I am currently reading Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited for the first time, and inevitably I found myself wondering whether there is a real-life property which served as the inspiration for the stately home occupied by the family of Sebastian Flyte, the close friend of the protagonist Charles Ryder. My mind instantly drifts to Yorkshire and Castle Howard, which was famously used for the filming of a TV serialisation of the novel in 1981, and again in 2008 for a feature film. However, on further digging I discover that the property which at least partly served as the inspiration for Brideshead was Madresfield Court near Malvern in Worcestershire, home of the Lygon family for nearly 900 years. One of the family’s sons, Hugh Lygon, was a friend of Waugh, and it was he who was partly the inspiration for Sebastian.
Madresfield also played a role in two other works by Waugh. The author wrote most of Black Mischief while at the property in 1932. Then, in 1934, in A Handful of Dust, Madresfield was turned into Hetton Abbey.
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| Madresfield Court - geograph.org.uk - 816042. Photo by Angus McCulloch, via Wikimedia Commons. |
The history of Madresfield Court dates back to the 12th century, when the original house was built. However, the current house is Victorian, with 160 rooms, and surrounded by a moat. The gardens and house are open to visitors on pre-booked guided tours only (running from April until June in 2023). The interior of the house is notable for its many works from the Arts and Crafts movement. The gardens cover an area of 69 acres, having been enlarged in 1865. The grounds include a pet cemetery where the animals who have lived at the house over the years are buried. The gardens are enhanced by the sight of the nearby Malvern Hills, which form a dramatic backdrop.
