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After a good morning in central London we took a trip up to Shropshire to have a look at this place. As soon as we arrived in the estate we knew the place would be special. There was a abundance of run down out buildings, a lake, a small church which seemed to be in use still and a house which was occupied, oh and a treehouse!
History :
Pitchford Hall is Grade I listed and one of England's finest Elizabethan half timbered houses. The first record of the estate is in the Domesday Book (1081 - 86)
Historical records relate that a mediaeval manor house existed somewhere on the site from at least 1284 to 1431 and it is possible that portions of the earlier house may survive within the fabric of the west wing. Soon after the three wings were completed a garderobe tower was added to the north east corner, overlooking the brook and rolling parkland. Many of the 16th century arrangements have been altered by successive waves of taste and need, with the exception of the drawing room where the paneling and ceiling are amongst the finest of their type and date back to 1626.
Some time after the Dissolution of the Monasteries (during the reign of Henry VIII) and when Roman Catholics were being persecuted for their religious beliefs, a Priest's Hole was installed in the house. Prince Rupert is said to have hidden there from the Parliamentarians.
Some of the more famous guests to stay at Pitchford over the years include Queen Victoria who as Princess Victoria, aged 13 was entertained at the Hall in 1832 by the then owner 3rd Earl of Liverpool. An extract from her diary recalls "at about twenty minutes to five we arrived at Pitchford, a curious looking but very comfortable house. It is striped black and white and in the shape of a cottage". During her stay she watched the local hunt from the Tree house.
In 1935 the then Duke of York (later George VI) and his wife Queen Elizabeth (now the Queen Mother) stayed. During World War II, Pitchford was one of the houses selected as a place of safety for King George and his wife Queen Elizabeth and their daughters Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The operation to relocate the Royal Family to Pitchford was called the Coates Mission.
Cheers for looking
History :
Pitchford Hall is Grade I listed and one of England's finest Elizabethan half timbered houses. The first record of the estate is in the Domesday Book (1081 - 86)
Historical records relate that a mediaeval manor house existed somewhere on the site from at least 1284 to 1431 and it is possible that portions of the earlier house may survive within the fabric of the west wing. Soon after the three wings were completed a garderobe tower was added to the north east corner, overlooking the brook and rolling parkland. Many of the 16th century arrangements have been altered by successive waves of taste and need, with the exception of the drawing room where the paneling and ceiling are amongst the finest of their type and date back to 1626.
Some time after the Dissolution of the Monasteries (during the reign of Henry VIII) and when Roman Catholics were being persecuted for their religious beliefs, a Priest's Hole was installed in the house. Prince Rupert is said to have hidden there from the Parliamentarians.
Some of the more famous guests to stay at Pitchford over the years include Queen Victoria who as Princess Victoria, aged 13 was entertained at the Hall in 1832 by the then owner 3rd Earl of Liverpool. An extract from her diary recalls "at about twenty minutes to five we arrived at Pitchford, a curious looking but very comfortable house. It is striped black and white and in the shape of a cottage". During her stay she watched the local hunt from the Tree house.
In 1935 the then Duke of York (later George VI) and his wife Queen Elizabeth (now the Queen Mother) stayed. During World War II, Pitchford was one of the houses selected as a place of safety for King George and his wife Queen Elizabeth and their daughters Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The operation to relocate the Royal Family to Pitchford was called the Coates Mission.
Cheers for looking
