Image Credit:  Madresfield Court - Mark Connell Wiki Commons 2.0

Madresfield Court and St Michael and All Saints Great Witley Church

Wednesday 20 May 2026

Thirty four members enjoyed a day-long trip to Worcestershire for guided visits of these relatively unknown gems.

Madresfield is spectacular in both its setting and architectural splendour.  Dating back more than 900 years and in the ownership of the same family throughout this time, the property and estate have never been sold and are still lived in by the family today.  One outstanding feature of the house is the pronounced feeling it gives off of being an abiding family home.  We were able to visit both the gardens and the house itself, where 10 rooms in all, including the library, chapel, dining room, drawing room and long gallery, were available to us.  Wonderfully and abundantly furnished by the family - avid collectors all! - over the centuries, we were witness to what previously captivated such illustrious visitors as Edward Elgar and Evelyn Waugh.  Indeed, the house is said to have inspired Waugh to write Brideshead Revisited and Hugh, one of the seventh Earl Beauchamp’s children, to be recreated in the character of Sebastian Flyte.  Our guides were informative, knowledgeable and good humoured as they took us around.

In the afternoon, having had a pleasant lunch in the tea rooms of Witley Court, we visited the crypt and parish church of St Michael and All Angels.  It is very rare to discover a Baroque church in the English countryside and this is a wonderful example of the period.  Built between 1732 and 1735 in a rather plain interior, it now has papier-mâché shapes decorated in pure gold  covering its walls and ceiling.  These were added in the late 1740s by the Duke of Chandos from his estate, Canons in Edgware.  Inside these gold frames are dozens of paintings by the Italian 17th Century artist, Antonio Bellucci.  The 10 stain glass widows were also added by Chandos at this time. The current churchwarden took us through the church’s history, emphasising how much restoration has taken place in the past 50 years and how much is still ongoing. Unsurprisingly, the church is listed as one of the finest 300 in England. 

Our thanks are due to our Chair, Linda Chan Jones and her team,  for a truly wonderful visit which will live long in the memories of all those present.