Dudmaston

Dudmaston, a modest 2-storey house of 9 bays, was built in c.1695 for the soldier-scholar Sir Thomas Wolryche. The design is attributed to the brother architects William and Francis Smith of Warwick, the most prominent designers and builders of houses in the Midlands in the early 18th century. Alterations were carried out in 1826 by a local builder, John Smalman, including a Neo-classical staircase, library and attic storey. The interiors have 18th-century panelling and plasterwork and many rooms have been refitted as galleries to display the remarkable art collections. Dudmaston is partly surrounded by a wilderness valley known as the Dingle, a romantic piece of late 19th-century landscaping and of considerable interest to garden historians as the best surviving example of the Picturesque style of William Shenstone.

Dudmaston, Shropshire

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Dudmaston offers something unexpected in the Shropshire countryside, a house that provides a classical setting for a collection of modern and contemporary art. On display is Sir George Labouchere’s collection of 20th century paintings and sculpture which includes works by Ben Nicolson, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth plus Rachel, Lady Labouchere’s collection of botanical paintings, topographical watercolours and the 18th century Dutch flower pictures which she inherited from her Darby ancestors. Dudmaston also houses Chinese ceramics collected by both Sir George and Colonel Warre and costumes ranging from the 17th Century to the 1960’s.

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