Harvington Hall

This afternoon we visited the Elizabethan moated manor-house of Harvington Hall. The house is well known for its several priest hides built in the late 16th century when it was high treason to practice as a Catholic priest in England.

The house was built in the 1580s by the Catholic Humphrey Packington. The Catholic connection continued when in 1696 it passed to the Throckmortons of Coughton Court. In the 19th century it was neglected and fell into disrepair until in 1923 it was bought by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham, which restored it and opened it to the public.

We have explored the house several times, but today we just visited the garden and the excellent tea room for an afternoon tea.