The Ruined Mansion

The earliest phase of the Witley Court buildings dates to the 13th century. A substantial new house was constructed on the site at the end of the 15th century, and this in turn was remodelled and extended in the early 17th century.

Thirty years later the estate was sold to the Foley family of industrialists. Initially they extended the house, rebuilt the nearby church and created the lake.

In the final years of the Foleys at Witley Court, the architect John Nash was brought in to modernise the house, particularly the interiors, in the popular neoclassical style.

The estate was then sold to William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley, a rich industrialist.

He had the house remodelled in the 1850s in the new and fashionable Italianate style, as seen at Queen Victoria’s seaside retreat, Osborne House.

He also commissioned W A Nesfield to design new gardens, complete with fantastic fountains, to complement the remodelled house.

The garden was described by one contemporary critic as ‘barbarous in its magnificence’.

Witley Court was owned by some of England's wealthiest families.

Bought from the Foleys in 1837 for the equivalent of around £48 million, the 1st and 2nd Earls of Dudley owned extensive lands across England and Wales.

Many of these estates housed coal mines, a source of considerable income. It's not surprising that the imposing Witley Court became a site of great opulence, with elaborate shooting parties and visiting royalty.

This grand structure was once a vast conservatory.

Lord Dudley's sizeable annual income, equivalent to around £7 million today, meant that he was able to fund improvements to Witley Court such as elaborate formal gardens.

These lavish gardens were a perfect fit for the equally extravagant activities that were to ensue. In 1895, a golf course was laid out.

The grand parties hosted at Witley Court saw armies of servants working behind the scenes.

Permanent staff, including housemaids, a butler and gardeners, totalled over one hundred.

The 2nd Earl of Dudley ran through his fortune. In 1920, the estate was sold to industrialist Sir Herbert Smith.

Although rich, Smith was much more frugal than his predecessor, and vastly reduced the number of staff to just half a dozen maids and a butler. He retreated to the south-west corner of the house, effectively abandoning the rest of Witley Court.

At around 8pm on 7 September 1937, a fire broke out at Witley.

Believed to have originated in a basement bakery and fanned by strong winds, it quickly spread.

But Witley's ruined state is not just due to the fire.

In 1954, the site was bought by an antique dealer from Stratford-upon-Avon, who stripped and sold anything of value that remained: marble chimneypieces, lead and timber from the roof and even the glass from the conservatory.

Luckily, in 1964, a Building Preservation Order gave Witley vital protection. This was furthered in 1970, when the house and surroundings were scheduled as an Ancient Monument.

Witley has been under the care of English Heritage since 1984.

A good example of the care provided by English Heritage can be seen in the Perseus and Andromeda fountain.

Built in the 1850s, and intricately carved in Portland stone, the fountain shows the mythical Perseus flying to the rescue of Andromeda, who has been chained to a rock by the sea god Poseidon.

The scene is surrounded by cupids riding dolphins, and the main jet in the centre is said to have reached a height of 36 metres.

Before Witley was given the protections it so desperately needed, this magnificent fountain was nearly relocated to a traffic island in Worcester.

The beautiful fountain is now back in working order, as it would have been in the times of Lord Dudley's sumptuous house parties.

While it may be a shadow of its former self, the ruin of Witley Court is still a striking and evocative reminder of a lost period of luxury, and a caution on how easily things of value can be lost forever.

Luckily, through the care of English Heritage, visitors will be able to enjoy the majesty of Witley for many years to come.