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Baddesley Clinton

With RoadTour you can hear about Baddesley Clinton and over 1500 other UK Heritage sites via your SatNav or Mobile as you drive! Pub & Restaurant guides also available. Buy RoadTour now online for your vacation to the UK...

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“Baddesley Clinton was originally a 13th century fortified manor house, founded by Thomas de Clinton. During its Elizabethan heyday the house became a refuge for Catholics who found themselves on the "wrong side" of the Reformation, relying more on concealment than defence. Baddesley Clinton has seen little change since 1633 when Henry Ferrers- 'the Antiquary'- died. Henry Ferrers was Squire at Baddesley for almost seventy years and remodelled the house over a long period of time, introducing much of the panelling and chimney pieces. Henry was proud of his ancestry and began the tradition at Baddesley of armorial glass, which has continued to the present day. He was also a Catholic in a largely Protestant country. His quiet but dogged resistance helps to explain the survival of Catholicism in this part of the Forest of Arden, but he was eventually imprisoned. In the early 1590's Henry leased the house to two daughters of Lord Vaux who were devout Catholics. During their time the house became a secret meeting place for Jesuit priests; hiding holes, known as Priest Holes, were constructed and can be visited today. When the house was raided in 1591 by the Protestant authorities, seven priests were successfully concealed for four hours, ankle-deep in a converted sewer. Despite these troubled times the house remained in the Ferrer family for many hundreds of years. The decoration and furnishings also bear the stamp of Marmion Ferrers, and his wife Rebecca who continued to embellish the house with stained glass and heraldry and re-built a sumptuously furnished Catholic Chapel. Today it is one of the most picturesque National Trust properties and the gardens are an enchanting treat including ponds, a walled garden, lakeside walk and nature trail. ”

Address:

Rising Lane
Knowle, West Midlands
B93 0DQ
Visit Website

Opening Hours:

Feb - Nov: Wed - Sun 1:30 - 5

Prices:

Adult: £8
Child: £4
Family: £20

Facilties:

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“Brilliant information, have used several of the pubs and visited many of the properties. Some that I didn’t know were so close to home. Keep up the good work.”
Steve, UK

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Graham, London

“The content is good and the level of detail about right, enough to pique your interest but not so much that you feel you're attending a lecture.”
Sam, Manchester

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John, UK

“The Audio commentary on the Garmin was well narrated and definitely had the feel of the audio guides you get when you are walking around the landmarks themselves”.
Linda, New Jersey

“Finding atmospheric pubs with good food is always a challenge when you don't know the area and can be stressful when you're hungry and tired!!”
David, Essex

“Road Tour has found us some great pubs which have made our journeys all the more enjoyable. Every place it's suggested has been a winner.”
Nikki, Cambridgeshire'

“The heritage commentary is really informative and entertaining – it’s great to discover the background to the brown tourist signs we normally whizz by on the motorway.”
Michael, Reading

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Guy, London

“It doesn't intrude on the journey it complements it with just enough information if you are not stopping at the attraction.”
Robin, Scotland