Worcester, Witley Court & Church

I've never been THIS excited about blogging before

Usually it takes me about a week of relaxing to recover from the exhaustion (and thrill) of travelling. During that period, I most commonly begin to contemplate whether or not I ought to blog about that particular experience. It generally is a big fat "yes" from me, but for some reason, writing somehow gets delayed by all the other interesting things I get involved with in life.

In other words, I procrastinate (sometimes).

But definitely not this time! After visiting Witley Court on an incredible sunny Monday (yes this was just yesterday), I was motivated to start blogging about it (almost) immediately. So, here goes.

Entering Worcester Cathedral

The medieval church of Saint Andrew

Sailing down the River Severn

Worcester

To get to Witley Court, which is located near Great Witley in Worcestershire, I had to head to the city of Worcester by train in order to catch the 758 bus to this English Heritage property. I'd made sure I'd left enough time to explore Worcester, mainly its Cathedral, as well.

Seagulls on patrol

Frequent flyer

A fine day in Worcester

If it's a very sunny day when you go, you should definitely take a walk by the River Severn as it looks absolutely stunning in the sunshine. There's also an opportunity to take a cruise up and down the river. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for this but I guess this, and the fact that I didn't get to see the other museums in Worcester + buy Worcestershire sauce, means I'll definitely have an excuse to go back again!

Walking to Witley Court

Witley Court's river

Witley Court

Hooray!

This was the main highlight of my day trip. And I am thoroughly pleased to say that I was NOT disappointed by it at all. In my opinion, the history of Witley Court is to an extent bittersweet. Although originally one of the most extravagant country houses in the UK, it suffered from a terrible fire in 1937 that has left the majority of it in ruins. Fortunately, a great portion of its beauty and charm has still been retained as the pictures show. And with the help from a series of info panels accompanying the key highlights of property, it's still possible to imagine how luxurious and spectacular the decor used to be.

The south facade

Inside the conservatory

Peeking through Witley Court

Personally, I would say that it is genuinely one of the most romantic and attractive Grade 1 buildings I have EVER been to in the UK.

The east parterre

Roaming around the garden

Next to the south facade

When I travel, I like to go in whatever direction my mood and guts take me in. Having ground rules can make travelling too stressful! However, if you did want me to recommend a must-see part of Witley Court so that you can plan out your route, then you should certainly pencil in the Perseus & Andromeda Fountain. It's design based on the Greek myth about Perseus flying on Pegasus to save his to-be-spouse, Andromeda, from a terrifying sea creature. An eye-catching masterpiece, water is shot from the fountain at every hour between 10am to 5pm. It's definitely something you HAVE to photography (and also film!).

The Fountain's sleeping

The Fountain's alive!

Great Witley Church

Outdoor tearoom

Taking it easy

Which way is which?

If you're feeling a bit peckish and tired after walking around Witley Court and all its garden trails, then head next door to the lovely little outdoor tearoom run by Great Witley Church . The pear flavoured popsicle is highly recommended (by me), just to let you know. And whilst you're there, why not check out the Church itself? I mean, who would have thought that a church with such a simple exterior could be so much more extravagant on the inside? See my pictures if you don't believe me.

Arriving at Great Witley Church

The Church's baroque styled interior

There are 48 ceremonial counties in England alone, and I have now officially visited 25 (= an average of around 6 new ones annually across the 4 years I've been here).

Bring on the next one :)

Mondays could never have been this enjoyable