Packwood House

Packwood House is a National Trust property in Warwickshire, which began life as a timber-framed farmhouse in the late 1500s.  Built by William Fetherston, it was passed through his family of yeomen farmers for more than 300 years, being adapted and extended as time went on. In 1904 it was bought at auction by Alfred Ash, an industrialist. His son, Graham Baron Ash, a bachelor with a perfectionist streak, meticulously restored, decorated and furnished it as a Tudor mansion, where he delighted in holding lavish and legendary house parties. In 1927, Queen Mary visited for tea. He sounds a fascinating character - you can read more about him on the National Trust website. He eventually gave the house to the National Trust in 1941 but continued to live there until 1947. At his request, the house is preserved almost exactly as it was when he lived there.