History
Handleigh Hall is one of England's best-remaining examples of a seventeenth-century gentleman's country retreat. Begun by the eccentric Sir Clive Graham in 1654 and finished by his son Sir Robert Graham ten years later, the hall played residence to the Graham family until 1993, when the last surviving member of the Graham family granted the estate to the Handleigh Hall Trust to preserve this historic house for the nation. A visit to this fabulous treasure trove is brought to life by our dedicated team of volunteers.
Built in the distinctive honey-coloured stone of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds, construction of Handleigh Hall was halted and delayed numerous times by political strife, fluctuating finances and the on-and-off fugitive status of its builder, Sir Clive Graham. Treading a fine line between loyalty to Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth and the machinations of Royalist conspiractists at home and abraod, Sir Clive often found himself courting both sides in his efforts to keep his head.
The Graham Family
Navigating the tubulent politics of the mid-seventeenth century was a dangerous game for anybody, let alone a Catholic baronet in the service of King Charles I. Our reenactors are costumed in all the appropriate clothes: the finery of the gentry in the Stuart period, the smocks of the farm labourers who took up arms to fight for Sir Clive, and the uniforms and weapons they used to hold out against the odds. We hold living history displays daily - see noticeboard for details on arrival.
The story of Sir Clive Graham is well known, but less well known is that of his eight children, all of whom grew up to match their father's fame and infamy. Whether they became companions of exiled kings like Samuel Graham, or ladies-in-waiting to three queens like Matilda Graham, all left their mark not only in history but in the affections of all who knew what Samuel Pepys referred to as "that most charming of broods, those children of the gentleman pirate Sir Clive."
A Gentleman's Collection
Across a lifetime of adventures, exploits and warfare, Sir Clive Graham acquired treasures from around Britain and across the globe. Handliegh Hall Trust, in partnership with the Antiquaries Society of London and the Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum, is proud to exhibit a number of items from among the collection at Handleigh Hall. From Chinese tea sets purchased from Barbadian pirates to the pistols and Mortuary sword of Viscount Thomas Ashfordley, Sir Clive Graham amassed a wealth of treasures Bonhams auction house has called "one of the finest gatherings of objects of historical significance in British history." Displayed now Handleigh Hall for the first time in nearly three-hundred years, our collections are available to view at Handleigh Hall during our usual opening times.
