Summary
A superb Jacobean country house set in spacious landscaped gardens, with
Baroque state rooms and lovely countryside walks.
The House
Ragley is the seat of the Seymour family,Marquesses of Hertford. The
Seymours count among their forbears Jane Seymour, third wife of
Henry VIII.
Ragley Hall is associated with some of the most famous British architects
of the Jacobean and classical revival periods. It was designed in
1680 by the architect Robert Hooke as a replacement for
the 'Old Hall' at Ragley. Though Hook was one of the most popular
architects of his day, Ragley is the only one of his works remaining.
The new Hall remained an impressive but fairly empty shell for almost
75 years until the family finally moved in. In 1750 James Gibbs was
called in to decorate the ornate Great Hall in ebullient Baroque style,
and finally, in 1780, James Wyatt added the striking porticoed entrance,
and added his touch to several interior rooms. So here you have, in
one house, examples of some of the finest work of architects acclaimed
as among the best in their respective eras.
Visits to the interior focus primarily on the state rooms. Along the
west front are ranged several saloons and dining chambers, including
the crimson saloon, designed by Wyatt, which features ornate Louis
XIV furnishings. The most striking room in the house is the Great Hall,
designed by Gibbs, with extravagant plasterwork in pink, white, and
gray. A more modern touch is provided by the frescoes on the south
stairs, the work of painter Graham Rust.
The
Gardens and Grounds
The estate at Ragley stretches to over 1000 acres. Some of that is
devoted to managed timber harvesting, but the grounds near the house
offers some very enjoyable opportunities to walk amid landscaped gardens
and enjoy superb views. Near the house are formal walks and terraced
garden areas, while further afield the ground rises to a treed summit,
where a bench is set to allow you to rest your feet and admire the
view back down the tree-lined avenue to the house. Scattered along
the woodland portion of the walks are a variety of modern sculpture.
The gardens include meadow and pririe areas, a spring bulb bank, and
a winter garden.
The Stables
To the side of the main hall is the beatifully proportioned stables,
the work of James Gibbs. Gibbs designed the stables in a
circular shape about a small courtyard, and the symmetry of the design
is quite lovely. Horses are kept on one side
of the stable range, while another wing is devoted to an interesting
exhibition of carriages and coaches, covering several hundred years
of Ragley history. Here you wil find not only the ornate carriages
of the Seymour family, but smaller, more informal traps and utilitarian
transport.
Ragley Hall for Families
There is lots of open space for children to explore, but even more
exciting for the younger generation is the Adventure Playground.
Our children, aged 6 and 11 when we visited, really enjoyed the playground,
and also enjoyed visiting the stables, where they could get a glimpse
of the horses catching the fresh air.
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Episode Leamington in a new style of contemporary town house hotel, is situated in the heart of the picturesque town Leamington Spa. The hotel is ideally located for visiting Warwick and Stratford Upon Avon and is only a short drive from Coventry, Rugby and Birmingham. Each of the hotel's spacious … more >>
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The
Gardens and Grounds 
What
you will see: