Castle Bromwich Hall: A 16th-century Jacobean Mansion with a Brussels Connection

Castle Bromwich Hall, a Grade I listed country house near Birmingham, was originally built as a Tudor mansion and changed over time by various owners. Constructed in 1557 (source: OpenStreetMap data and Wikidata), the mansion was bought by Sir Edward Devereux. The porch, a multistory extension to the original building, projects out by ten feet and holds a surprise within its columns: a statue of goddesses Peace and Plenty, and a coat of arms that hints at the story behind them.

Sir John Bridgeman, who bought the manor in the 17th century, traveled to Brussels, where the tapestry that graces the hallway was made (source: Wikidata). An unexpected connection to the Italian Renaissance can also be found in the maze in the North Garden, whose design mirrors that of a well-known garden in Bomarzo, Italy. After passing through several hands over the centuries, it was bought by Theodore Alexander in 2007 and restored into a hotel (source: OpenStreetMap data). The gardens remain open to the public, preserving a historic example of Formal English Gardens.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons