Making history live

In the second of two articles, John Goodall looks at the stylish reinvention of this grand Regency house, home to the Berkeley family for more than four centuries

- John Goodall

Spetchley Park, Worcestershire, part II The home of Henry and Kate Berkeley

IN December 2019, selected historic contents from Spetchley Park, home of the Berkeley family for the past four centuries, were put up for auction. The quality of the objects on sale, including sculpture, furniture and paintings, ensured that the event garnered considerable publicity. Many of these things, the owners conceded, were beautiful and remarkable, but they had also become an encumbrance, turning their house into a museum. For them, the sale was the start of a bold and carefully planned initiative to revive the house as a modern family home. The remarkable results of this project can now be appreciated in the photographs that accompany this article.

The magnificent Regency house and picturesque landscape at Spetchley Park after 1811, which were described last week, passed through the later 19th century with remarkably little change. Explanation for this lies, perhaps, in the quality of the building itself. Without exception, the main rooms are handsomely proportioned, with tall windows that create light and liveable spaces. It probably also helped that their detailing was relatively understated, with restrained plasterwork, cornicing and marble fireplaces. Even for an exacting Victorian improver, there was little here to dislike or much that required more than a lick of paint and new furniture to mend.