Wilted splendour: the fire-scarred Witley Court

Witley Court, in Great Witley, Worcestershire, England, is a ruined Italianate mansion. Built for the Foleys in the seventeenth century on the site of a former manor house, it was expanded in the early nineteenth century by the architect John Nash for Thomas Foley, 3rd Baron Foley. For six generations, the Foleys lived in the mansion, adding wings and embellishments as their wealth and tastes soared. John Nash designed the enormous North and South porticos in the early nineteenth century, while Samuel Daukes undertook the final transformation of the mansion in the mid-nineteenth century.

The Foleys had to sell Wiley Court due to serious debt in the 19th century. The Dudleys, who bought the court in the late 19th century, undertook another massive reconstruction, employing Samuel Daukes to further transform the mansion. However, even the Dudleys could not save Wiley Court. A major fire occurred in Wiley Court in 1937, starting in the bakery situated in the basement room of the tower.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons