Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeViewsReaders' ViewsThank you, Hewell Grange

Thank you, Hewell Grange

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We would like to thank Hewell Grange and the National Gardens Scheme for the opportunity to visit and tour the grounds.

It was very interesting – just driving past Hewell Grange does it no justice at all. The grounds are enormous (1,000 acres) and the house, built after the last one burnt down in the 1800s in a firework display, is magnificent.

The French garden with its statues sets it off wonderfully and then there is a secret garden where a hermit is said to have lived for 10 years in a cave to rid the estate of a ghost who used to rise from the lake.

The stable block has another story to tell about how food was left for a stuffed horse while the adjoining building, surrounded by statues and now used as a gym by the prisoners, was once a Real Tennis court and some of its features are still there today.

A highlight for us were the hearing dogs for the deaf. These are trained from six weeks to one year old by the prisoners. The three they have at present are 11 weeks old and can already sit, stay down and leave to sign language.

One of our guides was a prisoner called John. His knowledge of the buildings within the grounds was fantastic.

Thank you again to Hewell Grange – and John – for a wonderful afternoon (and it didn’t rain).

Alan and Rosemary Hackett, Redditch