Park Hall Country House, Blakedown, Worcestershire

Exclusive use wedding, house parties and conference venue in luxurious en-suite accommodation

History

Park Hall was built in about 1710 by Thomas Foley II on a part of the Hurcott Estate, which had been bought by his father, the first Thomas Foley, in 1662. On Taylor’s country map of 1772, it is shown as the "New House".

In 1833, the house was sold, (along with most of the other Foley estates), to the trustees of William Humble Ward, (Lord Ward, the future Earl of Dudley), who was fifteen at the time. In the catalogue of this sale, John Lea Esq. (the carpet manufacturer) was said to be the sitting tenant.

In December 1923, the Hall was sold by the second Earl of Dudley to Mr. George Wilson, of the Oldbury based chemicals company Albright and Wilson. During the Second World War, his company set up temporary headquarters at Park Hall - perhaps because Bond-Worth’s Stourport carpet works, and others in the area, had been taken over by the firm as bomb-filling facilities.

During the war, a German bomber dumped part of its load on the estate, but caused only superficial damage.

In 1975 the Estate was sold to the Brinton family, who have a long association with Kidderminster, and have for many years been the town’s largest employer at their carpet factory.

In 1993 the Estate was the subject of a compulsory purchase order in respect of the proposed Western orbital route and following the abolition of the plans for this road, it was sold by the Highways Agency in June 2001 to Russell Stevens.