Chris Throgmartin

When the present house was first built for Sir George Throckmorton in the 1530s, it was planned around a courtyard but the east range, containing a Roman Catholic chapel, was burned to the ground by a Protestant mob in 1688 and was never re-erected. Now the colorfully planted courtyard has an open aspect across the gorgeous gardens leading down to the River Arrow, and the countryside beyond.

Structurally, Coughton has remained largely untouched since Sir George Throckmorton's time, although a few additions have been made over the years, and it was given an 18th century makeover following the damage sustained at the time  of the Civil War.

There is little documentation referring to the  sympathetic and skilled work carried out at that time, but it has been suggested that John Carter was responsible, a man known to have had a rare understanding of the importance of preserving  historic buildings. In any event, the symmetry of the front façade in its golden-toned stonework is as delightful, if not in complete contrast, to the rear view showing the brick and half-timbered courtyard ranges with their gabled roofs and higgledy-piggledy appearance.

 Renowned as a Catholic stronghold, it became a refuge for persecuted priests,  and also became noted for its  association with the Gunpowder Plot. In  1604, Sir George Throckmorton's  grandson, Thomas, had left Coughton   Court and rented it to one of his cousins.  A year later it became the arena from  where Thomas Throckmorton's nephew,  Robert Catesby, led the unsuccessful  plot with Guy Fawkes. An exhibition  giving details of the plot, and its  connections with Coughton, is housed in  one of the stable yard buildings.

The entrance hall of the house is set in the gatehouse tower, and is slightly reminiscent of an ancient cathedral aisle with its ornate fan-vaulted ceiling springing from the bare stone walls. Then an elegant and modern-looking staircase changes the mood and provides a perfect place for exhibiting the collection of ancestral portraits. Remembering the devout Catholicism of the Throckmortons, it is not surprising to find an exquisite piece of veneered furniture known as the Mass Cabinet, which has always been in the family's ownership, and now sits in the little drawing room. Another family member is immortalized in the dining room where an old oak dole gate from Denny Convent hangs, with Elizabeth Throckmorton's name carved upon it. Somehow managing to survive the wave of defacement and destruction at the time of the Reformation, is a superbly carved 15th century alabaster tablet showing the Nativity.

Throughout the house, numerous religious artifacts are intermingled with family collections and heirlooms in well-decorated, finely furnished rooms. Although the house was transferred to the National Trust in 1946, the Throckmortons retained a 300 year lease, and the present family still reside at Coughton, managing the house and continually developing gardens.