Kemerton Court is the principal

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals ...

of the village of

Kemerton Kemerton is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire in England. It lies at the extreme south of the county in the local government district of Wychavon. Until boundary changes in 1931, it formed part of neighbouring Gloucestershire, and ...

, near

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Ri ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of ...

. The house is built of local

Cotswold stone The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of J ...

, dating from the late 16th century onwards. In the early 18th century a 9-bay

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

façade of some elegance was added by the squire, John Parsons III (1649–1722). Thomas White of Worcester and the Smiths of Warwick have been variously suggested as the architects. It is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

building. Kemerton Court is set in parkland and is surrounded by a farming estate of around . It is owned by conservationist

Adrian Darby Adrian Marten George Darby, (born 25 September 1937) is a British conservationist and academic. Academic and conservation career Darby served as a fellow and tutor in economics at Keble College, University of Oxford (1963–1985), and vis ...

, president of

Plantlife Plantlife is the international conservation membership charity working to secure a world rich in wild plants and fungi. It is the only UK membership charity dedicated to conserving wild plants and fungi in their natural habitats and helping peo ...

and former chairman of the

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment th ...

. He is married to

Lady Meriel Darby The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

, daughter of the former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Alec Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel (; 2 July 1903 – 9 October 1995), styled as Lord Dunglass between 1918 and 1951 and being The 14th Earl of Home from 1951 till 1963, was a British Conservative politician who s ...

, who was a frequent visitor to the Court.

History

The manor was granted by King Henry III to Sir Robert de Musgrove (or Mucegros) in 1240. Since that time, apart from the brief period 1918–1949, it has remained in the possession of his descendants and relatives, passing through the families of Musgrove, Beauchamp, Lygon of

Madresfield Madresfield is a village and civil parish in the administrative district of Malvern Hills in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is located about two miles east of Malvern town centre at the foot of the Malvern Hills and is less than tw ...

, Parsons-Hopton and Darby. The current owner is 24th in direct descent from Sir Robert de Musgrove. A notable 15th century owner was John Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Powick,

Lord High Treasurer The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State ...

of England.

References

{{reflist * Lees-Milne, J. (1985). English Country Houses: Baroque, 1685-1715. * Reid, P. (1980). Burke’s & Savills Guide to Country Houses, Vol 2. *

Mowl, Timothy Professor Timothy Mowl FSA (born 1951) is an architectural and landscape historian. He is Emeritus Professor of History of Architecture and Designed Landscapes at the University of Bristol. He is also Director of AHC Consultants. He was awarded th ...

(2006). Historic Gardens of Worcestershire. * Elrington, C.R. ed. (1968). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Gloucester, Volume VIII. * Pevsner, N. & Brooks, A. (2007). Worcestershire: The Buildings of England

External links

National Heritage Register for England: architectural description of Grade II* listed houseKemerton Conservation TrustHistoric Houses Association
English Baroque architecture Manor houses in England Country houses in Worcestershire Grade II* listed buildings in Worcestershire