Chavenage House

About this excursion

£96 per person

This charming house is owned by the Lowsley-Williams family and David and his daughters, Caroline and Joanna are very involved with the tours and catering. After our welcoming coffee or tea, an informal lecture/introduction on the house will be given followed by a room by room tour, including the chapel.  Generally, the lecture and the tour will be given/led by a member of the family and will take just under two hours.  The majority of the tour is on the ground floor and is easily accessible by those requiring walking sticks. There is no lift and those who do not wish to climb stairs can opt out of this part of the tour.

The tour gives details of the history of the house and the two families that have lived at Chavenage since the reign of Elizabeth I.  The main historical interest is centred upon the English Civil War, at which time the house was owned by Col. Nathaniel Stephens MP.  A feature room is the tapestried Oliver Cromwell Room. From this period, the ‘Legend of Chavenage’ has arisen, with the headless ghost of Charles I, arriving at the house in a coach to collect the body of Col. Stephens, on departure the coach disappears into a fireball at the gates of the Manor House.

Visitors may recognise Chavenage from television productions, such as the comedy series ‘Grace and Favour’ featuring John Inman and Molly Sugden, or from episodes of the more dramatic Hercule Poirot, House of Elliot, and Cider with Rosie. Also scenes from ‘Bonekickers’ ‘New Worlds’, ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ and the critically acclaimed ‘Wolf Hall’.  Chavenage featured as Candleford Manor in ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’ and much of the supernatural ‘The Living and The Dead’ was shot at Chavenage.   It can now be seen as Trenwith House is the hugely popular Poldark.

Joanna Gouriet (David’s daughter), runs the in-house catering department and will provide our two course lunch with tea or coffee. Do please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.

Weather permitting there will be time to see the grounds at your leisure after lunch.

The cost of this event includes luxury coach transport, entry and tour of the house, morning refreshments, a two course lunch with wine followed by tea or coffee and, of course, our usual treats.

 

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