Today I visited Witley Court for the first time in over 20 years.
Owned by English Heritage, this evocative ruin is a relic of a long gone
era. The house, when owned by the Earl of Dudley, was a rake’s
paradise, home to lavish parties that lasted for days, a favourite haunt
of the Prince of Wales, Edward VII. Partly ravaged by fire in the
1950′s and ransacked by bounty hunters the house is now a magnificent
ruin.
The
gardens have been lovingly restored and the 9 acre lake reinstated, a
must see is the Perseus and Andromeda Fountain, firing a jet of water
over 70ft into the air, it is only working between 1st April and end of
October – today there were men in high viz jackets cleaning it out! I
will certainly be returning soon to see the fountain in action.