Bishton Hall in Colwich, Staffordshire is a grade two listed Georgian house and gardens. The present house dates from around 1750 although the estate has much earlier origins and is mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086.
From the 1770s the house belonged to the Sparrow family. John Sparrow bought the house and it eventually passed to his daughter Charlotte who added to and enlarged the mansion and built the gardens over the years.
Charlotte Sparrow was known as an educational pioneer and philanthropist. She founded the Colwich Primary School in 1827. She never married and lived at the hall until her death in 1876. The Hall passed into the hands of Edward Harland, Vicar of Colwich and then Major Charles Wood who lived there until 1945. In 1946 it became St Bede's Preparatory School.
The Orangery
The Temple Garden was probably designed and built in the 1830s, possibly by local architect James Trubshaw . It was certainly completed by 1838 when it was painted by Thomas Peploe Wood who came from nearby Great Haywood.
It is thought to be one of the finest Doric screens in the country.
There is also a woodland walk and fairy trail.
In the courtyard there are several shops and Sparrow's Tea room. As we walked around we saw many butterflies especially around the Buddleias, all too busy to sit still for photographs.
In 2019 the hall was bought by Charles Hanson and it is now the headquarters of Hanson Auctioneers. There are two salesrooms in the gardens, one of them in what looks like a WWI hut.
It really is a gem of a place to visit and wander around. Both garden entrance and parking are free. There are plenty of shady areas to both sit and walk, much needed on the day we visited.
