Open the door to this grand mansion and you will be transported to a dream of twinkling fairy lights, cosy reading corners and cat-cushions galore. Each corner adorned with a full fir, Wightwick Manor really goes to town during the festive season.
A heavy wooden door, framed with turrets and Tudor-style facades gives way to one of my favourite houses I have ever visited. Having been brought here by my Grandpa on one of our outings when I was younger, I had forgotten the name until wandering through the treasure trove of pre-Raphaelite paintings and William Morris wallpaper jogged my memory along. With each and every turn revealing another hiding space perfect for curling up with a good book, I may just have found my dream home.
If you ever need getting in the festive spirit, you should visit this place. The dark wood contrast with the beautifully-decorated Christmas trees and yule-tide feel, really got us in the spirit. The hedges at the front had even been decorated to look like reindeers! Art-lovers will love the abundance of Pre-Raphaelite paintings and decorative floral William Morris wallpaper whilst music-lovers will find many a charming piano.
Just off the dining room was another comfortable room, perfectly placed for after-dinner billiards. You can even have go of a game on the mammoth table if you get there at the right time. The best part for me though was the people who had lived in the house for generation after generation. They were all avid book-lover’s! Every room had shelf after shelf of bound beauties, they had even had an extension to fit more books!
Wandering the grounds there was another surprise, a hidden second-hand book shop pacled with every sort of book you could imagine on a trust-buy basis. There was even a shelf full of surprise titles, wrapped up with just a description of the plot. We had a bit of fun seeing if we could try and guess which books they were describing and there were some decent ones among their ranks.
Isn’t it beautiful? Ready for more midlands goodness? Check out my adventures of that middle ground here. Looking for more? Click that lovely button below to see more of my travels.
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