Back in June we took a little road trip.
The sun was shining once again and beckoned us to spend a day outdoors.
We drove to the nearby county of Warwickshire and home to one of only two surviving examples of a medieval moated manor house here in the UK. Baddesley Clinton.
I can’t help but love spending days around pieces of our history. Especially ones with architecture dating back to the Medieval times. Perhaps I’m just a little bit of a nerd. Either way, there is no hiding the beauty of this place.
For that, we have the Ferrer’s family to thank. After all, they occupied this home for some 500 years. They were a moderately well off family, but thankfully didn’t have quite enough pennies to rub together to spare making many modernisation’s to the house. If they did we wouldn’t have this perfectly preserved example of medieval life, they would have upgraded the property to fit in with the fashions of the time as did every other rich home owner throughout the centuries. Instead, they have left behind an example of a property dating back to the middle ages that is almost too good to be true.
The gatehouse, complete with moat surround and bridge make for a stunning entrance to the property. Even more so once you’ve passed through the gatehouse and gone through into the courtyard. We couldn’t have planned a better time to visit this house as the Cherry Blossom and Wisteria were still in full bloom and made the entrance just that little bit extra special to look at.
Baddesley Clinton isn’t without it’s tales and intrigues either.
Towards the end of the 16th century Baddesley became a haven for those fleeing religious persecution. There are a number of priest holes dotted about the property which were used to hide Catholics when the authorities came knocking. The most notable one of these is the one in the kitchen at the bottom of an old drain where 9 men hid while the house was being searched for them.
If hiding men from the law wasn’t bad enough, then there was the incident involving former owner Nicholas Brome. It is said that he killed the minister of Baddesley Church after finding him in the parlour choking his wife. Not to worry though, to pay for his crimes he built the church 10 foot higher and raised the steeple and was forgiven by Pope and King.
There are dozens more tales to learn, just speak to any of the volunteers and pick their brains. This property is well worth spending a couple of hours at. I’ll let you take a look for yourself and see if you don’t agree.
Make sure to add Baddesley Clinton onto your list of places to visit! With so much character you won’t regret it.
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