Madresfield Court
Located near
Great Malvern in
Worcestershire,
Madresfield Court is the ancestral home of the Lygon (Ligon in America) family. Built in
1593 replacing a 15th century building, it was remodeled in the 1800s to a moated Elizabethan house containing about 100 rooms at the foot of the
Malvern Hills, on the
Severn River. It is named after the neighbouring village of
Madresfield.
Madresfield Court was the home of
William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp.
Evelyn Waugh was a frequent guest to the house and was said to have modeled his novel
Brideshead Revisited after the Lygon family. Madresfield Court is currently the property of the late earl's niece Lady Rosalind Morrison.
The chapel at Madresfield Court is sumptuously decorated in the
Arts and Crafts style by architect P.C. Hardwick. The moat is extant.
During World War II, Madresfield Court was a planned place of evacuation for the Royal family.
An annual show was traditionally held here on the August Bank Holiday Monday, certainly during the late 20th Century, and it may still be running today.
Madresfield Court is also the name of a variety of apple, first cultivated at the house.
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National Archive of records ARCHON entry*
BB feature with 360 ° panorama
