I’d forgotten about this footage hence the weather looked good. Enjoy!
The Grade I listed Staunton Harold Hall is a significant historical estate located in Leicestershire, England, renowned for its rich history, beautiful architecture, and association with the Earls Ferrers.
The hall has roots dating back to the medieval period, with the Staunton Harold estate originally part of the manor of Stanton, under the Norman Conquest. It was later acquired by the Ferrers family, a powerful Norman family with aristocratic lineage. The family’s control of the estate spanned several centuries, and the Ferrers were instrumental in shaping the hall and its surrounding lands.
The hall is an impressive example of Georgian architecture, with earlier Jacobean and Elizabethan influences evident in parts of its design. The surrounding gardens and parklands, designed in part by Capability Brown, add to its historical and aesthetic value.
The core of the current Staunton Harold Hall was built in the 17th century. The building itself was constructed around 1700, though significant parts of the estate predate this
One of the most notable historical events associated with Staunton Harold Hall is the construction of the Church of the Holy Trinity within the grounds. In the 1650s, Sir Robert Shirley, the 4th Baronet, commissioned the building of the church, which was unusual at this particular time, as it was during the period of Oliver Cromwell’s Puritan Commonwealth. Shirley, a staunch Royalist and devout Anglican, built the church as a defiant gesture against the Puritan government, which eventually led to his imprisonment in the Tower of London, where he died in 1656. This act of defiance has made the church an historical landmark, symbolising resistance to religious and political suppression.
Throughout the 18th century, the Hall was gradually expanded and modernized by successive generations of the Ferrers family. During this period, the estate reached its architectural peak with formal gardens, grand reception rooms, and elaborate interior designs that made the hall a quintessential example of aristocratic life in England.
However, it was during this period that The fourth earl, Laurence Shirley, Ferrers, was tried, condemned and hanged for killing his steward, Johnson. On 18 January 1760, Johnson called at the earl’s mansion by appointment. After a heated business conversation, Lord Ferrers shot him, and although he didn’t die immediately from the resulting injury, it proved to be fatal, and he breathed his last, at his home the following morning.
The hall was rebuilt in its present form in 1763 for Washington Shirley, 5th Earl Ferrers. It is a Georgian two-storey brick house with stone dressings in the form of a square enclosing a quadrangle. Sewallis Shirley, 10th Earl Ferrers inherited the hall in 1859 and sold most of the land.
Following World War I, like many English country estates, Staunton Harold Hall experienced difficulties. The Ferrers family sold the estate in 1926 as they faced mounting financial pressures, particularly due to death duties and the economic climate. During World War II, Staunton Harold Hall was requisitioned by the military and used for various purposes, including as a base for evacuees and military training.
After the war, the estate’s significance was recognized and Robert Shirley, 12th Earl Ferrers gifted parts of the hall and the church to the National Trust and put the estate up for auction. The hall itself, went through various private hands and over the years, it has been restored and repurposed.
In 1955 it was acquired by the Charity Leonard Cheshire for use as a Cheshire Home. It was sold again in 1980 for use as a Sue Ryder Care home and then finally again in 2003 to once more become a family home.
Today Staunton Harold Hall is currently used as a private residence and business venue, with parts of the estate open for public visits and events and the stable block is occupied by a number of small craft enterprises as the Ferrers Centre for Arts and Crafts.
The nearby Staunton Harold Reservoir, created in 1960 and the National Trust’s Staunton Harold Church attract visitors interested in history, nature, and architecture. Together they are a reminder of England’s shifting social, religious, and architectural history, with layers of political drama, personal legacy, and aristocratic life woven into their story, and collectively the estate remains a key part of our English countryside’s cultural landscape.
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https://www.stauntonharoldestate.co.uk
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, wont bother with the quote, its been done so many times on here! 
