A Staffordshire Gardens & Parks Trust Event
Staffordshire Gardens & Parks TrustVISIT TO MIDDLETON HALL GARDENS AND PARK, near TAMWORTH:
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5TH, 2019, AT 2. 00 P.M.
Middleton Hall lies between Tamworth and Sutton. Situated in Warwickshire, just over its border with Staffordshire, the estate covers 42 acres and includes a historic manor house, once the home of the influential naturalist John Ray, who lived at Middleton Hall between 1666 and 1676; a walled garden dating from 1777 and one of earliest example of heated walls in Warwickshire; and the earliest man-made lake in the county, now part of a designated Special Scientific Interest and an RSPB Nature Reserve.
Dating back to medieval times, the house was a family home until 1966, when it was bought by Amey Roadstone, who opened a quarry on the estate. However, the company had no use for the historic house and its grounds, which lay neglected until, in 1977, a group of passing ramblers, appalled by the ruined state of the house asked the North Warwickshire Borough Council to fund its restoration.
Their request was rejected on the grounds that the house was past repair, so the group responded by setting up the Middleton Hall Trust and, with financial support from Amey Roadstone, who granted them £25,000 over the next ten years, set about restoring the house. Since then, the survival of the house and its grounds has depended on the dedication of an army of volunteers, drawing its income from hosting a series of events, including weddings, limited opening to the public, and rental from a number of independent shops.
Recently, the focus has been on restoring the walled garden and surrounding grounds, and the visit will be hosted by Paul, the head gardener, who will tell us about this project.
The visit, which will cost £10.00 per head and will include admission to gardens and park, head gardener’s fee and tea or coffee on arrival, will begin promptly at 2.00 p.m.
VISIT TO MIDDLETON HALL GARDENS: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5TH, 2019
Please reserve ________places for me.
Name ______________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Tel no: ________________
I enclose a cheque for £..............
(cheques should be made out to Staffordshire Gardens and Parks Trust')
Booking forms, together with cheques, should be sent to: W. B. Sullivan, 24 Park Gate Road, Cannock Wood, RUGELEY, Staffs. WS15 4RN (tel. no. 01543 684965) a.s.a.p, but no later than Saturday, September 28th. Alternatively, payment may be made by BACS (see details of the Trust’s account): Account name: Staffordshire Gardens and Parks Trust Limited Company
Sort Code: 40-52-40 Account No. 00012318
Please add payment reference: 'event Middleton'
