Stourbridge Group – The Rise and Fall of Worcestershire’s Witley Court

Talk – The Rise and Fall of Worcestershire’s Witley Court

A Royal Palace created by the Earls of Dudley before its untimely demise.

Witley Court was once one of the great country houses of England. An impressive early 17th-century mansion here was transformed in three remodellings: twice by the Foley family in the 18th century and again about 1805–10, and then by the Ward family, Earls of Dudley, in the 1850s. Both families had made fortunes from iron and coal in the West Midlands, England’s industrial heartland. In the Victorian period Witley was famous for its opulence and extravagant parties.

After a devastating fire in 1937, Witley became one of the country’s most spectacular ruins. But it is still possible to gain a sense of its former grandeur, as well as to see the earlier layers of the building’s history laid bare by the fire.

The Speaker – Ray Sturdy

Based in Worcestershire, Ray  is a photographer and explorer who has documented his travels around the world for others to enjoy. Together with geographical expeditions, Ray’s talks also include historical slideshows with famous figures including Vesta Tilley and I K Brunel.

Ray is a qualified engineer who has spent most of his working life running training courses around the world for pipeline engineers. He spent the last two years before retirement working in Saudi Arabia where he started to put together a list of slideshows and talks to raise money for several charities, including money for Mencap, NSPCC and Cancer Research UK.

Memorably, Ray has climbed Kilimanjaro, trekked in Antartica with temperatures of 35 degrees below zero and parachuted free fall from 15,000 feet.

DOORS OPEN AT 7.00PM for a 7.30PM START

Visitors Welcome – DONATION of £5 APPRECIATED