Wightwick Manor

It's one of life's strange little oddities that you can ignore attractions on your own doorstep and yet happily go to places that are miles and miles away. Wightwick Manor comes firmly under that category for me - I'd never visited despite it being one of Wolverhampton's finest historic houses, so with a National Trust day pass at my disposal it was time to put that right...

- The Big Mend Underway -

Set within 17 acres of woodland and gardens, Wightwick Manor is a magnificent Victorian property built by the Mander family of prominent Wolverhampton industrialists. The house is noted for its Arts and Crafts sensibilities and 'Old English' style of architecture, having been designed by Edward Ould and constructed between 1887 and 1893. Owned by the National Trust since 1937, the building is currently undergoing careful external conservation (The Big Mend Project) hence the presence of lots of scaffolding across the main elevation. 

- Autumnal Aspects -

Despite the exterior being partially hidden from view, some fine details can still be detected in the form of barley-twist chimneystacks, oriel windows and decorative bays, not to mention examples of stained glass, elaborate stonework and bargeboards. The distinctive timber frame is cosmetic rather than structural but nevertheless needs repair to ensure it survives intact for future generations to enjoy. 

- Ripening Pumpkins -

Again aspiring to Arts and Crafts ideals, Wightwick's gardens were designed by Thomas Mawson and feature formal landscaping aspects along with ornamental pools, orchards and an intriguing mathematical footbridge; said to be a replica of a similar structure in Cambridge, it crosses Wightwick Bank in connecting the main grounds with a patch of woodland. The kitchen garden is used to grow seasonal produce, hence there being pumpkins aplenty.

- Security Scarecrow by the Peach House -

Also part of the kitchen garden are rhubarb and cabbage beds, all presided over by a friendly-looking scarecrow with a pair of binoculars. Dating from 1891, the Peach House is a heated glass conservatory used for growing stone fruits although the prime specimens in there at the moment seem to be of the knitted variety, part of a trail for excitable youngsters to investigate.

- Reflections on Wightwick's Interior -

As for the manor house itself, it is rightly renowned for its displays of William Morris wallpaper, oriental ceramics and refined furnishings. Of particular note is the Pre-Raphaelite collection of paintings and artworks by the likes of Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Edward Burne-Jones, Elizabeth Siddal and Evelyn de Morgan. The paintings weren't originally part of the Mander family home but have been amassed under National Trust stewardship from the 1930s onwards.

- The Billiard Room -

The living quarters importantly capture a sense of domesticity rather than just acting as a museum piece or an art gallery, and I like the homely nature with which things presented. From the drawing room to the grand parlour to the bedrooms upstairs, you really get a feel for late Victorian high class society, and I rather fancy the idea of being an Edwardian gentleman socialising in the Billiard Room! 

- Pegging out the Laundry -

For all the opulence on show, the other side of the coin isn't forgotten and there is insight into the lives of Wightwick's servants too. A series of kitchens and pantries feature maid costumes and mock food dishes (plastic fruit, pretend pies and even a prize-winning handstitched leek) while the laundry room has heavy duty mangles and pegged-up washing to peruse. 

- A Final Look -

Also part of the wider site are a shop (with plants for sale), a stable yard tea room and the Malthouse Gallery (showcasing further works from the De Morgan Foundation). My own explorations conclude with a woodland stroll, discovering the adventure play area, and a closing glance at the main elevation again. With the weather as good as it ever gets for October, Wightwick was a wonderful way to pass a sleepy Sunday morning. Cheers!