Stanford Hall is a stately home in Leicestershire, England, near the village of Stanford on Avon (which is in Northamptonshire) and the town of Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The population of any residents in the area is included in the civil parish of Misterton with Walcote.
Ancestral home of the Cave family from c. 1430, [1] the hall was built in the 1690s for Sir Roger Cave, 2nd Baronet. [2] Described by Simon Jenkins as the "perfect William and Mary house", the architect was William Smith of Warwick.
In 1792 Sarah, daughter of Sir Thomas Cave Bt, inherited the Cave estate on the death of her nephew Sir Thomas Cave, 7th Baronet. She had married Henry Otway in 1790 and was created Baroness Braye in 1839. Her descendants remain in residence. (Henry Otway was High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1804).
The River Avon flows through the grounds, with a weir downstream, so a small lake is formed.
The aviation pioneer Percy Pilcher built some of his early gliders here in the 1890s; he also built a powered flying machine here that many historians believe was capable of flight, but he was killed nearby in an accident in 1899 before he could try it. An exact replica of Pilcher's "The Hawk" glider is exhibited at the hall.
During World War II the nuns and pupils from the Sacred Heart Convent and School in Roehampton, London, were evacuated to the Hall. Their premises were so badly damaged that when war ended they had to relocate to Woldingham School near London. From 1947 until 1949 it was the country branch of St. Mary's Town and Country School. By that time the roof was uncared for and in serious need of repair, but the Historic Buildings Council recommended a large grant for restoration and the hall was opened to the public in 1958.
Today the hall is a tourist attraction open to the public on limited days in the year. Among the attractions are guided tours of the hall and its grounds, a forge, a beautiful rose garden, a shop and tea rooms. The house has a significant collection of antique furnishings; for example, the hall has one room with original 17th-century furnishings including a refectory table and set of Charles II chairs. [3]
The grounds of the hall are used for concerts and classic car shows, including the Wartburg/Trabant/IFA Club Rally and since 1983 has hosted the annual National Mini Day for owners of Mini cars. [4] The grounds hosted the first Stanford Hall Half Marathon and 10k running race in March 2014. Since 2003 Stanford Hall has been host to Firework Champions - the UK's leading firework competition.
Some of the parkland is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest called Stanford Park due to the diversity of lichen species on the trees. [5]
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Percy Sinclair Pilcher was a British inventor and pioneer aviator who was his country's foremost experimenter in unpowered flight near the end of the nineteenth century.
Baron Braye, of Eaton Bray in the County of Bedford, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1529 for Edmund Braye, 1st Baron Braye. However the family originally originate from Normandy, they are direct descendants of Chevalier Baudry de Bray who came over to England in the Battle of Hastings of 1066. The family's local area in Leicestershire played host to two battles in England of note, the Battle of Bosworth Field where the current family's ancestor's were on opposing side, and also Battle of Naseby during the First English Civil War, where the old manor house hosted King Charles I. The barony was created by writ, which means that it can descend through both male and female lines. He was succeeded by his son, the second Baron. He died from wounds received at the Battle of St Quentin in 1557. Lord Braye was childless and on his death the title fell into abeyance between his sisters.
Stanford-on-Avon is a village in the civil parish of Stanford in West Northamptonshire, England. It lies next to the River Avon, which here forms the county boundary between Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. On the Leicestershire side of the river is Stanford Hall, a historic house. Stanford Reservoir is one mile north of the village. The population is included in the civil parish of Clay Coton.
Woodhouse, often known to locals as Old Woodhouse, is a small village and civil parish in the heart of Charnwood, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,319, including around 300 term-time boarders at the Defence College. The parish includes the larger village of Woodhouse Eaves. The parish of Woodhouse was formed in 1844. The village is located between the larger Woodhouse Eaves and Quorn villages, the village contains a mixture of small cottages and large modern houses. It is a commuter village for both Leicester and Loughborough, as well as further afield.
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Robert Otway-Cave, styled The Honourable from 1839, was a British politician.
There have been two baronetcies created for persons with the surname Cave, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Both creations are extant as of 2008.
The Cave, later Cave-Browne, later Cave-Browne-Cave Baronetcy, of Stanford in the County of Northampton, is a title in the Baronetage of England.
Sir Thomas Cave, 7th Baronet was a British politician.
Stanford Hall is a grade II* listed 18th-century English country house in Nottinghamshire, England, in Stanford on Soar just north of Loughborough. It is home to the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC).
Sir Roger Cave, 2nd Baronet was an English politician and baronet.
Sir Thomas Cave, 3rd Baronet DL of Stanford Hall, Leicestershire was a British Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1711 to 1719.
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Sarah Otway-Cave, 3rd Baroness Braye was an English noblewoman. The title of Baron Braye, originally created in 1529 for her ancestor Edmund Braye, 1st Baron Braye and abeyant since the death of the second baron in 1557, was called out of abeyance in her favor in 1839.