Stanford Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stanford Hall is a stately home in Leicestershire, England, near the town of Lutterworth.
Ancestral home of the Cave family, the hall was built in the 1690s for Sir Roger Cave on the site of an earlier manor house. It is considered a fine example of William and Mary period architecture. In the 20th century, the home of cricket loving philanthropist Sir Julien Cahnwas Stanford Hall just north of Loughborough,not near Lutterworth. The architect was William Smith of Warwick.
The River Avon flows through the grounds.
The aviation pioneer Percy Pilcher built some of his early gliders here in the 1890s; he also built a powered flying machine here that many historians believe was capable of flight, but he was killed nearby in an accident in 1899 before he could try it. An exact replica of Pilcher's "The Hawk" glider is exhibited at the hall.
Today the hall is a tourist attraction open to the public. Amongst the attractions are a motorcycle museum, and guided tours of the hall and its grounds. It is also used for classic car shows, including the Wartburg/Trabant/IFA Club Rally.
[edit] External link
- Stanford Hall's official website
- Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland, 1960 edition.
A firework competition is held there each year - *[http://www.fireworkchampions.co.uk/ www.fireworkchampions.co.uk
