DESTINATION:
Mercia
Mercia was the most powerful kingdom of the Anglo Saxon Heptarchy, which is today known as the English Midlands. Our tour will be based in the West Midlands affording easy access to the little-known treasures of the city of Birmingham and its immediate vicinity. The proximity of the medieval city of Warwick allows the inclusion of the 12th century charitable hospital of Lord Leycester, and also Coventry, whose remarkable Cathedral complex presents the bomb-damaged ruins of its medieval cathedral alongside its iconic 20th century replacement. A plethora of stately homes to explore presents a dynamic contrast, and the area indisputably offers a diverse and interesting programme for any Art Society tour.
Recommended duration - either 3 nights/4 days or 4 nights/5 days
KEY VISITS (Recommended)
- BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM and ART GALLERY – housed in a very grand building in the heart of the city centre it offers over 40 galleries to explore and is famous for its collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings.
- JEWELLERY QUARTER – with a history of over 250 years it is still home today to around 500 jewellery businesses. The area comprises over 200 listed buildings and Birmingham’s last remaining Georgian Square.
- MUSEUM OF THE JEWELLERY QUARTER – built around the well-preserved workshop of Smith and Pepper, a jewellery manufacturing firm who ceased trading in 1981.
- BACK TO BACKS MUSEUM – showcasing the restored 19th century communal courtyard around which working people’s houses were constructed. It is the last remaining courtyard of its time and the various houses offer a glimpse of how people lived from the 1840s through to the 1970s.
- BARBER INSTITUTE OF FINE ARTS – part of the University of Birmingham and considered to be one of the finest small European art collections in the country, boasting works by Botticelli, Bellini, Degas, Gainsborough, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Poussin, Rubens and Turner, in addition to some sculpture work and an important collection of Roman, Byzantine and medieval coins.
- WINTERBOURNE HOUSE and GARDEN – an Arts and Crafts house built in 1903 for the Nettlefold family, set within gardens designed by Margaret Nettlefold who was inspired by the work of Gertrude Jekyll.
- LORD LEYCESTER HOSPITAL (Warwick) – historically a charitable rather than a medical institution which today provides homes for ex-Servicemen and their wives. For nearly 200 years the city’s medieval guilds used it as their headquarters but under the patronage of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, it became a place of retirement for old soldiers. It occupies a prominent location near to the Norman gateway to the town and comprises a group of well-preserved 14th century timber-framed buildings.
- COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF ST MARY (Warwick) – the historic church of the Earls of Warwick, founded in 1123 by Roger de Newburgh, Earl of Warwick, and famous for the medieval stained glass of the BEAUCHAMP CHAPEL, purported to be the most beautiful medieval chapel in England, constructed in the 15th century to house the tomb of the powerful Earl of Warwick, Richard Beauchamp. It also contains many other medieval and Tudor tombs.
- CHARLECOTE PARK (near Warwick) – this grand 16th century house has been the home of the Lucy family since the 12th century and their presence is felt throughout the house from their portraits to the various objects they collected over the centuries.
- LICHFIELD – one of the smallest cathedral cities in England. Steeped in history, with evidence of a Prehistoric settlement found throughout its streets and over 230 carefully preserved historic buildings, Lichfield is a traditional haven amongst the more modern, urban landscape of the surrounding towns in the West Midlands.
- LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL – the only medieval English cathedral with three spires, originally constructed between 1195 and 1340, and dedicated to Saint Chad and Saint Mary. Today it houses a medieval wall painting, the famous Herkenrode stained glass and the Lichfield Angel.
- COVENTRY CATHEDRAL – originally founded as a Benedictine community in 1043, it fell into disrepair during the dissolution of the monasteries in the mid-1500s and was not re-designated as a Cathedral until 1918 when it became the church of St Michael. Famously bombed in 1940, it burned almost to the ground along with a large area of the city. The new cathedral stands beside the hallowed ground of the ruins of the former cathedral and is intended to create one living Cathedral. The Cathedral features a huge tapestry by Graham Sutherland, a stained-glass window by John Piper and a bronze sculpture by Epstein.
ALTERNATIVE VISITS
- COUGHTON COURT (Alcester) – home of the Throckmorton family since the 15th century, whose family history can be traced from Tudor times to the present generation. Visitors can enjoy fine furniture, tapestries and porcelain and there are also two churches within the grounds, a lake, formal garden, walled gardens, and a riverside walk.
- ARBURY HALL (Nuneaton) – containing fine collections of oriental and Chelsea porcelain, Chippendale and Hepplewhite furniture, and portraits by Lely and Reynolds among others. The principal rooms, with their soaring fan vaulted ceilings, filigree tracery and plunging pendants, are a breath-taking example of early Gothic Revival decoration. The Hall stands in elegant landscaped gardens and beautiful parkland with rolling lawns and wooded walks.
- HAGLEY HALL (Stourbridge) – a Grade I listed 18th century house, designed by Sanderson Miller and created by George, 1st Lord Lyttelton, who landscaped the grounds in the new ‘picturesque style’, and was responsible for the building of the noble Neo-Palladian house that survives to this day. The house is beautifully furnished with pieces by Chippendale juxtaposed with wonderfully preserved tapestries, marble classical busts as well as 18th century court portraits.
FURTHER AFIELD
- STRATFORD UPON AVON – medieval market town and birthplace of William Shakespeare.
Mercia can be configured with Warwickshire should this be the preferred focus of your tour.