soon. All the best to you! ❤❤❤
Especially in England because we get so much rain
Jus so nice, and refreshing, to see a family work so hard, to regain what was lost to them. Wonderful restoration work and hope they manage to retrieve much of what was auctioned off. Maybe this video will seek the hearts of purchasers of those items that really belong back home :-)
How delightful that they were able to get their beautiful historic house back. ❤
I loved this so much! I appreciated the fact that it took its time and let us drink in the details. Loved the host and her enthusiasm. It really made me feel welcomed along inside with her. Very well done!
I know how it feels, on a much smaller scale, to lose the home and land that's been passed down in your family. It's absolutely gutting. God bless this family for being able to get it back.
Beautiful home, excellent work on the preservation! 💐
What a great vlog, Julie you have a great sense of other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. Thanx
Wonderful episode! What a lovely place to visit, to live, to treasure. I applaud this family.
What a beautiful house. The family really deserves to get back their home.
Kind regards from Germany.
Such a lovely and heart warming story ❤. I love how they never gave up and that has given me more hope. Thank you so much.
What a incredible story and house, I really like as well the freshness and authenticity of the presenter
WOW what an amazing video to watch. The feelings they must have each time a treasure comes home. I hope the man from Houston was able to watch this and see that painting being hung. So awesome!
The stance you had in front of the great hall fireplace , with your left leg and foot turned left is exactly how my jr. high school gf stood , back in '63 . I'm 74 now but flashed on her as soon as I saw that !!!! Great vid , take care 👍
This was lovely .. so pleased the hall has been saved for future generations to enjoy xxx
WHAT FABULOUS VIEWING! Thank you 🎉
Absolutely, magical! Thank you to Julie and the family for sharing this stunning (even in its current shape…if we were 1000 years ago, we would have some cracks and peeling exterior, as well!) estate, your home, with us! I hope to visit one day!
What a beautiful house and wonderful home. God bless
Loved watching this I have been restoring old churches for a very long time and love it very much. Love bringing homes back to life. What a beautiful place I would love to find a restoration job like this .
It becomes fun working on something this gorgeous and lovely.
You can tell that this family really loves the house and their history. I hope that they are successful in restoring it and that they get to enjoy it for many more generations.
Those giant bellows are all over the state of Iowa in the US, at the various heritage sites like Old Threshers in Mt. Pleasant, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum & Library in West Branch, and Living History Farms in Urbandale. I’m sure they are in other states in the US at their historical sites. They’re definitely not in abundance, nor are those skilled in smithy practice found far and wide. This documentary has been a pleasure to watch. Pitchford is a beautiful place! ❤ I’m thrilled to hear they may restore the farrier’s workshop.
Thanks for bringing us this wonderful documentary.
What a charming program. Thank you, Vicountess for a really great tour of this beautiful estate. Enjoyed it a lot ❤
What a wonderful story, her knowledge is amazing and her son would be absorbing it all, I’m pleased she managed to get it back, she loves this house more than anyone who could buy it.
I hope it stays in the family
Absolutely delightful family. Thank them for sharing their home and stories💕💕
The house is jaw-dropping. I love old houses and this is simply stunning. I was fortunate to go to school in an old Elizabethan mansion and it was fantastic. Amazing to regain the family home and I'd love to see it in the flesh so to speak.
What’s a magnificent house and grounds, what a lovely story that the family have it back in their ownership 👏🏻 I was dreaming my way through this video, oh to live somewhere so glorious 🥰
They are incredibly generous and kind people. In glad that Pitchford is once again in their care.
How glad that they got it back... This is heritage. How she must feel returning to the home she grew up in.
Completely enjoyed this program thank you so much
I loved watching this and the family are so fun and interesting. So happy they were able to buy back their history and make more history as a family of Pitchford.
What a beautiful history and wonderful family! Such a fun and enjoyable exploration of the place to watch! Looking forward to how their restoration progresses in the years to come
Im really glad they were able to get their home back. I can imagine how a great a feeling that must be for them. I would love a home like that.
The craftsmanship on the home is beautiful.
So happy for this family that worked so hard to reclaim their family home! It was meant to be!
They belong together.
Enjoyed this program💕 It's good to see that the family was able to get the homestead back. Hope it now stays in the family for many generations to come, ghost and all😊💕💕
Love this video!❤️❤️❤️
What a fabulous story about this beautiful historic house. I have been absolutely riveted.