When Ralph Wilbraham completed Dorfold Hall in 1621 — as described in this article last week — he might reasonably have felt that he had not only created a worthy seat for his descendants, but secured their future prosperity as well. By the time of his death in 1637, however, the kingdom was on the … Read more
It’s the time of year when the air sharpens and the nights draw in. Fires are lit, their light flickering over hearths and illuminating forgotten corners of familiar rooms. The scent of smoke drifts into the crisp evening, a comforting signal of warmth inside. As the flames crackle and shadows dance, our gaze turns upward … Read more
On the evening of February 2, 1612, Richard Wilbraham, a wealthy Cheshire gentleman, died at home in Nantwich. According to the journal kept by his second son, Sir Roger Wilbraham, a successful lawyer of puritan sympathy, he expired peacefully ‘as a candle whose oil was spent’ at the age of ‘88 years and 5 months’. … Read more
Tong Castlewas advertised for sale in the pages of Country Life on March 8, 1913. The pictures show a fantastical-looking Gothic structure set within the ubiquitous landscaping of one Capability Brown. The early Tudor brick castle of Tong built by Sir Harry Vernon as seen in this 1731 engraving. It was replaced in about 1765 … Read more
Sanssouci stands in an expansive park on the edge of Potsdam about 20 miles south-west of Berlin. The city itself is inextricably associated with Europe’s 20th-century hostilities. In 1945, the Potsdam Conference determined the division of post-war Europe and the Glienicke Bridge on the outskirts — known as the Bridge of Spies — was used … Read more