Charlecote Park, a 16th-century country house surrounded by its own deer park in Warwickshire.

Address: Wellesbourne, Warwickshire, CV35 9ER.

An impressive 16th-century Charlecote Park in Warwickshire has a fascinating story to tell. This story is about a few generations of the Lucy family who owned the land since 1247. It is hard to believe, but it is still the home of the Fairfax Lucy family!

Charlecote Park lies on the banks of the River Avon, 4 miles east of Stratford-upon-Avon and 6 miles south of Warwick. The original Charlecote House was built by Sir Thomas Lucy in 1558, and then modified and renovated by successive generations of the Lucy family. The parkland was landscaped by Capability Brown in 1760. This resulted in Charlecote becoming a popular destination for notable tourists to Stratford in 18th-19th centuries. When visiting Charlecote Park, don’t miss the opportunity to see a large carriage collection, suitable for every occasion.

Charlecote Park has lots of stories to tell, and secrets to keep. In 1572, Queen Elizabeth visited Charlecote on her royal progress and spent two nights at Lucy’s family home. Another story tells that once young William Shakespeare was caught poaching rabbits and deer at Charlecote Park, which was situated just 4 miles away from his home in Stratford-upon-Avon. We don’t know if this story is true, but in 1769 George Lucy helped organise the first Stratford Shakespeare Festival which probably highlights the link between the famous writer and Charlecote. Since 1945, Charlecote Park is looked after by the National Trust.

Charlecote Park covers about 185 acres and offers lots of opportunities to explore for dog walkers. The main tourist attraction is a landscaped deer park, where deer roam freely all year round. Now you can see about 200 deer in the parkland, sometimes hiding in the long grass.