Blithfield Hall

Blithfield Hall is a Grade I listed country house in Staffordshire, privately owned and standing about 14 kilometres east of Stafford. Its embattled towers and walls rise above a 260-hectare estate of parkland and woodland. The present house is mainly Elizabethan, with a neo-Gothic façade added in the 1820s by John Buckler. Gothic plasterwork inside was carried out by Francis Bernasconi. The Bagot family has lived here since the late 14th century. The house has been restored after difficult times. In 1945 it was sold in a neglected state to South Staffordshire Waterworks Company, which planned a reservoir. The sixth Baron Bagot later bought back 12 hectares and began major repairs. In 1959 the property was auctioned and bought by his wife Nancy. Since 1986 the main part has been owned by the Bagot Jewitt Trust, with the family still living in residence. Visitors can see the Great Hall and other historic rooms. Every September a Monday event brings villagers from Abbots Bromley to perform the Horn Dance. Nearby Bagot’s Wood remains of the ancient Needwood Forest. Bagot goats, a rare breed, graze parts of the estate. The family’s long history is still visible in the landscape and the house.