Neil Thomas visits a stately home near Bridgnorth, a gem in the National Trust’s crown.
Art, nature and beauty enrich our lives in many ways and nowhere are they more apparent than at Dudmaston Hall.
This elegant estate near Bridgnorth is one of the architectural jewels in Shropshire’s crown.
It is far more, though, than a grand period piece. Dudmaston Hall is also a family home, for Mark and Elfrida Hamilton-Russell and their children Oscar and Rachel. Here, the daily routines, delights and dramas of family life are played out. This is living, breathing history in action. And it is some history! For Dudmaston Hall has been owned by the same family for nearly 900 years!
The Hamilton-Russells are writing the latest chapter in what must surely be one of Britain’s longest, most colourful family sagas. Happily, nowadays, we too can be a small part of the story. You and I can call Dudmaston home – if only for a few hours and in our vivid imaginations – thanks to a farsighted partnership between the family and the National Trust, the UK’s leading conservation charity.
There is no shortage of public interest. The estate attracts 250,000 visitors a year, says Alexandra Blakeman, the Trust’s Senior Communications and Marketing Officer for Dudmaston.
“Dudmaston is a rarity in that there aren’t many active, lived-in homes amongst the National Trust’s many houses,” Alex continues. “Aside from the house, there are 3,000 acres of parkland and woods and four tenanted farms so as well as being a visitor destination where people come to spend their leisure hours, Dudmaston is very much a working estate and source of people’s livelihoods.”
A corollary of this is that the mansion combines architectural grandeur with something of a ‘lived in’ feel, which undeniably adds to its appeal.
The house is closed on Fridays and Saturdays affording the Hamilton-Russell family a measure of privacy and the chance to live ‘normal’ lives.
By contrast, the large section of the estate accessible to the public, in and around the village of Quatt, is open every day. A large portion of this comprises Comer Woods, a hugely popular beauty spot for walkers, runners and cyclists. The woods represent a pivotal part of Dudmaston’s history – in modern parlance you would call it a game-changer. However, more of that later.
It is time to focus on an aspect of Dudmaston Hall that is one of its very special selling points – one of the most important private collections of Modern Art in Britain. It is an integral part of the post-war history of Dudmaston and in some ways puts it in a class of its own on the historic homes circuit.
It features works by some of the 20th century’s leading British artists – sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore and painter Ben Nicholson – as well as pieces by local artists and sculptors.
Two international giants of the genre also feature. There is a fabulously-preserved print by Spanish artist Francisco Goya (1746-1828), one of 82 he created over a decade towards the end of his life. Published posthumously with the title Disasters of War, they are seen as a protest against the horrors of the Napoleonic Wars and their aftermath.
There is also a charming sketch by Henri Matisse (1869-1954), the French impressionist, modernist and one of the undisputed masters of 20th century art.
Five of the historic rooms have been transformed into galleries to exhibit the work while largescale outdoor sculptures also adorn the grounds.
“This is a truly impressive collection, put together over several decades,” says Laura Bishop, Dudmaston’s Senior House and Collections Officer.
It was amassed by Sir George and Lady Rachel Labouchere who started collecting Modern Art in Brussels where Sir George was British Ambassador from 1955 to 1960. He mounted an exhibition of British Modern Art at the Embassy during the 1958 Brussels World Fair.
“Both were passionate art lovers and Sir George was also conscious that British Art had something of a low profile on the continent and he wanted to do his bit to rectify that,” Laura explains.
The nomadic life of an international diplomat prevented the couple making their home at Dudmaston for some years. Indeed, their life in the early 1960s could hardly have been further removed from the idyll of rural Shropshire. Sir George was stationed at the British Embassy in Madrid at a time when Spain was still under the control of the Fascist dictator General Francisco Franco, one-time ally of Adolf Hitler.
This did not prevent Sir George from adding to his collection with paintings and prints by some of most talented Spanish artists of the day, some of whose work clearly demonstrates anti-establishment themes. There is, for instance, Antonio Saura’s El Cine which appears to undermine notable establishment figures. Unsurprisingly, Saura spent many years in exile from Franco’s regime.
It is testament to Sir George’s diplomatic skills that he maintained cordial relations with the General while putting together a collection of subversive art. Over the past winter Laura has been curating a special Spanish gallery at Dudmaston where visitors will be able to view this collection – and perhaps appreciate for themselves the risks the Laboucheres were taking!
As well as acquiring the work of others, wall space at Dudmaston is also given over to paintings by Lady Labouchere, herself a prolific amateur artist throughout her life who was trained by the highly-regarded botanical artist John Nash at Flatford Mill in Suffolk.
“Rachel was a very talented artist, with an enduring love of nature, as people can clearly see in her work,” explains Laura. Examples of her watercolours depict some familiar scenes at Dudmaston. She was also an accomplished embroiderer, stitching botanical designs onto chairs, handbags and other objects.
In the late 1970s Rachel curated a gallery space, Inspired by Nature, which has undergone a transformation under Laura’s supervision. The gallery, dedicated to the memory of Lady Labouchere, has a new colour scheme and lighting system which highlight afresh the splendid artwork on display.
As a true patron of the arts, Sir George greatly encouraged local and less-feted artists. He commissioned the Wolverhampton-born artist Anthony Twentyman to design sculptures for the garden at Dudmaston in the late 1960s and early 70s, when the artist was already in his mid-60s, and the two men became good friends.
Twentyman’s sculpture The Watcher looks across the pool at Dudmaston Hall. Fascinated by texture, light and shade and natural form, Twentyman used bones, pebbles and water to inspire the shapes in his sculptures. Clearly inspired by the natural beauty of Dudmaston, some of his paintings also hang in Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
Lady Labouchere indulged in another fascinating hobby – the collection of fans. Used at royal courts and aristocratic balls, fans were much more than beautiful and artistic fashion accessories. They expressed a silent language of power and status. The collection dates from 1770-1950 and can be viewed in Dudmaston’s Fanology display.
Laura Bishop brings considerable expertise to looking after the collection and collating exhibitions, with a degree in Art History from Birmingham University and a Masters in Curating. Through study and research, she has amassed considerable knowledge of Dudmaston Hall. It is also a labour of love.
“I’ve been coming here to Dudmaston since I was three,” she recalls. “My mum was an art teacher and I grew up in a house where art was appreciated.” Laura has a dream job in which she is well and truly immersed – she even lives on site.
As you wander the traditional rooms – the panelled Entrance Hall, the Oak Room and sunlit Library with views over the garden and Big Pool – the long shadow of history stretches everywhere. And what a history it is!
Dudmaston first appears in a deed of 1127 when Helgor of Holgate granted a manor called Dodemannestone to a Norman knight, Harlewyn de Butaille, whose family adopted the local name Dudmaston.
The Wolryche family played a prominent role in the estate’s history, dating from 1403 when the heiress Margaret de Dudmaston married William Wolryche of Much Wenlock.
Francis Wolryche was only three when he succeeded his father as head of the family. In 1588, aged 25, he married into the world of powerful Elizabethan lawyers and politicians – an important connection in the estate’s fortunes.
His eldest son Thomas was just 16 and studying at Cambridge when he inherited the estate. As Sir Thomas Wolryche, he served as MP for Much Wenlock.
However, a series of tragedies and misfortunes lay ahead. Sir Thomas’ eldest son Francis inherited Dudmaston aged 41 but it is believed that he struggled with his mental health and the estate was settled on his younger brother John, who like his father was MP for Much Wenlock. He married well – Mary, daughter of the Royal Chaplain Matthew Griffith.
Sir Thomas Wolryche, the 3rd Baronet, was just 13 when he inherited Dudmaston in the late 17th century. On his marriage to Elizabeth Weld, ambitious plans were launched to rebuild the house. However, before this fine new mansion was completed, Sir Thomas died from tuberculosis aged just 29.
The title passed to his 10-year-old son John. However, the 4th Baronet grew up to be a reckless spendthrift, whose life was cut short in his early 30s when he drowned in the River Severn after celebrating a winning day at Chelmarsh races in 1723.
He left the estate with heavy dates and no male heir. It eventually went to his sister Mary on payment of £14,000 of debts – £1.5million today. On her death the estate passed, via an elderly colonel, to a distant cousin, George Whitmore.
George was not the first to die without a direct male heir, the estate passing in 1775 to his 30-year-old nephew William, son of a Southampton wine merchant. He found very little in the house, furniture and silver having been given away! However, William Whitmore began to rebuild Dudmaston’s fortunes, carrying out repairs and improvements. He added new stables, extended the brewery and started rebuilding the estate’s farms.
His son, William Wolryche-Whitmore inherited the estate in 1815 and with his wife Lucy Bridgeman, daughter of the Earl of Bradford, and her welcome dowry, commissioned building work to modernise the old-fashioned Hall.
William died in 1858, leaving Dudmaston to his sister Mary Dorothea’s husband, Reverend Francis Laing, vicar of Quatt. For six years the house was let to an Australian sheep farmer before, once again, being occupied by the family.
Then in the early 20th century came the ‘game-changer’ alluded to earlier. In 1908, 27-year-old Geoffrey Wolryche-Whitmore became agent of Dudmaston. He had trained on the progressive estates of Apethorpe in Northamptonshire and Buscot in Oxfordshire. Farsighted and bursting with enthusiasm and fresh ideas, he travelled to Germany to study modern methods of forestry – and his vision and pioneering work was to save Dudmaston from economic ruin.
In 1910 he planted 200 acres of woodland on sandy soil unsuitable for farming and established a hugely profitable sawmill. He was interested in ornamental planting too, becoming one of the first in England to grow the dawn redwood from seed collected in 1948 after its rediscovery in China. His use of different conifers, such as Douglas fir and Corsican pine, was pioneering in its day, and he became recognised as one of the country’s leading forestry experts.
The planting and harvesting of fast-growing trees helped Dudmaston to survive the long agricultural depression that gripped the country between 1920 and 1934. At the 1951 Festival of Britain, a model of Dudmaston was chosen to demonstrate an estate with integrated farming and forestry. He was President of the Royal Forestry Society (1944-46), receiving many of its awards including one of the first Gold Medals in 1961.
“It is no exaggeration to say that Geoffrey was ahead of his time, saved Dudmaston and made it what it is today,” says Alex Blakeman.
Geoffrey had no children and it was agreed in 1952 that the estate would be inherited by his niece Rachel on the understanding that Dudmaston would eventually be passed to the National Trust.
“There is something of a history of Dudmaston passing through the family’s female line,” Alex reflects.
Geoffrey Wolryche-Whitmore died in 1969 and his wish was fulfilled in 1978 when Dudmaston was gifted to the National Trust by Lady Labouchere. When she died in 1996, the mansion, in accordance with her wishes, became the family home of her Hamilton-Russell cousins.
Mark Hamilton-Russell reflects: “Having succeeded my Great Aunt upon her death, we, and my parents before us, are still continually finding new and exciting places to explore in this peaceful and tranquil corner of the county.
“It is our hope that, working together with The National Trust, we continue to add to the fusion of old and new which gives Dudmaston its unexpected unity – and Elfrida, I and our children Oscar and Rachel welcome you to our home and hope that you get as much quiet enjoyment and restorative effects from the estate as we do.”
It is clear that so many people do indeed derive immense pleasure from Dudmaston and its grounds. Under the National Trust’s stewardship, many amenities and activities for visitors of all ages have been added.
Countryside car parks in Comer Woods, Hampton Loade and the Sawmill are open all year round. Charges apply with parking free for National Trust members. Dogs are welcome in Comer Woods, with on and off lead areas.
Takeaway food and drink are available from the Comer Woods Café. Outdoor seating is available, with some covered seating in Heath Barn. There are toilets in Heath Meadow, close to the Café.
The trails in Comer Woods are evenly-surfaced and suitable for children and all-terrain baby buggies. There is play equipment just off the Explorer trail in Heath Meadow, with wooden obstacles, tight ropes and swing bars, suitable for children aged five and over.
The Explorer Trail is a multi-surface path open for walking, cycling and running. The all-year paths are also accessible for wheelchair users to get closer to nature.
In partnership with Sport England, the National Lottery and The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, Dudmaston is part of a national project to provide multi-use trails, giving us all the opportunity to explore more of the estate than ever before.
Covering 457 acres, it is clear to see that Comer Woods is a working woodland for nature, people and wildlife.
“Forestry and woodland management, which saved the whole estate from financial ruin in the 20th century, is still an important part of our work today,” Alex adds.
Three pools, named Brim, Seggy and Wall, offer an opportunity to pause, reflect and watch out for wildlife on the water. The layout also allows the visitor to connect the trails to venture out of Comer Woods and further onto this wonderful estate.
Our leisure time is precious and it is difficult to think of a more agreeable way to spend it than at Dudmaston Hall. It is a gem.
