Middleton Hall - May Day Festivities

On Monday D and I went to Middleton Hall to the May Day Festivities Event. I must admit this is quite out of character for me as I usually avoid places like this on bank holidays as they are always so busy but I was quite keen to take part in the Green Man Trail in the Walled Garden.

Middleton Hall is comprised of a range of buildings covering English history from Saxon times to the present day. Therefore, seven centuries of English domestic architecture can be seen at this location.

From the 15th century until 1925 the Hall was owned by the Willughby family who were given the title Lords of Middleton.

By 1980 the Hall was derelict and in a bad state of repair and the Middleton Hall Trust was formed. Volunteers have gradually renovated the buildings and gardens.

Timothy insisted I remove his scarf but was far too hot in his jumper - he needs some summer wear!

The moat may have been part of the original Hall dating from the 12th or 13th century.

The Jettied building is a traditional Tudor oak-framed building built in 1530. The word "jettied" refers to the first floor which protrudes over the ground floor and thus takes the weight of the windows. Queen Elizabeth I visited Middleton in 1575 and stayed in the jettied building knighting Sir Francis in the Great Hall during her stay. In those days the windows would not have contained glass but shutters would have been in place to keep draughts out.

The John Ray building is dedicated to the person of the same name who is known as the father of English History and was an important botanist. He lived at the Hall from 1660-1673 and used this building as his living quarters. It is believed that, together with his friend Francis Willughby, he wrote the first scientific treatise on ornithology and also the first significant catalogue of British plants. (More on John Ray and Francis Willughby later in the post).

This archway near the Walled Garden is apparently hard to date but it was not originally constructed here but nearer the Hall and may have been the archway over the moat near the jettied building. It was moved to its current location in the 1850's.

The gardens were first established in the early 1700's by Thomas Willoughby and the first Baron Middleton (1672-1728). Restoration began om 1984. The heated garden wall dates from the early 18th century and is one of the earliest examples.

This Mulberry Tree is around 190 years old and was planted in the 1820's.

I can see some animals in the topiary - perhaps giraffe, rabbit and squirrel?

The two-storey Gazebo is Grade 2 listed and originally may have been a place where tools were stored downstairs and the first floor used as a viewing platform to look at the garden. It initially had a flat roof and the present roof was added 1924-1926 when a John Averill owned the Hall. It was restored by the Trust in 1985.

We spent some time looking for the Green Men and found 10 in total. The correct amount and we won a Middleton Hall pencil as a prize :)

The Orchard

Maypole dancing was taking place on the lawn in the distance. The white building was the last main extension to the building and was constructed in 1824.

I think this is a model of nearby Middleton church.

One of the attractions of Middleton Hall for me is the connection with the naturalists John Ray and Francis Willughby so I went into the John Ray building before we left.

John Ray (1627-1705) was a philosopher, writer, cleric, traveller and taxonomist. His books on botany - "Historiae Plantarum" and "Methodus Plantarum Nava" were published in 1682.

Ray's system of plant classification was in use in England until the second half of the 18th century when it was gradually replaced by the Linnean method.

When he was at Cambridge he spent most of his time studying natural history and this later became his main occupation. His first book on plants "Catalogus plantarum circa Cantabrigiam nascentum" was published in 1660. He wrote many books on botany, zoology, theology and also literary works. At Cambridge he was elected a fellow and appointed as a lecturer where he remained in this position until 1662.

Francis Willughby (1635-1672) grew up at Middleton and was educated at Bishop Vesey Grammar School in nearby Sutton Coldfield and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was a well known mathematician and natural historian and was an early associate of The Royal Society.

Ray and Willughby travelled together in Britain and the continent in the 1660's after they had left Cambridge. Archives at the Hall contain illustrations, of birds, fish and flowers collected by them both. Francis died at Middleton Hall on 3rd July 1672 at the early age of 36. In his will he left John Ray £60 per annum to publish Francis's research on birds and fish which Ray duly did.

John Ray died on 17th January, 1705. His greatest work was "The History of Plants" which consisted of 3 folio volumes.

The Stone Building was built in 1285 for Sir Philip de Marmin whose family also built Tamworth Castle and is the oldest building on the site. It was restored in 2006. It is a typical manor house based on a Norman design and the ground floor would have been used for storage with a Great Hall on the upper floor. It may be the oldest domesticated building in Warwickshire and the barrel-vaulted roof is quite rare. Excavations have revealed that there was probably an earlier timber-framed building.

There were several other buildings I didn't have time to visit on this occasion and there is a lovely woodland walk and the area around Middleton Pool is good for birds.



Before we left we visited the Courtyard nearby for

cake!

Reference: "Middleton Hall - This Place of Discovery" guidebook.