In July 2023 I was privileged and lucky to be able to attend the reunion of the Ligon/Lygon family at the astounding Madresfield Court, 伍斯特郡, 英格兰. As 在上个月的专栏中描述过在美国，这次团聚将美国陆军中尉的后代联系在了一起. Col. 托马斯·利根(我的曾祖父), 谁移民到了詹姆斯敦, 1641年的弗吉尼亚, 这个家族的英国分支, who still remain at Madresfield Court after 400 years of Atlantic separation.
The reunion lasted three days and included a welcome from 露西Chenevix-Trench (the current chatelaine and great-grand-daughter of William Lygon, 第七代波尚伯爵), 专家发言, 马德斯菲尔德之旅, 在庄园里举行的宴会, 参观圣. 比彻姆社区的伦纳德教堂, and free time to explore the lovely spa and resort town of Great Malvern and its surrounding Malvern Hills. 关于 120 Americans attended the reunion, joined by 70 British descendants. The reunion was expertly organized by Whitney Eller of the Ligon Family and Kinsmen Association (LFKA; lfka.org). 这是对Covid的胜利, which had caused three successive cancellations of the planned 2020 reunion.
Madresfield was the seat of the Earls of Beauchamp (pronounced “Beecham”) whose title died out in 1979 on the death of the 8th Earl. 露西Chenevix-Trench is the great niece of the 8th Earl and she and her children by husband Jonathan are the 29th and 30th generations of the same family to live in Madresfield Court.
Naturally, the biggest attraction at the reunion was Madresfield Court itself. This moated stately home has been the residence of the Lygon family for nearly 900 years, 而且从未出售过. The first known house on the site was recorded in 1120, in a charter issued by King Henry I. 该地产包括护城河区内的一个小花园, 护城河外的大花园, 还有4000英亩的农业用地. Long oak and elm avenues with tall trees planted in 1660 celebrate the restoration of the British monarchy.
Madresfield was substantially rebuilt and enlarged in Tudor times and then again in the Victorian era under the renowned architect Philip Hardwick, FRS. 他是英国皇家建筑师学会的联合创始人, 建筑金奖得主, 伯明翰柯曾街车站的设计师, 世界上最古老的铁路终点站.
目前位于马德斯菲尔德的这座杂乱无章的建筑有160个房间, 包括一个带有吟游诗人画廊的宏伟大厅, 图书馆有8000多册皮革装订的书籍, 爱德华七世时代的客厅, 工艺美术礼拜堂, 长长的走廊, 钟楼, 中央室内楼梯大厅由三个玻璃圆顶照亮, 60间卧室, 其他房间, 酒窖, 苹果酒窖和奶制品和奶酪室. The Chapel and Library are rated as some of the finest expressions of the Arts and Crafts movement in 英格兰.
正如克里斯托弗·斯托克斯2014年在《足球外围最靠谱的平台》上所描述的那样, “到处都是微缩模型, 大理石半身像, 绘画, 书, 铭文, 玻璃器皿, 雕刻, 胸部, 橱柜, 挂毯, 银, 几箱利摩日瓷器, 地毯, 威廉莫里斯瓷砖和壁纸, 雕刻的壁炉, 中国灯座, 碗, 镶嵌的盒子, 彩色玻璃, 花瓶, 剑与匕首, 所有的品质都是最高的.”
在900年里，你可以获得很多东西!
这栋房子从2012年到2014年进行了翻新, when the current Lygon descendant 露西Chenevix-Trench took over stewardship of the home from her mother, 罗莎琳德·莫里森夫人, 伍斯特郡的前高级治安官. 露西和乔纳森努力把家里布置得既暖和又不漏水. They installed a biomass boiler and replaced antiquated plumbing and wiring. 因为一百多年来没有孩子住在这所房子里, 露西有四个孩子, 必须做出调整. A “house within a manor house” was created with an adjacent modern kitchen to allow for informal living, 数百把椅子和沙发被重新打捞起来, 公共房间被重新粉刷, 绘画清洗, 还有18间新卧室是由众多小卧室改建而成的, 黑暗的仆人卧室. 露西说:“幸运的是，马德斯菲尔德并不大. 它是有魅力的, 有点古怪, 肯定不寻常, 充满惊喜 – but in many ways an easy house to fit into. 你不觉得你需要实现什么.”
嗯……. 如果我住在马德斯菲尔德, 我不确定我会发现这是真的, 拥有900年的家族历史!
Madresfield Court is usually open for public tours for about 40 days per year during the summer. 联系人: tours@madresfieldestate.co.uk 2024年的具体日期和时间.
图片由Toulmin卢提供
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- 1. Image of Madresfield Court with the motto of the Ligon Family and Kinsmen Association: “It’s Great to be a Ligon!(拉丁语是“Ligon magnum esse”)!)
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- 2. A view of Madresfield Court from the side, showing the stone access bridge crossing the moat. 一座较小的廊桥提供了从后方进入的通道.
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- 3. 从空中拍摄的马德斯菲尔德庄园的不同寻常的照片.
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- 4. 马德斯菲尔德宫的主要室内客厅, 有着巨大的意大利大理石壁炉, 周围的楼梯和阳台, 和包括四个孩子的家庭:梅, 杰克, 艾薇和麦克斯.
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- 5. The ceiling of the main living space at Madresfield, showing two of the three huge dome skylights.
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- 6. 露西Chenevix-Trench, 第29代住在马德斯菲尔德庄园的莱贡家族, 说庄园很有魅力, 有点古怪, 肯定不寻常, 充满惊喜.”
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- 7. The Madresfield Court Chapel is a terrific expression of the Arts and Crafts Movement, and is exactly as described in the famous novel Brideshead Revisited.
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- 8. 附近的St. 伦纳德的查普尔·纽兰真是太棒了, highly decorated private chapel of the Beauchamp Almshouses (now called the Beauchamp Community) and was built in 1864 by the 3rd Earl Beauchamp. The Grade 1 listed building is described as “the finest example of the Gambier Parry fresco technique in the country” (this refers to an 1862 substantial improvement in the fresco technique used in medieval times and the Renaissance).
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- 9. Members of the Ligon Family and Kinsmen Association attending a family reunion at Madresfield Court in July 2023.
