Croome Court

[3] Traces of these older landscapes, such as unimproved commons and ancient woodlands, can be found across the former Croome Estate.[4] The foundations and core of Croome Court, including the central chimney stack structure, date back to the early 1640s.He commissioned Lancelot "Capability" Brown, with the assistance of Sanderson Miller, to redesign the house and estate.The Croome Estate Trust sold the Court in 1948, along with 38 acres (15 ha) of land, to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham, and the mansion became St Joseph's Special School, which was run by nuns[14] from 1950[11] until 1979.Fundraising activities for the restoration included a 2011 raffle for a Morgan sports car organised by Lord and Lady Flight.The north face has a pedimented centre, with two balustraded staircases leading to a Roman Doric doorcase.It has a broad staircase, with Coade stone sphinxes on each side, leading to a south door topped with a cornice on consoles.In 1959, the Kress Foundation also helped the Metropolitan Museum acquire the chair and sofa frames, which they recovered using the original tapestry seats.After three years of dedicated restoration the melon and cucumber house now channels the rainwater from its roof into a large storage tank under the terrace which is then pumped inside through a network of pipes to water an array of produce from vines to bananas, fully supporting the owners' ethos of sustainable and eco-friendly living.The mechanical inventions of the 18th century have been put to their test in the peach and fig house, with the creation of bespoke steel winding mechanisms to open and close groups of sash and hinging panels, mimicking the old brass rollers now replaced with oil-impregnated nylon in stainless steel housings.Commissioned by Capability Brown and constructed in 1764, The Dipping Pond is one of the garden's most significant features listed in the Croome Archives.It acquired its name from the function of dipping buckets to collect water to distribute around the garden, and for the nearby horse stable block.As a crucially significant element of the gardens history, The Dipping Pond has undergone extensive restoration.As a by-product of capturing pure rain water, the Dipping Pond has become a new haven for various forms of wildlife, with some rare species of frogs and newts being spotted.Much like the later Glass Houses and forcing beds, the purpose of creating a non-indigenous climate within the gardens was to propagate and extend the growing seasons for exotic fruits and vegetables.The orientation to the wall is sympathetic to the rise and fall of the sun, not simply east to west, but to maximise heat and light against its southern face.The east-facing border boasts 150 metres of length and features a curved incline to the northern end of the wall as it adjoins to the Head Gardener's Cottage.Currently this border houses an eclectic mixture of hardy shrubs and delicate flowers with Morello cherries, plums and heritage roses fighting for superiority against the wall.Traditionally this wall is used mainly for growing exotic fruits, including peaches, nectarines, apricots and pears.Several archaeological digs have been conducted, revealing 200 years' worth of bottles, porcelain, masonry and iron artefacts stacked on top of each other.Croome Park has a man-made lake and river, statues, temples and other buildings with the Court as the central focus.The Portland-stone panels above the windows and door are Robert Adam's design and were carved by Sefferin Alker and added in 1763.[28] The Rotunda is located in the shrubbery, 350 metres (1,150 ft) east of the mansion, and overlooks the parkland, with views to the Park Seat to the south.It was purchased by the Croome Heritage Trust in 2007, at the same time as the main house, and restoration was under way in 2009, funded by a Natural England grant.[citation needed] Pirton Castle is an eyecatcher and belvedere[34] designed by James Wyatt[18] and built by William Stephens in 1797 as an ivy-clad Gothic ruin.[18] It was restored by Midland Conservation, who stabilised the structure, removed destructive vegetation from it, and repaired the masonry – including repointing it, and rebuilding the upper levels.[34] It is located on Rabbit Bank, a prominent ridge in the landscape at Pirton to the north of the park and Court.[25] It was designed by either Sanderson Miller,[21] or Robert Adam[18] as an eyecatcher,[37] and it is located on Dunstall Common, Earls Croome.[citation needed] During the Second World War, the top secret base of RAF Defford occupied part of the Croome Court estate.[38] The Croome collection is an archive that comprises records of the plans, deeds, correspondence and rentals relating to the Coventry family.