Visit – Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens & Middleton Hall

In belated memory of Jean Nicholson, we will be visiting Middleton Hall, near Tamworth. Jean was among a small group of us invited to a memorable familiarisation day at Middleton shortly before she passed away. The house and garden has been renovated by a voluntary trust from the state of near complete dereliction they found it in 40 years ago. Once a principal seat of the Willoughby family, until they removed to Wollaton Hall, Notts, Middleton is the antipode to that architecturally unified ‘courtier’ house, offering instead an almost complete history of vernacular country house architecture from the C13-C19. It was once home to the naturalist Henry Willughby F.R.S and to his protege, John Ray and now houses the Peel Museum of police memorabilia, in recognition of that family’s tenancy of the property in the C19.

We will also visit Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, also restored and run by a charitable trust, to view their famous display of tulips.

Itinerary

N.B: There will be no minibus

10:30 Meet Castle Bromwich Hall

10:45 Introduction

12:30 Travel and lunch

13:45 Garden tour of Middleton Hall Gardens

14:45 Opportunity to visit house

16:00 Depart