Brownsover Hall is a 19th-century

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

house in the old

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

of Brownsover, Rugby,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

which has been converted for use as a hotel. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Early history (1471–1850)

The manor of Brownsover was owned from 1471 by the Boughton family who were created Boughton Baronets in 1642. In 1780 Sir Theodosius Boughton was allegedly murdered by his brother-in-law and the estate passed to his sister Theodosia, and thence to Sir Egerton Leigh, Bt, of the

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

of West Hall family. Leigh's daughter and heiress, also Theodosia, married John Ward, who changed his name by

Royal Licence Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roy ...

to Ward-Boughton-Leigh.

Nineteenth century

In the mid 19th century the old manor house was replaced with the present mansion, designed in a

Victorian Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style by architect

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...

. William Holland designed a stained glass window and carved tables as frames for Italian marble slabs. He is well known for establishing a Stained Glass and Decorative works at St. John's,

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

. Other contributors to the new manor were Marshall and Snelgrove of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and Eld and Chamberlain, of Midland House,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

relating to the carpets and furnishings that were chosen for the house. The Hall was the home of the Ward-Boughton-Leighs until the death of Ada Emily on 13 October 1952.

Twentieth century

Several rooms at Brownsover Hall were used by Power Jets Ltd staff under

Frank Whittle Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer. He is credited with co-creating the turbojet engine. A patent was submitted by Maxime Guillaume in 1921 fo ...

for jet engine design work. Its location was ideal for privacy, its proximity to the B.T.H. works and easy movement to Power Jets works at Lutterworth. The English Electric Company used the building from 1949 until the late 1960s where they housed the headquarters of their Diesel Division. It was in the 1970s when the Hall was converted into a hotel. Brownsover Hall is now a 3-star hotel including 47 bedrooms, bar and restaurant offering a "simple food, made special" seasonal menu. The hotel is set within 7-acres of landscaped grounds, with views over the Swift Valley nature reserve. The hotel is a licensed property for civil ceremony weddings and plays host to many special events throughout the year.

References

''A History of the County of Warwick, Volume 6'' (1951) pp. 65–72 from British History Online

Heritage Gateway, listed building description
Actually Located In The Old Village Of Brownsover, Just Aside The New Estate Of Brownsover (Not Clifton)

Notes

External links

Hotel website

Cracroft's Peerage
{{Authority control Grade II* listed buildings in Warwickshire George Gilbert Scott buildings Country houses in Warwickshire Grade II* listed houses Buildings and structures in Rugby, Warwickshire