How to get there...
Diary of Events 2014
The Hall is situated three miles south-east of Kidderminster, about half a mile east of the A450 Birmingham to Worcester road and about half-a-mile north of the A448 from Kidderminster to Bromsgrove. Grid Ref. SO877745
(all 11.30 to 4.00 unless otherwise stated) Living History Events in colour
Sat 1 & Sun 2 Mar Fri 28 Mar
Hall opens for the Season ~ Life in an Elizabethan Household ‘Regency Murder Mystery Evening’ ~ Dinner in the Great Chamber with a murder mystery set in 1818 (£37.50 Book in advance) Sun 30 Mar Free tours for Mothers accompanied by one or more offspring & why not book a ‘High Tea’ in the tea room at £13pp Thu 17 Apr Tea Room Closed for Private Function (Hall open as usual) Fri 18 Apr Hall closed ~ Good Friday Sun 20 Apr & Mon 21 Apr Easter Bank Holiday ~ Early Tudor Living History Sun 4 & Mon 5 May May Bank Holiday ~ Living History ~ May Day Revels Sun 25 & Mon 26 May Spring Bank Holiday ~ Medieval Living History Sun 15 June Free tours for Fathers accompanied by one or more offspring! Plus ~ Elizabethan Dancing in the Garden, Fun & Games Thurs 19th June Quiz Night, with a light supper, in aid of the Restoration Trust (teams of 4) (£8pp Book in advance)
Entrance Fees
Adults £8.50, Senior Citizens £7.50, Children (5-16) £5.50 Family (2 Adults & up to 3 Children) £24.00, Garden & Malt House Visitor Centre only £3.50 Fees for schools and groups of 20 or more, on application.
Facilities & Access
Free Parking. Gift Shop. Moatside Tea Room. We welcome disabled visitors and can offer access to the ground floor of the Hall & Malt House Visitor Centre, shop, tea-room, toilets and gardens. We regret that the upper floors are unsuitable for wheelchairs due to stairs, narrow access and uneven floors. We can arrange special tours for visitors with accessibility problems - just call to make an appointment. An audio-visual presentation is available in the Malt House Visitor Centre. Guide dogs only allowed.
This leaflet is available in large print.
Opening Times
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11.30am – 5.00pm (Last entry to Hall and Tea Room at 4.00pm) March: Saturday and Sunday, April to October: Wednesday to Sunday Bank Holiday Mondays (Closed Good Friday). Occasionally the Hall may be closed for a function, please ring for up-to-date information. RMINGHAM
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More details about all events on www.harvingtonhall.com Booking Office opens 10.00am, Thurs 13th Feb, 2014 (£1 admin charge for card booking, cheques with SAE please) Events listed may be subject to amendment. Please phone for up-to-date information 01562 777846
picture by Gabrielle Mercer
Harvington Festival
Hepplewhite Piano Trio in the Great Chamber with interval wine & canapés (£17 Book in advance) Sat 5 Jul Chris Pearce’s Frenchmen Street Jazz in the garden, bring a picnic (£12.50 Book in advance) Sun 6 Jul Elizabethan Dancing & Music in the Garden during the afternoon Sat 5 & Sun 6 Jul Gardens open for the National Gardens Scheme Sat 19 Jul Afternoon: Regency Dancing in the Garden Sat 19Jul Eve:7pm Outdoor Play ~ My Boy Jack by David Haig (involves strong language) bring a picnic (£14 Book in advance) Sun 20 Jul Afternoon: Regency Dancing in the Garden (before the play) Afternoon: 3pm Outdoor Play ~ My Boy Jack by David Haig (involves strong language) bring a picnic (£14 Book in advance) Wed & Thurs ~(from 30 July to 21 Aug) Family Friendly Tours at 12 noon Sun 24 & Mon 25 Aug August Bank Holiday ~ Multi Period Living History ~‘Harvington at War’ Sat 30 Aug Hall Closed for Wedding Reception Sun 7 Sept Annual Pilgrimage & 3pm Mass for the English Martyrs in the garden Sat 13 & Sun 14 Sept Attic Tours, normal Hall admission prices (attic places limited) Sun 21 Sept Ramblers Day ~11am local ramble, 2pm Hall tour (£10 Book in advance) Sun 5 Oct Cyclists Day (half price entrance for cyclists) Sun 12 & 19 Oct Senior Citizens Two for One entrance to Hall and Garden Wed 29 & Thurs 30 Oct Half Term Family Friendly Tours at 12 noon Sat 1 & Sun 2 Nov Hall closes for the Winter with an Elizabethan Living History Weekend Sun 7 Dec Special Christmas Opening ~ Christmas in an Elizabethan Household, decorations, log fires, carols and mulled wine (no need to book, normal prices) Wed 10 Dec Tours by Candlelight ‘with a difference’, the story of turbulent times at the Hall unfolds through mini re-enactments, Mulled Wine, Coffee & Mince Pies (£14 Book in advance) Fri 12 Dec Christmas Lunch in the Moatside Tea Room (£27.50 Book in advance) Sat 13 Dec Christmas Wassail 3.30pm & 7.30pm (£24.50 Book in advance) Wed 17 Dec Tours by Candlelight, Elizabethan Dancing & Music with Mulled Wine, Coffee & Mince Pies (£14 Book in advance) Fri 19 Dec Elizabethan Evening ~ Dinner & Elizabethan Minstrels in the Great Chamber (£36.50 Book in advance)
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Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY10 4LR
Tel: 01562 777846 Fax: 01562 777190 www.harvingtonhall.com email: harvingtonhall@btconnect.com
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Harvington Hall is a moated medieval and Elizabethan manor-house situated south-east of Kidderminster. Many of the rooms still have their original Elizabethan wall-paintings and the Hall contains the finest series of priests hiding places anywhere in the country. During the 19th century it was stripped of furniture and panelling and the shell was left almost derelict. But in 1923 it was bought for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham, which restored it and now opens it to the public.
Priests Hiding Places These were built in the time of Humphrey Pakington, when it was high treason for a Catholic priest to be in England. Some of them are likely to be the work of Nicholas Owen, who was arrested at Hindlip House, near Worcester, in 1606 and tortured to death in the Tower of London.
The House
The Elizabethan house was built in the 1580s by Humphrey Pakington. On his death it was inherited by his daughter Mary, Lady Yate. In 1644 it was pillaged by Roundhead troops. Family letters refer to politics, London fashions and medical treatment, as well as business matters. In 1696 the Hall passed to the Throckmortons of Coughton Court in Warwickshire, who owned it until 1923.
School, Parish or Group Visits
The Hall has recently received the Sandford Award for Heritage Education. Schools are shown around the Hall in small groups by experienced guides who are mostly ex-teachers; the tours last for about an hour-and-a-half. The popular Tudor Days are usually available on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tours for adult groups of twenty or more may be followed by lunch, afternoon tea or supper if required. The Hall is ideal for small retreats or quiet days.
The Garden Malt House Visitor Centre
The 18th century Malt House in the South Garden (shown right), has been restored with a generous donation from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Visitor Centre display celebrates the 18th century use of the building as a place to prepare malt for the purpose of brewing beer. It also tells the story of the Hall’s 600 year history and life on its estates and features children’s interactive games. An audio-visual presentation is available on the ground floor.
The Hall is surrounded by charming gardens enclosed by a moat. There is also a herb garden in the south east angle of the moat.
Family or Business Occasions
Excellent facilities are available for small wedding receptions, family or business occasions. A variety of rooms may be hired or we can offer exclusive use of the house and gardens.
Wall Paintings
The wall paintings were discovered under whitewash in 1936. The most important of them are the arabesque drawings in the Mermaid Passage and on the staircase and the figures of the Nine Worthies on the second floor including Joshua. The Small Chapel is decorated with red and white drops for the blood and water of the Passion and there are also traces of medieval work.
Drawing of Joshua (above) provided courtesy of Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery
Tea Room & Gift Shop
There is a charming tea room next to the moat, serving morning coffees, light lunches and afternoon teas. (Menu on website) The Hall shop has an ever changing display of attractive gifts and books.