Visit to Norgrove Court – August 2013
Once again we were fortunate to have a lovely summer day for our afternoon visit to this gem of a building.
Much of Norgrove Court dates from 1649 and it is strange to realise that a building of such importance should have been being constructed in the time of the Civil War. It is grade 1 listed, the only such building in the Redditch district. Now the beautiful long rectangular building sits gracefully overlooking lawns and lovely gardens which the family dogs enjoyed to the full as out coach driver was prepared to throw balls for them. However as the owner, who so kindly threw open her home to us, described when she, her husband and their two small children moved in it was derelict with an eighteenth century barn attached to the front and numerous farm buildings all around. There was no heating (they still largely rely on open fires). The roof leaked as 17c construction and materials meant they could not span such lengths for the roof which had to have numerous gulleys. However their son, who was also there to greet us, made living there sound such an adventure.
How hard they must have worked to pull the house back from the brink to the magnificent but comfortable, homely place it is now. We were able to tour the house in two small groups and also to immerse ourselves in the various documents, maps and photos which showed how the house itself and a mill house and wheel had emerged from the jumble of dereliction. The family produce stunning stained glass and are specialists in the repair of ancient windows (handy as there are numerous windows at Norgrove) and we also enjoyed looking round the glass studio which just happens to house a full size church organ!
The house was never a grammar school as one of my printed sources and Wikipedia states but the party was kind enough to forgive me for misleading information, mellowed no doubt by a lovely tea of cucumber sandwiches and rock cakes.
If you should get the chance to go to Norgrove a visit comes highly recommended by Clent History Society.