Packwood House

Packwood House stands in Packwood, near Lapworth in Warwickshire, as a timber-framed Tudor manor. Built between 1556 and 1560 for John Fetherston, it began as a modest farmhouse. The last Fetherston heir died in 1876, and in 1904 the house was bought by Alfred Ash, a Birmingham industrialist. His son Graham Ash transformed it into a Tudor-style residence during the 1920s and 1930s. He added a Long Gallery in 1931 and converted a barn into a Tudor hall with a sprung floor for dancing. The house became a Grade I listed building and passed to the National Trust in 1941. The house holds fine furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries, much of it collected by the Ash family. Some pieces came from nearby Baddesley Clinton. Graham Ash lived in the house until 1947, when he moved to Wingfield Castle. The National Trust has preserved the interior and its tapestries, offering a glimpse of Tudor life. The Long Gallery connects the main house to the converted barn, which remains a striking feature. Visitors can walk through rooms that reflect the Ash family’s vision of a Tudor home. Outside, the famous Yew Garden contains over a hundred clipped yews arranged to represent the Sermon on the Mount. Twelve tall yews stand as the Apostles, with four central trees as the Evangelists. A spiral path winds up a mound called The Mount, crowned by a single yew known as The Master. Smaller yews, called The Multitude, were planted in the 19th century. The garden path leads to a wooden seat beneath a yew, offering views of the house and the garden. Some yews reach over fifteen metres, though wet clay soil sometimes forces parts of the garden to close for restoration.