| Shugborough Hall | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Staffordshire | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Classical,Italianate |
| Location | Great Haywood,Staffordshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°48′00″N2°00′47″W / 52.80005°N 2.01295°W /52.80005; -2.01295 |
| Owner | National Trust, Earl of Lichfield (formerly) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Thomas Wright Samuel Wyatt James Stuart |
| Website | |
| www | |
Shugborough Hall is astately home nearGreat Haywood,Staffordshire,England.
The hall is situated on the edge ofCannock Chase, about 5.8 miles (9.3 km) east ofStafford and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) fromRugeley. The estate was owned by theBishops of Lichfield until thedissolution of the monasteries, upon which it passed through several hands before being purchased in 1624 by William Anson, a local lawyer and ancestor of theEarls of Lichfield. The estate remained in theAnson family for three centuries. Following the death of the 4th Earl of Lichfield in 1960, the estate was allocated to theNational Trust in lieu ofdeath duties, and then immediately leased toStaffordshire County Council. Management of the estate was returned to the National Trust in 2016.[1] It is open to the public and comprises the hall, museum, kitchen garden and a model farm.
The Shugborough estate was owned by the Bishops of Lichfield until thedissolution of the monasteries around 1540, and thereafter passed through several hands, until it was purchased in 1624 by William Anson (c.1580–1644), a lawyer, ofDunston, Staffordshire for £1,000.[2] In 1693, William Anson's grandson, also called William (1656–1720), demolished the existing manor house and constructed a three-story building which still forms the central part of the hall.[3]
William's elder son,Thomas Anson MP (1695-1773), would further extend the house in the 1740s, adding two pavilions flanking either side of the central block. It was Thomas's younger brother, however, who would fund these changes; AdmiralGeorge Anson, created Lord Anson in 1747 andFirst Lord of the Admiralty in 1751, amassed a great fortune during his naval career, and when he died without issue he left the majority to his elder brother.[3] Thomas also died childless and the estate passed to his sister's son, George Adams, who adopted the surname Anson by royal licence.[3]
In 1806, George's son Thomas (1767–1818) was created 1st Viscount Anson. His son, the2nd viscount, would be created 1st Earl of Lichfield in the1831 Coronation Honours. The Earl led an extravagant lifestyle and amassed several large debts, which, in 1842, forced him to sell the entire contents of the house in a two-week-long sale. WhileThomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield did much to restore the house and contents to its former glory, by the time his son inherited the estate it was heavilymortgaged.
In 1831, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent, the futureQueen Victoria, then 13, visited Shugborough with her mother, theDuchess of Kent, as part of an extensive tour of the country. The young princess stayed with many local landowners at the time, includingJohn Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury.[4]
Passing from east to west through the southern part of the park is theTrent Valley Line, planned in 1845. The railway runs underground in the 777-yard (710 m)Shugborough Tunnel and therefore has minimal visual impact. The tunnel entrances, which arelisted grade II, are highly decorated, in particular the western approach which dates from 1847. The drive to the hall is carried over the tunnel by a bridge, about 380 yards (350 m) north-west of the Lichfield Lodge, which also dates from 1847 and also listed at grade II.[5] The double-track line is part of theWest Coast Main Line, running north-west betweenColwich Junction andStafford.[6]
Following the death of the 4th Earl in 1960, an agreement was reached whereby the estate would pass to theNational Trust in lieu of death duties. The deal was finalised and the house opened to the public in 1966. The estate was immediately leased to Staffordshire County Council, who managed and maintained it on behalf of the National Trust, withPatrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield retaining an apartment in the hall until his death in 2005, paying a nominal rent to the new owners.[3] His successor, the 6th Earl, decided to relinquish the lease of the apartments, thus severing the family's direct links with the estate.
In 2016 Staffordshire County Council handed the estate back to the National Trust, with 49 years remaining on its lease. The move is expect to save the council £35 million, with the Trust intending to renew investment in the property.[1]
The grounds and mansion house are open to the public. The attraction is marketed as "The Complete Working Historic Estate", which includes a working model farm museum dating from 1805 complete with a workingwatermill,kitchens, adairy, a tea room, and rare breeds of farm animals. Originally restored in 1990, the estate's brewery is England's only log-fired brewery that still produces beer commercially. Previously used only on special occasions, the brewhouse has been a working exhibit since 2007, operated byTitanic Brewery.[7]
Since 2011 the private apartments have housed an exhibition of the work of Patrick Lichfield. His cameras and lighting gear have been set up in a recreation of his studio, and there is a gallery of some of his most famous photographic subjects.[8]
Thestate rooms at Shugborough Hall include The State Dining Room, The Red Drawing Room, The Library, The Saloon, The Verandah Room, The Anson Room and The State Bedroom. These contain some of the most opulent and highly decorated interiors in the hall.[9]
The Verandah Room contains a 208-pieceporcelain dinner service commissioned to commemorate Admiral Anson's circumnavigation of the globe inHMSCenturion. The dinner service was offered to Admiral Anson in gratitude for assisting in fighting the huge fires that were destroying the merchant district in Canton.[citation needed] (Story narrated by Shugborough guide October 2015). The State Bedroom overlooks the terrace and was occupied by Queen Victoria during her childhood visit.[9]
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The private apartments were the living quarters of 5th Earl and his family until 2010. The Boudoir, with its silver giltwallpaper, is the only room in the hall with hand-painted ceilings with gold detailing. Other rooms include TheLilac andYellow Bedrooms, The Sitting Room and the completely circular Breakfast Room.[10]
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In about 1693, William Anson (1656–1720) demolished the old house and created a new mansion.[2] The entrance front, then facing to the west, comprised a balustraded, three-storey, seven-bayed central block. In about 1748 his great-grandson Thomas Anson (1767–1818) commissioned architect Thomas Wright to remodel the house, which was extended with flanking two-storey, three-bayed pavilions linked to the central block by pedimented passages.[2]
At the turn of the 19th century, the house was further altered and extended by architectSamuel Wyatt. The pavilions and passages were incorporated into the main building, and a newporticoed entrance front with tenIonic pillars was created at the east. These pillars resemble carved stone but are hollow timber structures.[2] This was done forThomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson and his wife Anne Margaret Coke, daughter ofThomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, whom he married in 1794. The hall, as it is seen today, is built in aneo-classical style and encased inslate, sanded to resemble stone.[3]
Like many landowners of his time, Thomas Anson (1695–1773) took a keen interest in the landscaping of his parkland. The land around Shugborough was largely flat, which ensured that trees, follies and water would play an important role in shaping the landscape.[11] The grounds contain a number offollies, many of which, such as The Chinese House and two Chinese-style bridges, have aChinese theme, in honour of Admiral George Anson. Admiral Anson, who had visitedCanton, left a considerable sum of money to his brother Thomas Anson when he died, which was used to develop the hall and estate.[11] The Chinese House and the red iron footbridge are both grade I listed.
In 1760, Classical architectJames Stuart was employed to design a number of monuments. Stuart had visited Athens in the early 1750s, and Ancient Greek influences are obvious at Shugborough. Stuart designed for Anson a copy of theChoragic Monument of Lysicrates and a grade I listed triumphal arch based on theArch of Hadrian inAthens.[12]
The Shepherd's Monument is a stone andmarble folly within the grounds of Shugborough hall, engraved with the inscriptions"O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V" and"D.M.". The monument has been internationally well-known since 1982, when the bookThe Holy Blood and the Holy Grail drew attention to the mysteriousShugborough inscription. Carved byPeter Scheemakers, theories have abounded, including some which suggest it may indicate the whereabouts of theHoly Grail.[13]
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