For those new to this area, Croome Court is a National Trust property about 4 miles from Pershore towards the Malverns. It was the home of the Earls of Coventry until World War 2 when the 10th Earl was killed, in France, as the Worcestershire Regiment covered the Allied Army’s retreat to Dunkirk in late May, early June 1940. Croome Court became nationally famous in the 18th Century when the 6th Earl, George William Coventry, inherited the property and brought in Lancelot Brown (later to be known as Capability Brown) to enlarge and to ‘modernise’ the old house in which he had grown up. Later, talent-spotting again, he brought the Scot, Robert Adam to design interiors. The results produced by these three very talented men attracted the attention not only of other wealthy landowners (who copied what had been done at Croome) but also the King, George III. When he was in Cheltenham, taking the waters, he came with the Queen and the Princesses to spend a day looking at what had been done. When, after the War, the family could no longer afford to keep the Court and its estate, it was offered to the National Trust. Unfortunately, that organisation was not interested so the remarkable contents, house and land had to be sold. Today, after about fifty years in other hands, the Court, some of the estate, and part of the original contents are being looked after by the National Trust and the Croome Estate Trust. Thousands of people visit this property each year. It is fascinating and impressive and worth going to see at any time but over Christmas not only has the Court been splendidly decorated but the ladies who, each week make brilliant flower arrangements, have really gone to town. Some of the decorations, made by Croome staff and volunteers are shown in the accompanying picture as well as some of the works of our talented flower team.
Croome court
