Stanford Hall (Lutterworth)
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Stanford Hall is a stately home in Leicestershire, England, near the town of Lutterworth.
It is not to be confused with another stately home also called Stanford Hall which is just north of Loughborough.
Ancestral home of the Cave family, the hall was built in the 1690s for Sir Roger Cave on the site of an earlier manor house. It is considered a fine example of William and Mary period architecture. The architect was William Smith of Warwick.
The River Avon flows through the grounds.
The aviation pioneer Percy Pilcher built some of his early gliders here in the 1890s; he also built a powered flying machine here that many historians believe was capable of flight, but he was killed nearby in an accident in 1899 before he could try it. An exact replica of Pilcher's "The Hawk" glider is exhibited at the hall.
Today the hall is a tourist attraction open to the public. Amongst the attractions are a motorcycle museum, and guided tours of the hall and its grounds. This structure also houses a significant collection of antique furnishings; for example, the hall has one room with original 17th century furnishings including a refectory table and set of Charles II chairs.[1] The hall is used for classic car shows, including the Wartburg/Trabant/IFA Club Rally.
[edit] Line notes
- ^ The Ordnance Survey Guide to Historic Houses in Britain, Peter Furtado, Great Britain Ordnance Survey, 1987
[edit] External links
- Stanford Hall's official website
- Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland, 1960 edition.
- A firework competition is held there each year in August
