Lee Proudfoot

🎉 Harvington History Festival 2025 – Tickets Coming Soon! 🎉
We’re back for our third year, and the festival just keeps getting better! With another amazing lineup planned, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

@mrjamesob.bsky.social Following on from your converstaion today, can I recommend a visit to the very interesting Coffin Works, next time you’re in Birmingham www.coffinworks.org

We also heard about George Spencer, son of the 2nd Earl Spencer. He converted to Catholicism, became a priest in 1832, was a curate in Walsall and administered a chapel on West Bromwich High St. One of his tasks was fundraising for the construction of St Mary’s Brewood.

Brewood and its two main churches are well worth a visit. We were lucky to be guided by a colleague, William King who is an experienced church history guide and a captivating and humourus storyteller.

Careless is buried in the churchyard, although the exact location is unknown. But you’ll find two headstones under a magnificent Yew. The black one is the ‘original’, the other was secretly installed by a mystery donor in the 2000s

William Careless played a significant role in the escape of Charles II from the area in 1651. He lived at nearby Broom Hall and was the King’s companion when he hid in what became the Royal Oak. He later served in the King’s Court-in-exile in Bruges as a commander of the King’s Life Guards.

We then moved on to the Anglican church of St Mary & St Chad’s. A much older and larger building, this is home to the 16th and 17th century tombs of the Giffard family of nearby Chillington Hall. Brewood was one of the residences of the Bishop of Lichfield, hence the scale.

A small sandstone pillar, sits outside the entrance to church. It’s beleived that this similarly originated from White Ladies Priory, which at the time of the church’s construction was still owned by the Catholic Fitzherbert family who lived at Swynnerton.

One fascinating artefact in St Mary’s is an oak statue of the Madonna with Child in the Lady Chapel. It’s beleived that this originated from White Ladies Priory via Black Ladies Priory and has a musket ball mark and a sword wound inflicted by the Parliamentary troopers hunting Charles II in 1651.

Pugin personally managed the build, donating items from his own collection of ecclesiastical ephemera such as statues and stained glass windows. It’s understood that he paid for higher quality materials that the budget couldn’t cover.

Built in 1844, it’s one of 13 buildings in Staffordshire designed by Pugin. The land was donated by the Giffard family (who built Boscobel), supported by the Talbots (Earls of Shrewsbury) with some funding for the adjacent school coming from the Evans sisters, the then owners of Boscobel

Yesterday, I met up with my EH work colleagues, both staff and volunteers for a walk around the #Staffordshire village of #Brewood, close to #Boscobel. We started at St Mary’s catholic church, which has a fascinating history

All the kneeling, working in dark corners, laying under tables inspecting woodwork damage etc is worth it for the view at dusk #heritage #conservation #boscobel #shropshire

And of course, there’s acres of wainscot panelling and 19th century frieze that needs close brush work. Initially you don’t think it makes a difference but you notice it when it’s all finished #heritage #conservation #boscobel #shropshire

It’s conservation week at work, a deep clean of the house, furniture and other collection items. This year I’ve had the pleasure to work on some of the smaller items, ceramic, metal, glass and paper #heritage #conservation #boscobel #shropshire

Evening all. Here’s a hazel tunnel, planted in the 17th century.