Ragley Hall

Over het museum

Ragley was given to Evesham Abbey in the year 711 and was sold to the Rous family about seven hundred years later, who built a castle on the site. In the reign of Elizabeth I it was bought by Sir John Conway, and his grandson, the first Earl of Conway, commissioned the architect and scientist Robert Hooke to design the Palladian mansion. Hooke drew up the plans in 1680, but the building took almost another hundred years to finish. James Gibbs added the baroque plasterwork of the Great Hall in 1750, and James Wyatt added the portico and decorated the Red Saloon and the Mauve Room around 1780.

The title of Marquess of Hertford was created for the family in 1793. The 4th Marquess lived in Paris and bought pictures, a collection that passed to his son Richard Wallace and is now seen in the Wallace Collection in London. He never visited Ragley, which was left neglected, and in the Second World War it was used as a hospital and then fell into disrepair. Restoration began after the 8th Marquess moved into the house in 1956.

In 1958 Ragley Hall became one of the first stately homes to open to the public. The state rooms still hold collections gathered by the same family over nine generations, including a large mural on the South Staircase that took 14 years to paint. The estate has formal rose gardens designed by Robert Marnock, heritage stables with a carriage collection, and a park laid out by Capability Brown that hosts events. Today the Hall is a family home that is used for weddings, filming and events, and offers guided tours to pre-booked groups.

Hoogtepunten

• Palladian mansion designed by Robert Hooke
• Baroque plasterwork of the Great Hall by James Gibbs, 1750
• State rooms with collections kept by one family for nine generations
• South Staircase mural, painted over 14 years
• Rose gardens by Robert Marnock and heritage stables with carriages
• Parkland by Capability Brown used for events

Opgericht

1958

Beheerder

Ragley Estate (Marquess of Hertford)

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

The prices of private tours are not published; the events team gives costs and menu choices on request.

Toegankelijkheid

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Kinderen & gezin

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The Hall is near the market town of Alcester in Warwickshire, within reach of Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham.

Service & horeca

Tea and coffee are served on arrival to tour groups, who can pre-book afternoon tea or a buffet lunch. Hillers Farm Shop, with a cafe, garden centre and gifts, is a separate business about 2.5 miles from the Hall.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

The state rooms, the Great Hall, the rose gardens, terraces and the parkland can be hired for weddings, private and corporate events, and the estate is also offered for filming and photography.

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