Witley Court & Gardens

Here's an old image for all keen cyclists, back in 1897 the Kidderminster Cycle Club were on an outing to Witley & stopped off at Stourport Lodge for this photograph, then in 2014 the Kidderminster Cyclists' Touring Club kindly repeated the photo opportunity.

Today our Head Gardener has been on BBC Radio Shropshire at Stokesay Castle, talking with Paul Shuttleworth about butterflies and the Big Butterfly Count.
Download the app or the spotter sheet from the Big Butterfly Count website, head to a sunny spot for 15 minutes and record what you see. Whether it’s in your own garden, local park or an English Heritage garden, all the data collected helps us give a better understanding on how to maintain our gardens.
How many butterflies can you spot today? We would love to see your best butterfly photo.

It's going to be another perfect day for a trip around Front Pool, see Witley from a different angle with many interesting facts along the way.

We might not have a castle, but staff here at Witley are getting behind the #LoveCastles campaign. Our very own staff member Andrea created this felt masterpiece. To find out more about the campaign please follow the link: https://bit.ly/2Nt0Vq1

The monkey puzzle tree sadly lost a large branch. The gardeners used the cooler weather to chainsaw the branch up. The branches are very prickly, next time you visit take a look at the two smaller trees on the north parterre.

We have had a special request to see an image of the Perseus & Andromeda Fountain displaying in it's heyday with almost 130 jets of water, so hope you like this one from approximately 1900-1915.

At the moment the East Parterre is an island of colour surround by the parched lawns. During these dry conditions the gardeners have used water from the basin of Flora to maintain the floral display.

The gardening team are keeping out of the sun this week. Sun hats and sun cream on and even a bit of dancing in the sprinklers.

It's going to be another sunny day for our Lazy Jazz tomorrow, but if you need a cooler spot you can find some shade under one of the magnificent Cedar trees, just bring your picnic & rug! https://bit.ly/LazyJazz

There will be some serious tennis played this weekend, which makes us wonder how serious the matches were when played on this tennis court. It's now within The Garden Tea Rooms, so ponder on that while you're sitting in their lovely gardens with a delicious cream tea!

Sometimes from certain points within the grounds you can let your imagination run away with you & believe Witley is still lived in! So much time has past between these images the first is a postcard from 1870 the second from 2015. Thanks to Chris Whadcoat for the postcard.

Good news: there are some spaces still available on our Behind the Scenes Tours this Sunday 15 July. Pick a tour below and join us as we explore parts of Witley Court seldom open to visitors.

These bright sunshine days seem to highlight little features you may not have noticed before, can you recognise which window gives a view of this scroll work?

It's going to be another perfect day to take a trip around Front Pool, to see things from a different perspective and to find hidden delights, relax and enjoy!

Have you booked your tickets for The Tempest tomorrow night? Set down your blankets and picnic baskets in the grounds of Witley Court, and spend a summer’s evening watching this enchanting production.
Tickets available by calling our Booking Team on 0370 333 1183. http://bit.ly/TempestatWitley

‘Be not afeared. The isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.’
This Friday 6th July, The Lord Chamberlain's Men present Shakespeare's magical tale of shipwrecks and revenge – The Tempest. Bring your blankets and picnic baskets, and enjoy this spellbinding play in the grounds of Witley Court. Tickets available by calling our Booking Team on 0370 333 1183. ✨http://bit.ly/TempestatWitley

This afternoon sees the start of our Lazy Jazz on the Lawn season, which will run every Sunday in July. Grab your picnic rugs (along with a few goodies), sit back, relax and enjoy..

What a fabulous evening of music it was last night, shared with a great audience. So a very big thank you to The Film Orchestra and all the musicians, along with everyone who put in so much effort on such a perfect summer night! Thanks to Hilgrove Kenrick - Composer for this lovely image, too!

Did you know: every Sunday in July you can join us for a lazy summer afternoon of music on the lawns in front of the Court. Bring a picnic to enjoy with friends (or grab a refreshment from our coffee van), and soak up the sounds of jazz in Witley’s spectacular grounds! http://bit.ly/LazyJazz

its so lovely to see this beautiful place has been saved , and all of the staff are awesome

a bit expensive but stunningly beautiful place recommend for visit with familly

We found the entire site to be magical- the fountain was spectacular!

We spent the entire day here with our 3 and 5 year olds, and there's still more to see for our next visit.

The privately owned cafe is beautiful inside, well worth going in for lunch or a coffee.

Visited the Lantern Walk on Sunday and what a lovely couple of hours we had. We so enjoyed seeing the lovely lights and obviously a lot of work has gone it. Will definitely visit next year .

My wife and I can heartily recommend the new electric launch feature on the "Front pool" at Whitley court in Worcestershire.

For a very modest contribution this 15 minute or so journey around the pool is a wonderful addition to this English heritage venue.

You glide through crystal clear water and masses of water lily pads surrounded by beautiful scenery observing waterfowl and the occasional carp and all the time being guided and informed by the operator of the boat who's name I never thought to ask.

A truly lovely experience we hope to repeat.

Philip Westwood, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire

I would just like to say what a magical evening we enjoyed at Witley Court lantern festival on Sunday night. It was really lovely to just enjoy such a beautiful sight of witley at night. The trail of lights were beautifully understated and in keeping with the period of the architecture. It was really wonderful to just spend time with my family enjoying each others company in this fantastic setting, the lit up fountain being a particular highlight. Well done witley and thank you! A great evening was had by all of us old and young. � Can’t wait til next year.

I went to the latern festival at Witley Court and absolutely loved it. It was so magical because it wasn’t overly commercial and I would say one of the best Christmas events I’ve been to for a while.



I thought for the first year they did a great job in lighting up the building, fountain and bridge across the lake. The lanterns on the floor and trees added to to subtle magic of the evening.



I particularly loved the mirror ball and the fountain lighting. They added a completely different dimension and the glitter ball inspired me to add one to my own garden.



It would be lovely to see it being done again next year and a baked potato stall, hot chestnuts would really add to the atmosphere. However the staff cooking burgers and providing service for teas and hot chocolate. They did a great job for their first Latern evening.

Had an absolutely wonderful day here on my Birthday! Very friendly staff, happy to help and advise, great tour guide given too! Couldn't have asked for a better day to spend the day with my family here - from Swansea xxx

Had a fantastic day out, really proud to be a supporter of English heritage when I see the wonderful work they did making the ruins safe fir visitors without being obtrusive. Also the gardens are immaculate and the fountain and lake are just gorgeous. A good day out for the family.

Fantastic afternoon out. Brilliant introductory 15 minute talk at no extra cost from super knowledgeable volunteers to set the scene. Loved exploring the house, church and gorgeous gardens in spring ��

Brilliant Day lots to photo and the icing on the cake a trip in the boat around the lake.

Attended the Victorian event today (first visit here) with a toddler and loved it! The staff were very welcoming, the entertainers were fantastic, the activities were quintessentially Victorian and a great mix of diy and show. We loved meandering around the grounds to hear stories and enjoyed watching a classic Punch and Judy. Some careful arranging must have gone into it. The grounds and facilities were tidy, full of colour and thought. I can't wait to go back and hope that you get more visitors tomorrow (in spite of the weather)!

Attended the Lantern Festival on Sunday evening and had a really good time. The lighting was just right, anything more would have spoiled the magical effect, of being there at night when the house is usually closed. The house looked really good, and I loved being able to see the stained glass lit from inside the church.



Highlight was the fountain, with the multi-coloured lights, which was really special.



I hope this event continues in the future, as it is a great way to see the house and gardens, in a different context. As always the staff where helpful and cheerful - well done everyone.

Absolutely beautiful place - so much room for the children to run about and lovely play areas too. We love exploring the ruins (Wayne Manor!) and it was great to see the fountain workingThe children really enjoyed the fab arts and crafts with the two ladies really going above and beyond to make it fun :-)

The house and gardens are absolutely beautiful enjoyed walking around.

The tea room was not on the same level unfortunately, it is not equipped for high visitor levels queued for 35 minutes and waiting about the same for the sandwiches we ordered.

If I were to visit again I would definitely be packing a picnic.

Witley Court is beautiful and a fabulous place to visit so you would assume that their "Lantern Festival" would be a stunning and lovely thing to do before Christmas. Quite frankly it was absolutely rubbish and nothing at all like the photos on the advert. There were battery operated paper lanterns (about 12 of them) in the trees around the lake, one glitterball in the bushes, battery operated tea lights in jam jars sporadically along the path and strings of fairy lights edging the path and that was it. The only colour was the fountain which had been coated in some weird day glo paint. The display was not enchanting, Christmassy, colourful and absolutely did not represent value for money. It was pathetic. We paid good money for this and despite asking at the event, calling customer services and emailing English Heritage the are refusing to refund anyone. They should hang their heads in shame. They are arrogant enough to send patronising emails saying sorry it didn't meet your expectations, but not willing to admit it was rubbish and refund those who paid good money to come along. English Heritage you should be ashamed of yourself. I am disgusted.

Went to the so called lantern festival and was so disappointed. For the price of the tickets I at least expected to see where i was walking. More lights down Teme street

Sadly I think this event was a bit of a flop. The lantern making wasn't a great activity, my children's lanterns fell apart during the walk and the glo-sticks weren't bright enough to light up the lanterns.

There was a very slow turn around on the burger stall and it was pretty pricey too.

The lights looked pretty but overall the experience didn't feel anywhere near value for money. I was glad to have met friends there as that made it worth going.

Lantern Festival needs to be renamed as " The battery operated tea lights in jars and gold fairy lights on the grass festival"

How any sane person or organisation thinks it's acceptable to charge any money, let alone £10 each for that escapes me .

Shame on you English Heritage.

its so lovely to see this beautiful place has been saved , and all of the staff are awesome

a bit expensive but stunningly beautiful place recommend for visit with familly

We found the entire site to be magical- the fountain was spectacular!

We spent the entire day here with our 3 and 5 year olds, and there's still more to see for our next visit.

The privately owned cafe is beautiful inside, well worth going in for lunch or a coffee.

Visited the Lantern Walk on Sunday and what a lovely couple of hours we had. We so enjoyed seeing the lovely lights and obviously a lot of work has gone it. Will definitely visit next year .

My wife and I can heartily recommend the new electric launch feature on the "Front pool" at Whitley court in Worcestershire.

For a very modest contribution this 15 minute or so journey around the pool is a wonderful addition to this English heritage venue.

You glide through crystal clear water and masses of water lily pads surrounded by beautiful scenery observing waterfowl and the occasional carp and all the time being guided and informed by the operator of the boat who's name I never thought to ask.

A truly lovely experience we hope to repeat.

Philip Westwood, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire

I would just like to say what a magical evening we enjoyed at Witley Court lantern festival on Sunday night. It was really lovely to just enjoy such a beautiful sight of witley at night. The trail of lights were beautifully understated and in keeping with the period of the architecture. It was really wonderful to just spend time with my family enjoying each others company in this fantastic setting, the lit up fountain being a particular highlight. Well done witley and thank you! A great evening was had by all of us old and young. � Can’t wait til next year.

I went to the latern festival at Witley Court and absolutely loved it. It was so magical because it wasn’t overly commercial and I would say one of the best Christmas events I’ve been to for a while.



I thought for the first year they did a great job in lighting up the building, fountain and bridge across the lake. The lanterns on the floor and trees added to to subtle magic of the evening.



I particularly loved the mirror ball and the fountain lighting. They added a completely different dimension and the glitter ball inspired me to add one to my own garden.



It would be lovely to see it being done again next year and a baked potato stall, hot chestnuts would really add to the atmosphere. However the staff cooking burgers and providing service for teas and hot chocolate. They did a great job for their first Latern evening.

Had an absolutely wonderful day here on my Birthday! Very friendly staff, happy to help and advise, great tour guide given too! Couldn't have asked for a better day to spend the day with my family here - from Swansea xxx

Had a fantastic day out, really proud to be a supporter of English heritage when I see the wonderful work they did making the ruins safe fir visitors without being obtrusive. Also the gardens are immaculate and the fountain and lake are just gorgeous. A good day out for the family.

Fantastic afternoon out. Brilliant introductory 15 minute talk at no extra cost from super knowledgeable volunteers to set the scene. Loved exploring the house, church and gorgeous gardens in spring ��

Brilliant Day lots to photo and the icing on the cake a trip in the boat around the lake.

Attended the Victorian event today (first visit here) with a toddler and loved it! The staff were very welcoming, the entertainers were fantastic, the activities were quintessentially Victorian and a great mix of diy and show. We loved meandering around the grounds to hear stories and enjoyed watching a classic Punch and Judy. Some careful arranging must have gone into it. The grounds and facilities were tidy, full of colour and thought. I can't wait to go back and hope that you get more visitors tomorrow (in spite of the weather)!

Attended the Lantern Festival on Sunday evening and had a really good time. The lighting was just right, anything more would have spoiled the magical effect, of being there at night when the house is usually closed. The house looked really good, and I loved being able to see the stained glass lit from inside the church.



Highlight was the fountain, with the multi-coloured lights, which was really special.



I hope this event continues in the future, as it is a great way to see the house and gardens, in a different context. As always the staff where helpful and cheerful - well done everyone.

Absolutely beautiful place - so much room for the children to run about and lovely play areas too. We love exploring the ruins (Wayne Manor!) and it was great to see the fountain workingThe children really enjoyed the fab arts and crafts with the two ladies really going above and beyond to make it fun :-)

The house and gardens are absolutely beautiful enjoyed walking around.

The tea room was not on the same level unfortunately, it is not equipped for high visitor levels queued for 35 minutes and waiting about the same for the sandwiches we ordered.

If I were to visit again I would definitely be packing a picnic.

Witley Court is beautiful and a fabulous place to visit so you would assume that their "Lantern Festival" would be a stunning and lovely thing to do before Christmas. Quite frankly it was absolutely rubbish and nothing at all like the photos on the advert. There were battery operated paper lanterns (about 12 of them) in the trees around the lake, one glitterball in the bushes, battery operated tea lights in jam jars sporadically along the path and strings of fairy lights edging the path and that was it. The only colour was the fountain which had been coated in some weird day glo paint. The display was not enchanting, Christmassy, colourful and absolutely did not represent value for money. It was pathetic. We paid good money for this and despite asking at the event, calling customer services and emailing English Heritage the are refusing to refund anyone. They should hang their heads in shame. They are arrogant enough to send patronising emails saying sorry it didn't meet your expectations, but not willing to admit it was rubbish and refund those who paid good money to come along. English Heritage you should be ashamed of yourself. I am disgusted.

Went to the so called lantern festival and was so disappointed. For the price of the tickets I at least expected to see where i was walking. More lights down Teme street

Sadly I think this event was a bit of a flop. The lantern making wasn't a great activity, my children's lanterns fell apart during the walk and the glo-sticks weren't bright enough to light up the lanterns.

There was a very slow turn around on the burger stall and it was pretty pricey too.

The lights looked pretty but overall the experience didn't feel anywhere near value for money. I was glad to have met friends there as that made it worth going.

Lantern Festival needs to be renamed as " The battery operated tea lights in jars and gold fairy lights on the grass festival"

How any sane person or organisation thinks it's acceptable to charge any money, let alone £10 each for that escapes me .

Shame on you English Heritage.