Ragley Hall (grid reference SP073555) is located south of Alcester, Warwickshire, eight miles (13 km) west of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is the family home of the Marchioness and Marquess of Hertford, and is one of the great houses of England.
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The present day
The House and the 400-acre (1.6 km2) grounds are seasonally open to the public. The Hall abounds with fine paintings, ceramics and antique furniture. This also includes an adventure playground for children which is beautifully blended into its current surroundings. This adventure playground give a lot of fun to all ages. It is the site of the Jerwood Sculpture Park, opened July 2004. The Park includes works that won the Jerwood Sculpture Prizes, and the work of Dame Elizabeth Frink, among others. In 1969 the 8th Marques of Hertford commissioned the artist Graham Rust to decorate the South Staircase Hall with murals, showing "The Temptation of Christ" and members of the family on an illusionary gallery.
History
Ragley Hall was designed by Robert Hooke in 1680, and belatedly completed in the mid 1700s. The architect James Gibbs was involved in the later stages of the project. The grounds were landscaped by Capability Brown. During both world wars Ragley Hall served as a hospital. The current owner is the 9th Marquess of Hertford and his wife.
Popular culture
Ragley Hall played the role of the far more grand Palace of Versailles in the fourth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, titled "The Girl in the Fireplace", first broadcast in May 2006.
External links
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