A country retreat in the heart of Worcestershire. The house and garden, originally a stage-set for summer parties, offer a glimpse into life at the turn of the 18th century.
Hanbury Hall is full of fun adventures for all the family. There’s always lots to do to keep little ones busy in the great outdoors, from exploring the playground, to discovering the gardens in a seasonal trail.
Planning your family visit
- Baby changing facilities are located in the Stableyard toilets.
- We request that children over 5 years of age do not ride bikes onsite. Children under 5 with small trikes are permitted. Visitor Reception will use their discrection on the day for other children’s toys.
- Highchairs available in the Courtyard Kitchen.
Ghost Tree Trail
Pick up a free Ghost Tree Trail from Visitor Reception on arrival to take on your walk. See if you can find all the trees and complete fun activities about these eerie but beautiful silhouettes in the landscape.
Don’t miss the original wall-paintings by Sir James Thornhill. Full of drama and politics, they show the birth of Georgian society.
The original formal gardens, designed by George London, have been faithfully re-created. They complement the relaxed later gardens, with orangery, orchards and walled garden.
From the Norman Conquest onwards, the Hanbury Estate was within the boundaries of the Royal Forest of Feckenham. When Feckenham’s royal status was lost in 1629, local families bought up land to increase their own estates – including the Vernon family, who began building the hall in 1701. As the estate passed down through the family, the hall and garden evolved with changing fashions, and now present an impressive 18th-century country retreat.
For family days out look HERE at all their seasonal events.
Books and Babyccinos
Every Wednesday from 10am – 11.30am
Bring your little ones along for storytelling, babyccinos, sensory toys and colouring activities in the Courtyard Kitchen.
Explore the playground
Open 9am until 4.30pm, the playground is situated at the edge of the parkland behind the Stableyard.
With a swing, a slide, climbers and wooden tipis, the playground is the perfect place for little explorers to let off some steam and spend time in nature.
The playground is suitable for children under 12 years of age. Please ensure children are supervised at all times. Assistance dogs only.
The Vernon family home
From their beginnings as the Elizabethan rectors of Hanbury parish, the Vernons became one of the most prominent families in Worcestershire.
The Vernon genes brought forth the famous lawyer Thomas Vernon, several local MPs and a baronet.
However, the same genes also gave rise to a Vernon who created one of the great domestic scandals of the late 18th century, and another who felt more at home in Argentina than the green acres of Hanbury.
Thomas Vernon amassed a fortune as an eminent Chancery barrister for 40 years, as well as becoming Whig MP for Worcester in 1715. He married Mary Keck in 1680 but they had no children, so the estate was passed to his cousin, Bowater Vernon.
Thomas’ legacy at the hall included the wall and ceiling paintings that he commissioned Sir James Thornhill to create. These depict the story of Achilles and, having been recently restored, are Hanbury’s crowning glory.
A young heiress, Emma Vernon (1755–1818) inherited Hanbury in 1771 at the age of 16, using her fortune to alter the sitting room and drawing room. Most notably, Emma was responsible for sweeping away the original early 18th-century garden, in favour of the more fashionable ‘natural’ garden, inspired by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
When Emma eloped with a local curate, her husband Henry Cecil closed the hall and sold all of the furniture. Find her portrait which was painted to celebrate the first of her three marriages when she was 22 years old.
Lady Georgina Vernon (1840–1928) was married to Sir Harry Foley Vernon (1834–1920), a leading figure in the Yeomanry and the first Vernon family member to gain a Baronetcy.
Lady Georgina and Sir Harry took great interest in the care of other people, opening The Mount as a convalescent home for soldiers injured in the Boer War in 1900, and both becoming involved in the Red Cross. Lady Georgina was a Vice-President for many years, responsible for the mid-Worcestershire division. Their convalescent home was moved to another property called Highfield, and at the outbreak of the First World War it became an auxiliary Red Cross Hospital.
References to this are found in local newspaper reports, including one in the Berrow’s Illustrated Supplement which describes: ‘Highfield House Droitwich, equipped as a Red Cross Hospital, with Lady Georgina Vernon in charge.’ Lady Georgina also founded a school for unruly girls and establishing a home for two nurses in order to meet the needs of Hanbury Village.