Stay in a restored Tudor house
Historic features exposed
This timber-framed farmhouse was built in 1530, during the reign of Henry VIII. Constructed to a high quality, on the orders of the Bushell family, a generation or so before they were contacts of William Shakespeare, a remarkable amount of this early two-storey house has survived. Painstakingly restored, it now provides a fascinating and comfortable three-bedroom holiday house. Fans of the film Hamnet can find somewhere they can stay for a holiday, just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, in an authentically historic house that was here and is recognisable from the Shakespearian period in which the movie is set. Have a look at the gallery of photos and read the history of the house.
Holiday guests can see the exposed features from the house’s original Tudor construction and probable late sixteenth century upgrade, as well as some modifications from later periods. Timber joints, smoke-blackening, carpenters and apotropaic markings, and small finds, such as a bone flute and pottery fragments, are all visible, giving a direct link to the people who lived and worked in the house hundreds of years ago. This farmhouse tells the story of a family improving their fortunes during the sixteenth century, just a step down the social scale from the owners of Tudor gems such as Little Moreton Hall.
Shakespeare’s country
Literally the countryside that inspired William Shakespeare. The hamlet of Barton is on the River Avon, 8 miles from Stratford-upon-Avon, with no fewer than five major footpaths crossing about 100 metres from the door, and on a popular cycle route. Within minutes you can be watching wildlife by the river and heading over the meadow to the medieval bridge at Bidford-on-Avon. A short car journey (or bike ride, for the more energetic) takes you to Stratford-upon-Avon or into the Cotswolds. There are dozens of significant historic properties nearby, including National Trust, Heritage England and Warwick Castle.
Back at the house, the historic experience continues. The property’s story has been drawn together from documents, reading of clues on the building, and the small finds which are displayed in the study.
Fans of the Landmark Trust will feel very much at home here, and be delighted by the sheer richness of historical experience, including carpenters, witch and burn marks all around the house. The historic and natural materials of the house take centre stage, with simple decor, and furnishings are personal to the house and the owner, with a few more concessions to modern life, with wi-fi and a hidden TV.
Dogs are welcomed, trusting that you and your four-legged friends will respect and love the house as much as we do.
What this property offers
Wisson Hill is a comfortable and spacious three-bedroom house, with good facilities. Two of the bedrooms have king-size beds and one has a double bed, all solid oak, comfortable and with quality bedding. The main bathroom has a shower and bath and is supplemented by an en-suite WC and basin off the largest, or gable, bedroom.
Each room is unique, with so many features, from apotropaic burn marks and graffiti to mystifying timber joints and cubby holes.
Solid oak stairs lead down to the central sitting room, with a folding stairwell door and leaded internal window. A huge, comfy sofa faces the wood-burning stove, bookshelves, and TV (if you want), where guests can speculate on the ‘bites’ out of the inglenook wall and appreciate the historic layers on view.
The large kitchen dining room gives holiday guests the comfort of a modern and well-equipped kitchen – dishwasher, microwave, ceramic hob – and underfloor heating, whilst sitting within the Tudor smoke bay and cross-passage structures and enjoying sunlight from windows on three sides.
The owner’s collection of history books – mainly the stories of ordinary people during the Tudor period, rather than royalty – and old building restoration is shared, as well as a collection of items found during work on the house. Ranging from medieval pottery through clay pipes and toys to the ‘time capsule’ documents jammed into holes, this little display gives an insight into the lives of the generations who lived here.
A sunny courtyard just outside the kitchen door has a teak table, six chairs and a parasol, for sunny summer lunches and evening drinks accompanied by birdsong.
There is plenty of parking, dogs are welcome, and we will try to accommodate other requests such as electric car charging, or bicycle storage.
Things to do nearby
For those in the know – and local information can be supplemented with some personal knowledge on request – the adventure starts literally on the doorstep. Right on the edge of the Heart of England forest, open farmland and national footpaths, there are plenty of options for walking (or cycling) from the door including forest walks, Saxon Bidford and Roman Icknield Street.
Stratford-upon-Avon is 15 minutes away by car, home of the internationally renowned Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Properties, but a fascinating historic town in its own right. 15 minutes in the opposite direction takes you into the North Cotswolds, with its famous rolling countryside and Broadway and Chipping Campden.
Just past the Roman town of Alcester, Coughton Court is 8 miles away, one of many properties in the area strongly associated with the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. Warwick Castle is 14 miles away, Kenilworth Castle 17 miles away, and the beautiful, moated, priest-hole-ridden Baddesley Clinton 20 miles away.
A bus service from Bidford-on-Avon goes direct to Stratford-upon-Avon and the railway station at Honeybourne, less than 10 minutes away, has trains to Worcester in one direction and The Cotswolds, Oxford and London in the other.
Find out more about what to do in the local area.
Situated between Stratford-upon-Avon and The Cotswolds, the holiday house has access to forests, open countryside and historic attractions, large and small.
The Wisson Hill difference
Visitors to Wisson Hill are entranced by the profusion of intriguing features, each telling their part of the story. This is a holiday home with real authenticity, beyond period features and quirkiness, offering a unique experience of staying in an original Tudor house.
The owner lives in the adjacent property, fully respecting the privacy of guests but available to answer questions about the house or offer local advice if requested. This is also potentially means access to additional facilities, like bicycle storage, use of kayaks, dog-sitting or borrowing forgotten items….
