Beaudesert, Cannock Chase

The estate was broken up by the 6th Marquess of Anglesey due to financial difficulties; as a result the furniture was sold off and the fabric of the hall and stables went to auction.

Some of the furnishings of the house, including oak panelling and the Waterloo Staircase were taken to Carrick Hill in Adelaide, South Australia.

Today some of the former estate land is used as a Scout and Guide camp and a local wildlife trust and new buildings are used for residential courses.

[2] The house was still unfinished and unfurnished in August 1585, when it was suggested that Mary, Queen of Scots might stay at Beaudesert or Burton Manor while Tutbury Castle was cleansed and sweetened.

The Bishops formerly had a house of some importance at Beaudesert and much of the fabric of the great hall built during the 14th century remained during the rebuild.

[4] It was at this time when the courtyard was removed and the coach house and stables were erected of white stone in the form of a crescent, 100-150 yards north of the hall.

[4] A fire occurred at Beaudesert on 5 November 1909 and a large amount of money was spent by the 6th Marquess in securing the West Front of the estate from the Fitzhugh family and renovating the house and replacing much of what had been done by the predecessors and return to the work conceived by the 3rd Baron Paget.

[2] Heavy taxation after the Great War meant that the Marquess could no longer afford to maintain the property at Beaudesert, so it was put up for sale.

The house was offered to many public bodies, colleges and school authorities but in every case it was found to be unsuitable for purpose.

The staircase was bought by Edward and Ursula Hayward and removed to Carrick Hill, Australia in 1935, where it was reassembled and is now on public display.

During demolition many of the bricks from Beaudesert were taken to re-face St James's Palace, which had suffered from pollution as a result of coal smoke.

[1] The lower end of Broad Walk near the hall had yew hedge on either side which had topiary in the form of 24 peacock shapes.

In 1937 Lord Anglesey gave 123 acres of land on which the gardens stood to the scouts, guides and other associations and organisations having similar purposes.

The standing ruins consist of three main components; the south wall of the Great Hall, a parallel wall which formed the north side of the Great Hall with an attached fragment of the west wing and the north west angle of the house.