Harvington Hall, Harvington, Kidderminster, Worcestershire
Harvington Hall is a moated is a beautiful moated manor house not far from Kidderminster. it's a lovely place to go and visit when you're on your group holidays in Worcestershire and apart from the incredible sense of calm, what's very special about it is the number of priest hides it has - the most found in any house in the entire country. The house was built in the14th century and enlarged considerably 200 years later; it played a huge part in helping Catholic families and clergymen to survive the Reformation and still has some remarkable and very rare Elizabethan wall paintings.
A huge part of the charm of Harvington Hall are the peaceful gardens, including a formal knot garden and courtyard, a wild flower garden, and a moated island where there's a Georgian chapel that has a fascinating history as until 1913 it was the village school - imagine that! It was restored as a chapel and reopened for worship in the 1980s and is still used for worship today.
In the Malt House Visitor Centre you can learn about the history of the hall in more detail and discover the ins and outs of the malting and brewing process. There are family activities and historic games and when you've finished playing you can go to the moatside tea room for homemade cake, big fat scones and a pot of tea, or a light lunch. Round off your visit with a browse in the gift shop, go home feeling glad you found this place. Definitely one to remember.
Opening times vary during the year so check the website before you plan your trip.
T: 01562 777846 All information correct at the time of writing