Hotels near Packwood House

Packwood is a Tudor manor house with a spectacular walled garden and an unusual 17th century topiary yew garden based upon the theme of the 'Sermon on the Mount'.

Dating from 1556, Packwood House was built by John Fetherston, as a modest, timber framed building, which forms the main part of the house that we see today. The oak frame is now concealed beneath a rendered finish.

During the 17th century, a later John Fetherston, added the brick stables and outbuildings. He also created the Yew Tree Garden that represents the 'Sermon on the Mount'. Beyond the walled garden, the ground slopes up with an avenue of twelve yew trees represent the Apostles, with four large yews being the Evangelists. The yew avenue leads you to the top of the hill, upon which there is 'The Mount'; a large dome earthwork covered with yew trees, through which a narrow spiral path running to the top, brings you out beneath a single yew tree known as 'The Master'. From here you have an elevated view back to Packwood House between the narrowing yew trees.

The industrialist, Alfred Ash, bought Packwood in 1903, and it was his son, Graham Baron Ash, that restored the house during the 20's and 30's to its former Tudor style, removing much of the additions of the Georgian and Victorian era, and converting the farm's barn into a Tudor Hall linked to the main house by a Long Gallery. Ash introduced reclaimed materials from other properties in the area during his restoration, along with much 16th and 17th century fine furniture, tapestries and stained glass.

The walled garden at Packwood is a riot of colour, with it's herbaceous borders bulging with plants and flowers. A sunken garden has herbaceous borders framed by a yew hedge and enclosing a small lawn with inset pond and sculpture. The garden elevation of Packwood House is itself a canvas for climbing plants including wisteria, climbing hydrangea and clematis. Borders are planted in colour ranges from cool whites and mauves in some, to hot reds oranges and yellows in others.

For photographers, the garden at Packwood House offers an endless stream of photographic opportunities. Around every corner there is interesting planting, gates, doorways, sundials, hedges, the lake, cattle and sheep. My son even photographed mating frogs in the sunken garden!

An owner of Packwood House must've had either a fascination for sundials, or a timekeeping issue, because there are more sundials and clocks on buildings at Packwood, than any other place I've visited. It has also occurred to me that all the sundials are vertical, unless I missed a horizontal one. At the rear of the house in the centre of a grass circle, stands a column supporting a cube of stone, capped with a ball and pyramid, and with four unique sundial designs on each of it's vertical faces. All of the sundials at Packwood use the same colour theme of gold Roman numerals on a powder blue background.

Opposite Packwood House are the stable buildings and kitchen garden. The Packwood estate extends to the right of these, where you'll find a pleasant walk along an avenue of lime trees.

The house has a wheelchair accessible entrance, but there are many steps even on the ground floor. Several sets of stairs with handrails to reach other floors. The Great Hall can be viewed from the Long Gallery doorway. Parts of the garden adjacent to the house are wheelchair accessible. Some gravel paths.