The Estate
The Story of Spring HilL
Nestled in the rolling countryside near Snowshill, Spring Hill Estate has been part of the Worcestershire landscape for more than 250 years.
Springhill House was commissioned in 1763 by George William Coventry, the 6th Earl of Coventry, as a peaceful country retreat away from the bustle of London. Set within a small parkland estate, the house was designed to be elegant yet understated, providing a place for rest, hospitality and enjoyment of the surrounding countryside.
Over the years, the estate passed through several notable families, including the Lygons of Madresfield, whose connections to both politics and military service form an important part of the estate's history. One of its most distinguished residents, Colonel Edward Lygon, served with Wellington's army and fought at the Battle of Waterloo before later achieving the rank of General.
In 1890, Spring Hill was purchased by the Knox family, who commissioned further improvements to the estate, including the distinctive half-timbered lodge that still welcomes visitors today.
The estate entered its current chapter in 1926 when Walter and Kathleen Hannay purchased Spring Hill. Nearly a century later, it remains proudly in the same family, cared for by successive generations who continue to cherish its heritage, landscape and sense of tranquillity.
Today, Spring Hill Estate is a place where history, nature and wellbeing come together. Whether visiting for yoga, staying in one of our cottages, or simply enjoying the beauty of the surroundings, guests become part of a story that has been evolving for generations.
a timeline of spring hilL
A more detailed history...
Early History
The Romans were here – or at least they were passing by. One of their roads can still be seen and felt, the ground hard under your feet, running through the Top Park Field, and coins and trinkets have been discovered buried in the surrounding earth. After they left, the record goes dark for a while, but this part of England fell late to the Saxons, and it is plausible to imagine an Arthurian warband clattering along the ancient highway on the way to Caerleon.
What we do know is that, by the Middle Ages, the land around Springhill was again in regular use, now as the hunting grounds of the Bishops of Worcester. Someone must have been living here permanently by that period, as a well from that time has been found, again in Top Park Field, perhaps used by the bishops’ foresters or other servants.
Lord Coventry and Capability Brown
Springhill as we know it began to take shape in the 1750s, when John Bulkeley Coventry, a younger son of the 5th Earl of Coventry, whose family seat lay at nearby Croome Court, commissioned the legendary landscape designer Lancelot 'Capability' Brown to create a house and parkland within the rolling, wooded countryside.
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Brown worked at Springhill between around 1756 and 1763. The Coventry family were drawn to the beauty of the land, its seclusion and its abundance of wildlife, but they were also connoisseurs of design. This was the era of the English Landscape Garden: a style that celebrated sweeping views, naturalistic planting and majestic woodland rather than formal geometric layouts. It represented the height of taste and sophistication, and would go on to influence the Romantic movement later in the century.
Capability Brown was the leading figure of this new approach. Often regarded as Britain's first celebrity gardener, his work was admired across Europe. His services were sought after by the country's wealthiest landowners, and his fees reflected both his reputation and his remarkable talent. The Coventry family understood the significance of what they were creating and were willing to invest accordingly. Brown received around £1,300 for his work at Springhill, a sum equivalent to several million pounds today.
When the estate later passed to the 6th Earl of Coventry, he expanded upon Brown's vision. The parkland was enlarged and rare plants were imported from abroad, some of which may have found their way into the ornamental rock and water garden that still survives today. Although now softened by nature, with pools fringed by ferns and skunk cabbage, the garden remains a fascinating reminder of the estate's horticultural ambitions.
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A 1922 account describes a "Rock and Wild Garden" where:
"Great slabs of native rock crop out of the grass in places; in others the rock is more broken, and here many alpines find a congenial home."
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The 6th Earl was also responsible for the construction of the iconic Broadway Tower, completed in 1799 on the high ground above the estate and once connected to Springhill House by its own carriage drive.
Over the centuries, some of Springhill's original features have inevitably changed. An ornamental lake was already reported as leaking by 1803 and has since evolved into a marshy reedbed that now supports ducks, frogs, newts and the occasional heron. Yet Brown worked on a scale far greater than individual garden features. His vision was one of landscape, views and harmony with the natural environment.
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That vision remains remarkably intact today.
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More than 250 years later, Springhill continues to be shaped by the principles that guided Brown's original design: working with the landscape rather than against it, celebrating natural beauty and allowing nature and people to coexist. It is an approach that feels every bit as relevant now as it did in the eighteenth century.
Lygon of Waterloo
Springhill remained in the hands of the Coventry family until 1824, when it was purchased by Edward Lygon, a distinguished soldier who had fought at the Battle of Waterloo.
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In the years leading up to the purchase, additional parcels of land had been incorporated into the estate, creating the space for Lygon to pursue one of his great passions: commemorating Waterloo. Across a valley that closely mirrored the scale and shape of the battlefield, he planted copses and spinneys to represent the positions of the British troops, allowing him to recount the events of the famous victory to visiting friends and guests.
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Lygon also invested heavily in Springhill itself, adding wings and improvements to both the house and its grounds. Contemporary descriptions paint a picture of a thriving country estate, celebrated as:
"Altogether tastefully laid out, one of the most delightful residences in the county."
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The estate boasted stabling for seventeen horses, extensive farm buildings, a walled kitchen garden, peach and greenhouses, a pinery, melon grounds, an ice house and a summer house — reflecting both the prosperity and ambition of the period.
Lygon intended the estate to pass to his favourite nephew, Captain Charles Pakenham, a charismatic young Guards officer whom he greatly admired. However, events took an unexpected turn. Pakenham sold his commission in the Guards, distributed the proceeds to the poor, converted to Catholicism and entered the Passionist monastery at nearby Broadway.
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There, according to accounts of the time, he devoted himself to a life of humility and service, spending much of his time undertaking manual tasks within the monastery. The decision reportedly devastated General Lygon. One contemporary recalled that:
"All the light and laughter went from Spring Hill."
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Following Lygon's death, the estate entered a more uncertain period. Ownership passed to timber merchants and, according to later accounts, Springhill fell into decline. The grounds became neglected and much of the vitality that had characterised earlier generations faded away.
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That chapter came to an end when Major and Mrs Knox acquired the estate and began restoring both the property and its spirit. As one local recollection put it, they brought "young life, and flowers" back to Springhill.
By the 1890s, the Knox family were firmly established, and a new phase of investment began. They commissioned the respected architect Guy Dawber to enhance and modernise the estate.
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Dawber introduced a range of architectural additions that remain important features of Springhill today. His work blended several influences, from the elegant neo-classical style often described as "Wren-aissance" — seen in additions to the main house and coach house — to the charming half-timbered Keeper's Lodge positioned along the entrance drive.
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Together, these improvements added a new layer to Springhill's story, combining its eighteenth-century landscape heritage with the architectural character that continues to define the estate today.
Hannay Family and WW2
In 1922, the Knox family sold Springhill to Captain Walter Hannay and his wife, Kathleen Hannay (née Fleming). Kathleen, whose inheritance made the purchase possible, had a deep love of the countryside and a particular interest in wildlife and the natural world.
Under the Hannay family, Springhill evolved from a traditional country estate into a much-loved family home. Over the decades, it became a place where generations gathered, with children, grandchildren and friends regularly filling the house and grounds. The estate also played an important role within the wider community, hosting activities ranging from pony clubs and scouting groups to much-loved firework displays that brought people together from across the area.
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The outbreak of the Second World War brought a very different chapter to Springhill's story.
A significant portion of the estate was requisitioned for military use, first serving as a camp for the United States Army before later becoming a German prisoner-of-war camp. One surviving diary from a German prisoner recalls his surprise at the conditions he encountered, describing individual bunks for each prisoner and even cake being served for breakfast. The camp became affectionately known among its occupants as "Café Springhill".
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When the war ended, the camp continued to serve an important purpose. The final German prisoners left in 1948, after which the site was repurposed to house Polish servicemen and their families. Many of these men had fought alongside British forces during the war and were reluctant to return to a homeland that had come under Soviet influence.
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Known locally as "The Polish Camp", the settlement became home to a resilient and close-knit community for many years. Families built new lives there, creating another distinctive chapter in the estate's history. Long after the camp had begun to decline, stories remained of former residents who stayed on, preserving a connection to a place that had offered them refuge and a fresh start.
Today, little physical evidence remains of these wartime communities, yet their presence forms an important part of Springhill's story. Alongside its Georgian landscapes, Victorian architecture and family heritage, the estate also carries the memory of those whose lives intersected with this corner of Worcestershire during one of the most turbulent periods of the twentieth century.
‘To brighten the old place again’
Today, it is no longer possible for a family to support an estate like Springhill purely through farming profits. This had in fact been the case for some time when the current descendants of Walter and Kathleen took over the running of the place, and the run-down nature of much of the estate at the time reflected this.
But Springhill Estate has always been a place to be enjoyed, for its beauty, its wildlife, its layers of history, its atmosphere of tranquility and seclusion. These things drew the attention of Lord Coventry and inspired the genius of Capability Brown: they continue to inspire us today. By putting Springhill to new uses, we hope to continue that tradition and pass it on to subsequent generations as a living, breathing estate, teeming with life, and with a bright future ahead of it.