The history of Spetchley Park

Continuing our history series, we turn our attention to Spetchley Park, a remarkable example of an estate that has stayed within the hands of one family for centuries, with each generation making its own significant contribution to the architecture or landscape. We undertook a major project of restoration with a team led by ADAM Partner George Saumarez Smith, with detailed historic research by Senior Architectural Historian Dr Helen Lawrence-Beaton.

The estate has a long history dating back to 1230. Since 1606 it has had a centuries-long connection with the Berkeley family. Sir Robert Berkeley (1584-1656) was a Royalist, but in 1651 Spetchley became the headquarters of Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester; at that time the original Tudor house was largely burnt down. Given that Sir Robert had lost a great deal of money through his support of the Crown, he chose not to entirely rebuild and instead converted the stables and outbuildings into a habitable residence.

A picture of the house in which the family lived following the fire shows the adapted and extended building with some mid-18th-century additions. The remains of this earlier, extended house survived into the early years of the 19th century. However, the form of the mansion today largely dates from 1811-21, when Robert Berkeley IV (1764-1845) and his wife Apollonia, employed the little-known architect John Tasker to create a new, Greek Revival house on the estate.

Tasker’s design was austere and crisp in its classical detailing, the key focus being the Ionic entrance portico. This was intended to be seen across the estate from the main approach to the southwest that gradually wound across the parkland. Internally, a formal suite of rooms with a dramatic enfilade was created, with a Greek Revival staircase acting as the focus of the composition. A new Catholic chapel was also included in the redesign.

Changes to the property in the 19th century were limited to the redesign of the chapel in a Gothic style and a few minor additions. More significant alterations started in 1907 with the addition of a second floor to the service range. This was followed in 1911 by alterations by the architect Frank Ernest Howard, including a new Venetian window to the main stair hall.

ADAM Architecture was commissioned to work on the house when it had become affected by water damage and the services needed complete modernisation. The principal rooms were reconnected, sash windows restored and 1960s partitions removed to reinstate the original, larger spaces. The kitchen was brought into the heart of the house and new bathrooms were added.

The Regency interiors were redecorated by Kelling Designs, bringing colour and pattern to the house while simultaneously improving comfort. One of the discoveries made during the restoration work was a set of fragile hand-painted panels of Chinese wallpaper, made for the morning room but never hung. Digital reproductions were made of the originals and have now been hung as originally intended.