Weston Hall

After exploring Weston church (see last few days) our group went on to have a tour of Weston Hall, adjacent to the church, which was a real privilege. It's a private, family home and only opens to the public for a few days each year, so we were fortunate to have a guided tour by one of the owners. 

The earliest squires of Weston were the Stophams and the Hall has been passed down through the female line, through the Vavasours, the Carters and now the Dawsons. Christopher Dawson, who inherited the Weston Estate in 2011, is the 32nd Squire. 

Some building work was underway, so I tried to avoid the builders' chute and skip, firstly by hiding them behind a tree (above) and then by desaturating them! (below) The oldest part of the house is the North Tower, the wing on the right with bay windows, which is believed to date from the late 15th century. It's quite amazing inside, with fine plasterwork ceilings, heavy oak panelling and a large Tudor fireplace. As it is a private house we were not allowed to photograph the interior. There are, however, various photos on their website HERE, if you'd like to have a look. I've also found some much older photos HERE, which are amazing. (Croquet on the lawn, anyone? )

Much of the rest of the house was destroyed by fire, so it was rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries, and extended in the 18th, meaning that the exterior isn't symmetrical and the character of the rooms inside is vastly different along the length of the front. It is all very fascinating though, full of interesting pieces, with old family photos and portraits. There can't be many such historic houses still inhabited by the same family line. 

The main entrance is on the west front, in a Georgian style facade, much plainer than the garden side but still attractive. 

In the garden, there's what's known as a Banqueting House or Casino, built around 1600 (late Tudor) by Mauger le Vavasour. This was used for entertaining (not necessarily banqueting as such, though light meals and refreshments may have been taken there). It was apparently once connected to the Hall by a tunnel. It seems to have been the equivalent of a 'man shed'. There was an ancient and dusty snooker table in there, as well as all sorts of bits of sports equipment and oddments. All rather wonderful. 

The Hall sits in a small estate, with a lake, woodland and extensive greenhouses and outbuildings, including an icehouse, built partially underground in 1832 to store ice imported from America. Staff from the Hall would have to climb into it and chip away to get the ice needed in the house. Close to the Hall, the gardens are carefully tended but some of the walled gardens were wonderfully overgrown. It was a photographer's paradise and I'll show some more photos in the next couple of days.