Harvington Hall
The Official Magazine Britain|July/August 2019

We unravel the history of this Worcestershire manor, home to the largest number of priest hides in the country

Lawrence Alexander
Harvington Hall

At first sight Harvington Hall is a delightful 16th-century manor house. It boasts a tranquil courtyard, charming wood-panelled rooms, mainly in the Elizabethan style, and an authentic Tudor kitchen. Its mellow red-brick walls, lush gardens and peaceful moat, filled with silent carp, seem quiet, unremarkable even, which is exactly what its builder intended. Humphrey Pakington certainly didn’t want to draw attention to what was really going on behind that heavy oak door.

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