Wightwick Manor & Gardens

Opening hours update: Tomorrow, we will be open during our usual opening hours.

🟠The upper floor of the Manor and the De Morgan Gallery will remain closed, but the ground-floor rooms will be open as normal.

🟠Please continue to be patient with our staff and volunteers, as some services may take a little longer than usual in the hot weather.

We look forward to welcoming everyone who is visiting us!

🔴Update to opening arrangements

Due to the new red weather warning for Wolverhampton, we will be closing the site early, tomorrow, Thursday 25 June.

🟠Last entry to the Manor will be at 2pm, with the site fully closing at 3:30pm.
🟠The upper floor of the Manor and the De Morgan Gallery will remain closed, with the ground-floor rooms open as normal.
🟠In the tearoom, hot food will be served up until 2pm, with the rest of the menu served as normal until 3pm.

🫗If you are visiting, we recommend arriving earlier in the day, bringing a reusable water bottle, and enjoying the cooler, shaded areas of the gardens. Free tap water refills are available from the tearoom throughout the day.

Please also be patient with our staff and volunteers, as some services may take a little longer than usual in the hot weather.

🟠If you are planning to visit later this week, please be aware that our opening arrangements for Friday and the weekend have not yet been confirmed. We will share updates as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.

National Trust in the Midlands National Trust De Morgan Foundation

⚠️Update: Due to the updated red weather warning, Wightwick will be closing early on Thursday 25 June. The last entry to the Manor will be at 2pm, with the site fully closing at 3:30pm.

Thank you for your understanding.

☀️ Due to the current extreme heat and weather warning, the upper floor of the Manor and the De Morgan Gallery at Wightwick Manor and Gardens will be closed on Wednesday 24, Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June this week.

The ground floor rooms of the Manor will remain open, along with the gardens, grounds, tearoom and the rest of the site. The upper floors of the buildings trap the heat and become too hot for staff and volunteers to work in safely.

🫗If you are visiting, we recommend arriving earlier in the day, bringing a reusable water bottle, and enjoying the cooler, shaded areas of the gardens. Free tap water refills are available from the tearoom throughout the day.

Please also be patient with our staff and volunteers, as some services may take a little longer than usual in the hot weather.

We hope to reopen the upper floor rooms and De Morgan Gallery on Saturday 27 June. Please check our website and social media channels for the latest updates before travelling.

Thank you for your understanding and take care in the heat.

National Trust in the Midlands National Trust De Morgan Foundation

📚 Book Donations Needed! 📚

Our stocks are running low in our second-hand bookshop, and we’re in need of good-quality books and jigsaws to help us achieve our fundraising goals!

Our bookshops are our biggest onsite fundraisers at Wightwick, and your donations make a huge difference in helping us protect this beautiful place for future generations.

You can drop off books and jigsaws at Visitor Reception any day between 10am and 5pm.

Thank you so much for your support!

⭐Outdoor Theatre returns to Wightwick Manor and Gardens this summer!

Pack a picnic, bring your favourite folding chair or blanket, and enjoy the magic of live theatre in the beautiful surroundings of Wightwick's gardens. With two wonderful productions to choose from, there's something for all ages to enjoy under the summer sky.

🎭 A Midsummer Night's Dream
Join Folksy Theatre for a lively, music-filled production of Shakespeare's much-loved comedy. Expect laughter, audience interaction, live music and plenty of mischief as fairies meddle, lovers quarrel and magic runs wild in an enchanted forest.

📅 Friday 24 & Saturday 25 July, 7pm–9.30pm (Gates open from 6pm)
🎟 Booking essential: rebrand.ly/rbdxybc

🐰 The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny
Quantum Theatre brings Beatrix Potter's beloved characters to life in this delightful family-friendly adventure. Follow Peter and his mischievous cousin Benjamin as they sneak into Mr McGregor's garden and find themselves in all sorts of trouble.

📅 Wednesday 29 July, 6pm - 7:30pm (Gates open from 5pm)
🎟 Booking essential: rebrand.ly/edk1i1e

🧺 Please bring your own folding chairs or picnic blankets, as seating is not provided. Our tearoom will be open for takeaway refreshments. Performances go ahead whatever the weather, unless conditions are unsafe due to fork lightning. Booking is essential, and tickets are non-refundable. Only assistance dogs are permitted during the performances.

We look forward to welcoming you for a memorable summer of outdoor theatre at Wightwick Manor and Gardens.

National Trust in the Midlands National Trust

Happy Father’s Day! To celebrate we have reopened the Turkish Bath after a thorough deep clean. Part of the 1887 house, the Turkish Bath was close to the 1887 Billiard Room as part of a self-contained gentleman’s suite, intended for use by Theodore Mander, his sons and male guests.

Popular during the Victorian era, they produced hot air (not steam). The concrete ceiling and cream and blue glazed brick walls were considered the best surface for hot rooms.

Promoted for health reasons, Turkish Bath’s were also a place for relaxation and community. It is unusual to find one in a private home, they were usually public, communal buildings, in city centres, but many of these have since been lost.

Happy Pride Month. To celebrate we have taken Theodore Mander’s notebook out of the archive. On these pages Theodore took notes from Oscar Wilde’s ‘House Beautiful’ lecture.

On 10 March 1884, in the audience of the Free Library Lecture Hall in Wolverhampton, Theodore Mander sat taking notes. The lecturer, Oscar Wilde, was the leader of the new Aesthetic Movement, a movement he described as a principle and not a style.

Theodore listened while Wilde spoke about this movement which encompassed education, art, furniture, fashion, architecture, literature and many other aspects of expression. He made notes about colours, textures, materials and children’s education.

In 1887, three years after attending Wilde’s lecture, Theodore was building Wightwick Manor inspired by what he’d heard, and we can see the principles of the Aesthetic Movement within the interiors he chose.

In 1895, two years after the building work had finished at Wightwick, and over ten years since Wilde gave his ‘House Beautiful’ lecture which inspired the Manor, Wilde was on trial because of his sexuality.

Wilde was charged for committing acts of ‘gross indecency’ with other men and sentenced to two years of hard labour under the Criminal Law Amendment Act (1885). This act made all gay activity between men, even in private, a criminal offence. These charges effected so many in the period the act became known as ‘The Blackmailer’s Charter’.

After his imprisonment, Wilde never saw his wife or sons again. His time in jail irrevocably affected his health and lead to his death a few years later at the age of 46.

Wilde endured prejudice, oppression and the loss of his freedom. Wightwick Manor is in part a legacy of visionaries like Oscar Wilde, a place where we can both remember the hardships he faced but also enjoy the physical manifestation of his ideas.

Here at the Old Manor Shop, we have some brand-new products across our Homeware, Fashion Accessories and Food range. Featuring colourful blooms, fruity flavours and fresh fragrance, we have lots to help embrace the Summer season! Inspired by beautiful glasshouses and hothouses seen across the National Trust, the colour palette captures the warmth, brightness and vibrancy of the time of year.

The Old Manor Shop is open everyday 10:30am - 5pm. Whilst Stocks Last.

Join co-curators of the current exhibition at Wightwick Manor ‘The Rossettis: Siblings and Spouses’, Helen Bratt-Wyton and Hannah Squire on Wednesday 17th June, 7.30pm - 9pm, online via Zoom as they talk to the Pre-Raphaelite Society Graduate Network -

‘Curating the Pre-Raphaelites’

They will discuss their experiences researching, writing and curating the Pre-Raphaelite art collection at Wightwick Manor. Including their current exhibition – ‘The Rossettis: Siblings and Spouses’, past exhibitions including ‘Rossetti, Pre the Pre-Raphaelites’ and ‘Beyond Ophelia, A Celebration of Elizabeth Siddal, Artist and Poet’ and their careers in museums and heritage.

BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET HERE- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curating-the-pre-raphaelites-tickets-1991582855934?aff=oddtdtcreator/

Or search for the Pre-Raphaelite Society Graduate Network on Eventbrite.

‘For everyone, for ever’ at Wightwick Manor and Gardens.

Volunteers have been at Wightwick Manor & Gardens for over 60 years, and we are always welcoming new members to join our devoted team. Our volunteers bring our place to life by telling stories to the public, caring for the collection and garden as well as making sure our visitors have everything then need from arrival, through tea to taking home a souvenir.

We are now recruiting House Experience Volunteers to Wightwick Manor & Gardens.

Our House Experience Volunteers add the sparkle to any visit – giving everyone a warm welcome, bringing stories from Wightwick Manor to life and helping people get the best out of their day.

If you are interested in volunteering, search for live volunteering opportunities, and register your interest with Wightwick Manor and Gardens here - www.nationaltrust.org.uk/support-us/volunteer

‘I enjoy volunteering because it gives me a sense of purpose, it makes me feel valued and I enjoy interacting with visitors, staff and the other volunteers.’
Elaine, Welcome and Event Volunteer

National Trust in the Midlands National Trust