THE REAL BRIDESHEAD: MADRESFIELD COURT, WORCESTERSHIRE

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.

Madresfield Court - geograph.org.uk - 816042. Photo by Angus McCulloch, via Wikimedia Commons.

The history of Madresfield Court dates back to the 12^th 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.

Map of Madresfield Court and surrounding area.

Map of Castle Howard and surrounding area.

THE REAL HOWARDS END: PEPPARD COTTAGE, OXFORDSHIRE

The Merchant Ivory classic Howards End, based on the novel of the same name by E M Forster, is a story set in the early 1900s exploring relationships spanning three classes: the Wilcox family (headed by Anthony Hopkins as wealthy businessman Henry Wilcox), the bourgeois and philanthropic Schlegels (with Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham-Carter as the Schlegel sisters), and the working class Basts. The film takes in numerous UK locations, most notably in Oxfordshire and London, with a bit of Italy thrown in.

Howards End, a property which forms a focal point in the plot of the film, is a delightful red-brick country house clad in wisteria and surrounded by flower-strewn woodlands. The real-life house is called Peppard Cottage, a 14th-century country house overlooking Peppard Commond in Rotherfield Peppard, near the pretty riverside village of Sonning, between Reading and Henley-on-Thames. It was once owned by Lady Ottoline Morrell, who used to entertain members of the Bloomsbury group there. The cottage was still privately owned at the time of filming and after, but that did not stop fans of the film flocking to take pictures of it. In 2017 it was reported that the property was up for sale, for a cool £3.95 million. Howards End is not the only screen appearance by Peppard Cottage: it was also seen in Poirot, Inspector Morse and Midsomer Murders.

"Howards End" - geograph.org.uk - 558062. Photo by Graham Horn, via Wikimedia Commons

Howards End is in the fictional village of Hilton, and some of the village scenes were filmed in nearby Dorchester-on-Thames, but others were filmed a long way away in Worcestershire. One such featured Bewdley Station, one of the stops on the charming heritage railway line known as the Severn Valley Railway. Prunella Scales as Aunt Juley is seen in front of the City of Truro locomotive at the station. The George Tavern of the film is actually in the village of Upper Arley, between Bewdley and Bridgnorth.

Bewdley Station

Map of Oxfordshire

ENEMY TERRITORY: WITLEY COURT, WORCESTERSHIRE

Love them or hate them, there is one thing about Stephen Poliakoff’s productions that cannot be denied: the filming is always exquisite.  The recent BBC series Close To The Enemy proved to be no exception for its beautifully shot images of a war-torn Britain.  The story is centred around Captain Callum Ferguson (Jim Sturgess) who is tasked with getting a captured German scientist to work for the RAF on developing the jet engine.  Much of the action takes place around a bombed-out London hotel just after World War II, although some critics have commented on the improbably pristine appearance of the rather glamorous cast. 

Many of the street scenes, while meant to be London, were filmed in Liverpool.  However, some of the most arresting scenes involved the ruined but magnificent Witley Court in Worcestershire, where in late April/early May 2015 the film crew turned up with actors dressed in World War II era uniforms and military vehicles, and where Alfred Molina as Harold Lindsay-Jones was filmed driving up to the property and wandering among the ruins.  On a recent visit to the property, run by English Heritage, we met the lady who got one of the property’s fountains going for the filming and who described to us how interminable the filming was, with take after take after take.  

This magnificent property was built in 1655 by Thomas Foley and during the 18^th century the park was landscaped.  Around 1805 the property underwent a major reconstruction by John Nash on the orders of a second Thomas Foley (there were a number of Thomas Foleys associated with the property, which causes confusion for those studying its history).  The grounds feature two magnificent fountains, Neptune Fountain and the Perseus and Andromeda Fountain, currently undergoing restoration.  Later in its life the property became the scene of lavish house parties, with the then Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII)  a regular visitor.  Sadly, all this came to a tragic end in 1937 when a fire started in the bakery and ripped through a wing of the house.  When the property was sold soon after, what was left of it was stripped by scrap dealers, leaving the present-day shell, a haunting reminder of past glories.  One part of the estate which remains intact, however, is the amazing Parish Church of Great Witley, the neighbouring village.  The church is not in the village but next to the mansion, and boasts a magnificent Baroque interior which is completely disproportionate to its size.  No visit to the estate would be complete without looking in on it.

Witley Courth with Perseus Fountain. Photo by Tony Grist, via Wikimedia Commons.

As an aside, in 1967 Witley Court was chosen as the backdrop for a promotional film for Procol Harum’s song A Whiter Shade of Pale.  The band members are seen wandering around the grounds looking artistically moody in their trendy Sixties gear at a time when the property was even more derelict than now.   

Witley Court is  next to the village of Great Witley, a few miles north-west of Worcester.

Map of the area.