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Stanford has been home of the Cave family,
ancestors of the present owner, since 1430. In
the 1690’s, Sir Roger Cave commissioned the
Smiths of Warwick to pull down the Old Manor House
and build the present Hall, which is an excellent
example of their work and of the William and Mary
period.
As
well as over 5000 books, the handsome Library
contains many interesting manuscripts, the oldest
dating from 1150. The splendid pink and gold
Ballroom has a fine coved ceiling with four trompe
l’oeil shell corners. Throughout the house are
portraits of the family and examples of furniture
and objects which they collected over the
centuries. There is also a collection of Royal
Stuart portraits, previously belonging to the
Cardinal Duke of York, the last of the male Royal
Stuarts, portraits of Royal Children and a unique
Van Dyke.
The
Hall and Stables are set in approximately 70 acres
of attractive Parkland on the banks of
Shakespeare’s Avon. There is a walled Rose Garden
behind the Stables, containing about 1000 roses
and an early ha-ha separates the North Lawn from
the mile-long North Avenue.
With its avenues of oak trees and Serpentine Lake,
Stanford is the perfect setting for your special
event.
Wedding Receptions at Stanford Hall can be
accommodated in three impressive and distinctly
different
venues.
 The Ballroom is a beautifully
proportioned room and has excellent acoustics.
Originally it was an entrance Hall with bedrooms
above it. In 1745 the fifth baronet commissioned
Francis Smith’s son, William, who had already
built the Stable Block for him, to increase the
height of the room, removing the bedrooms above,
and to make the lovely coved ceiling. The central
panel, depicting Apollo in a sunburst, dates from
this period as do the four ‘trompe l’oeil’ shells
at the corners. The four painted panels,
depicting various hunting scenes, were added by
Felix Joubert when the house was restored for the
5th Lord Braye in the 1880’s.
The
elegant Old Dining Room was the main family dining
room until the Second World War and houses some of
the furniture from the Old Manor House along with
many historical items of family clothing.
The Crocodile Room situated in the
Stableyard at Stanford offers alternative
accommodation for the less formal wedding
celebrations.
The parkland and lawns at Stanford
Hall cover approximately 70 acres of
grassland. With avenues of oak and Shakespeare’s
River Avon snaking quietly through the grounds, the
park offers the perfect backdrop to the hall and
provides
endless opportunities for the most memorable
wedding photographs.
There is ample parking on site and space for
helicopter and balloon landings close to the
house.
Private Parties
and Corporate Events
The Hall and Grounds are both available for
conferences, corporate days, team building,
theatre, concerts, dinners and lunches.
Accommodation available from Easter 2007.
Car Club Rallies
and other events may be held in the park. | 