Packington Hall is a 17th-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 ...

situated at Great Packington, near Meriden in

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 ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and is the seat of the Earl of Aylesford. 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, H ...

History

Packington Hall was built in 1693 for Sir Clement Fisher on whose death in 1729 the Packington estate passed to his daughter Mary Fisher, who married Heneage Finch, 2nd Earl of Aylesford. Earl of Aylesford COA

The Park was designed by

Capability Brown Lancelot "Capability" Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783) was an English gardener and landscape architect, a notable figure in the history of the English landscape garden style. Unlike other architects ...

in 1751, who created a large serpentine lake called Hall Pool by joining up several old mill and fish ponds in front of the Hall. The Hall was remodelled for the 3rd Earl of Aylesford by

Matthew Brettingham Matthew Brettingham (1699 – 19 August 1769), sometimes called Matthew Brettingham the Elder, was an English architect who supervised the construction of Holkham Hall, and became one of the best-known architects of his generation, despi ...

from 1766, with the work continuing after Brettingham's death in 1769 under Henry Couchman. It was then extended and improved for the 4th Earl of Aylesford in

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

style to designs by Italian architect Joseph Bonomi in 1772. The ceiling paintings were by John Francis Rigaud. Stables were added to the Hall in the 1760s by the 3rd Earl of Aylesford, constructed by David Hiorne, to house horses and carriages. In 1787, the carriage turn outside the east of the Hall was levelled under the supervision of John Wedge. The Stables are Grade II listed buildings. It was severely damaged by fire in 1979 but has since been fully restored. The renovations were kept as near as possible to the original design. The main entrance to the grounds from the A45 road features a pair of wrought-iron gates which were presented to the Earl of Aylesford by his tenants in 1935. The house is not generally open to the public but is available by arrangement for conferences and functions. An earlier

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 usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

( Packington Old Hall) and an 18th-century

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

St James' Church, Great Packington stand on the estate.'Parishes: Great Packington', in ''A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 4, Hemlingford Hundred'', (London, 1947) pp. 180-183. ''British History Online'' https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol4/pp180-183.

Sources

''A History of the County of Warwick, Volume 4'' (1947) from British History Online
*

References

External links

Photos of Packington Hall and surrounding area on Geograph
{{Coord, 52.4520, -1.6737, display=title, region:GB_scale:2000 Grade II* listed buildings in Warwickshire Country houses in Warwickshire Grade II* listed houses Gardens by Capability Brown