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Set in 400 acres of Parkland, the grade II listed Sandon Hall, is a 19th-century country mansion in Staffordshire, and is the seat of the Earl of Harrowby. Historically, before the Norman Conquest, Sandon was owned by Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia, before passing through a succession of notable owners, until it came into the possession of the Erdeswicke family, through Margaret, a descendant of Sir William Stafford. Margaret married Thomas Erdeswicke in the 12th year of the reign of Edward III in 1339.
Sandon was eventually inherited by Sampson Erdeswicke, a notable antiquary, and in 1593 he married Mary Neale, widow of Everard Digby, and mother of the recusant Everard Digby who was executed in 1606 for his part in the Gunpowder Plot. Their son, Richard Erdeswicke, sold Sandon manor in 1631 to his half-brother George Digby in order to help settle his debts, but unfortunately Richard was to meet his end whilst languishing in Fleet debtors prison in 1640. The tombs of the Erdeswickes can be found in the nearby Sandon parish church.
The manor was passed onto Jane Digby, who married Charles Gerard, 4th Baron Gerard. Their descendants included Elizabeth Gerard, who married James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton. A lawsuit concerning the estate was the pretext of a duel in 1712 where both participants died of their wounds. As a result the estate descended to Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke, who replaced the old moated manor-house with a new house built by Joseph Pickford of Derby.
In 1776, Nathaniel Ryder, 1st Baron Harrowby, purchased the estate. After a fire in 1848, Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby, rebuilt Sandon Hall in a neo-Jacobean style in 1852. Today the current owners, Conroy and Caroline Ryder, 8th Earl and Countess of Harrowby, have renovated parts of the magnificent house and estate that both can be used as a beautiful backdrop for public and private events.
The Hall is a private residence and pretty secluded in the estate but I had full access hours before a wedding that was taking place on the day of the flight. They do have open days so check out their website for details.
You can park at the nearby All Saints Church just off School Lane (opposite the Dog and Doublet Inn on the A51) and access by foot from the edge of their grounds but you still have to get close to maintain VLOS.
View and discuss this location in more detail on Grey Arrows.
Co-ordinates: 52.85577, -2.065639 • what3words: ///export.scarves.cleanser
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