Himley Hall

Himley Hall is a country house situated in Staffordshire, England. It is situated in the south of the county, several miles from the larger towns of Dudley and Wolverhampton, although closer to villages including Sedgley, Kingswinford and Wombourne. It is a Grade II* listed building

In early days, Himley Hall was a moated manor house, standing beside the medieval church. For over four centuries it served as a secondary home to the Lords of Dudley and their knights. Its occupants included Dud Dudley, whose seventeenth-century experiments in smelting iron ore with coal were carried out nearby. In 1645, King Charles I encamped in the grounds on his way to defeat at the Battle of Naseby during the English Civil War.

In 1628, the Ward family inherited the title Lords of Dudley through the marriage of Humble Ward to the heiress to the Dudley estates, Frances Sutton. Humble Ward was the son of the jeweller and goldsmith to the court of King Charles I. Following damage to Dudley Castle during the Civil War, Himley Hall became the principal family home.

Today's hall dates from the 18th century when John Ward demolished the medieval manor to make way for a great Palladian mansion. The village of Himley was relocated at this time, and its church rebuilt on its present site in 1764. In 1774 John Ward died and was succeeded by his son John junior. He brought in Lancelot 'Capability' Brown to re-design the parkland.

The 180 acres (728,000 m²) of grounds were designed by Capability Brown to include a great lake, fed by a series of waterfalls from a higher chain of smaller pools.

The family left Himley in the 1830s, because it was too close to the Black Country. They instead lived in great grandure on their mineral wealth at Witley Court at Great Witley in Worcestershire.

In 1934 the Duke and Duchess of Kent honeymooned at Himley. The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) spent his last weekend there before his abdication.

After the Second World War, the property was sold to the National Coal Board for £45,000. During its conversion for this new purpose, a fire broke out in, and gutted, the South wing. This part of the house was rebuilt but, unfortunately, not according to its former appearance. The decline in the coal mining industry in the area led to the Hall being once more put on the market. In 1966, it was purchased jointly by Dudley and Wolverhampton County Borough Councils - despite existing within the South Staffordshire council area. The park was opened as a public leisure area. In 1988, Dudley bought Wolverhampton's share, gaining outright ownership.

Himley Park is now a premier events venue playing host to a variety of outdoor events from garden plant fairs and classic vehicle shows to the breathtaking Himley Fireworks display. Visitors may participate in golf, pitch and putt, fishing, orienteering, sailing or just simply a peaceful stroll around the park and picnic. The park is now visited by over 200,000 visitors each year.

Himley Hall supposedly hosts the United Kingdom's second largest firework display (second only to Alton Towers) on Bonfire Night. On 4 November 2006, tens of thousands of spectators gathered to see the display, which is believed to have cost in excess of £100,000.

On 3 November, 2007, Himley Hall hosted another fireworks display. It had a 'film' theme, with pyrotechnic displays navigating around well known theme songs. The event also provided a free bus service to and from the site, theoretically in hope to attract and encourage more spectators to come. The annual Fireworks are also accompanied by Fairground rides, stalls and food wagons.

References

* [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=405813&mode=quick English Heritage;Images of England, photograph and architectural description]