Sudbury Hall. The National Trusts Childrens Country House tour from the air with DJI mini 4 Pro 2024

Sudbury Hall is a Grade I listed building in Derbyshire England. Sudbury has a rich history connected to the Vernon family, who gained possession of the estate through the marriage of Ellen Montgomery, the Sudbury heiress, to Sir John Vernon in the 16th century. The family was prominent in Derbyshire and held significant influence in the region.
The present house was constructed between 1660 and 1680, George Vernon utilised his wealth from marrying Margaret Onley, to build the grand mansion on the site. George also established an estate village near the hall to accommodate his servants and tradesmen and his meticulous accounts of Sudbury hall’s building project strongly suggests that he may have designed it himself. George Vernon's building is based on a Jacobean design & the two-story building is built from red brick with stone dressings and is fronted with a Baroque main entrance porch, with two levels of paired columns, each surmounted with a pediment. The carvings above the porch were sculpted by William Wilson. Notably, the state rooms are located on the east side of the building and the servants' quarters on the west side, a traditional layout that was preferred by Tudor architects. Internally, it’s features include a grand entrance hall, an imposing ornate Staircase, a Long Gallery and intricate plasterwork ceilings.
Just one year after Margaret’s death in 1675, George married Dorothea Shirley, who was the daughter of Lady Catherine and Sir Robert Shirley. Her titled parents provided a higher social standing to the family and they went on to have two daughters before she unfortunately died in childbirth in 1680.
George subsequently remarried again to Catherine Vernon, who at 18, was 26 years younger than the 44 year old George at the time. It was to be yet another advantageous marriage and gave George access to the business expertise of her London based merchant family. They produced a son, Henry, who went on to inherit Sudbury upon his father’s death in 1702.
Henry followed in his father’s footsteps and also married well. His first wife, Anne Pigot, was heiress to property in Shropshire and Cheshire and it was their son, George, who became the 1st Lord in 1762.
Through his first wife, the 2nd Lord Vernon, George, inherited substantial land in Wales, but it was his second wife, Jane Georgiana Fauquier, who was described by Horace Walpole as a fearsome character! Jane died in London on 31 May 1823 and was buried at Sudbury on 13 June 1823. Her painting hangs in the drawing room.
Finally, the trend continued, to bolster the family fortunes when the 7th Lord married an American heiress, Frances Lawrence, whose wealth enabled the building of a new stable block and coach house.
Over the centuries, Sudbury Hall saw expansions and alterations, including the addition of the servants' east wing between 1872 and 1880, which today houses the National Trust Museum of Childhood.
The Vernon family faced financial challenges, particularly after the death of the 8th Lord Vernon in World War I, leading to the sale of portions of the estate to cover death duties.
During World War II, a US Air Force hospital was based in Sudbury Park, close to RAF Sudbury. The land was purchased by the government in 1948 and converted into HM Prison Sudbury, with a housing estate for prison officers.
Death duties continued to burden the Vernon family, and in 1967, the 10th Baron Vernon, John Lawrance Venables-Vernon sold Sudbury Hall and its principal contents, along with part of the gardens and parkland, to the National Trust, in part payment of death duties. The remainder of the Sudbury Estate is still held by the Vernon descendants today.
Sudbury Hall reopened in 2022 as the rebranded 'Children’s Country House’, and now features a redesigned visitor experience specifically aimed at children of all ages. This transformation sparked some controversy, with some critics, including members of the Vernon family, accusing the National Trust of "dumbing down" the ancestral home.
The Hall offers invaluable glimpses into the lives of the English gentry, it stands as a testament to the opulence of its era. Surrounded by picturesque parklands and gardens, Sudbury Hall entices visitors of all ages, serving not only as a beacon of historical grandeur but also as a catalyst for sparking the imagination and curiosity of generations to come.
Photographs unless otherwise stated covered by: CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
Ceiling Photo: Https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
MUSIC
Rest Upon the Edge by Trevor Kowalski
Hyme to The Dawn by Scott Buckley released under CC-BY 4.0.
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[@DocColVideo]

Another history lesson from the air at Sudbury's National Trust property. Visited a few times to get all the footage I needed. Enjoy!

[@user-pv7js6qb2f]

You're a handsome brute, Col! Love xxx John

[@DocColVideo]

Thx John 😂😂 I've been called a brute before but never handsome ..... that's a first! 🤣

[@SkySeaPembrokeshire]

An amazing building, nice flying!

[@DocColVideo]

Thx matey much appreciated. 👍

[@OurDroneAdventures-nq9sc]

Fantastic edit Colin and as always very informative.

[@DocColVideo]

Wow. Thx matey. I did enjoy doing this one. 👍

[@SimonsDroneChannel]

Great video and a beautiful looking place, Thanks for the video.

[@DocColVideo]

Thx Simon. Yes it's well worth a visit. 👍

[@semare_on_tour]

tolle bilder von diesem Wahnsinn schloss, von oben wie unten sehr schön gefilmt. klasse bilder 😊

[@DocColVideo]

Vielen Dank, mein Freund, Ihre Kommentare sind sehr willkommen.

[@ladyintheskyuk]

Another cracking video, Col. Very professional narration fabulous footage. 👌 fitting music. What more can I say. 👍 Brilliant. ❤loved everything about it.

[@DocColVideo]

Wow Yvonne. Your comments are always encouraging and confidence building and you've certainly made my day. Thank you so much. 😍

[@Steve53]

Fabulous tour and flight over Sudbury's national trust property, tons of info well presented 👏👏👍

[@DocColVideo]

Thx Steve much appreciated. Make it all worth while. 👍

[@robodrone5662]

Lovely views 😁

[@DocColVideo]

Thx Robo. It is a beautiful place to visit.

[@anghelpaul84]

Great video 👍

[@DocColVideo]

Thx matey. Enjoyed myself making it. 👍

[@buzzindrones]

Absolutely smashed it Col I would say this must be one of your best matey superb 👍

[@DocColVideo]

Wow, thx Buzz, I did enjoy doing this one. It's one of the most relaxed NT properties I've had the honour of filming and the weather was amazing on the days I visited. 👌

[@mavicairflyeruk]

awesome video mate looks a stunning place

[@DocColVideo]

Thx Matey. It is a beautiful spot 10mins from my daughters house so convenient to go.

[@Qwackers-video]

I really want to visit now, the video really got us interested in the Hall 👍🏻

[@DocColVideo]

It's a great place to visit Mark but best outside of school holidays. It was manic on the day of my last day there during half-term. 🤗

[@waddac2]

What a great Historical video with great info. Footage is amazing my friend and great flying.

[@DocColVideo]

Thx matey. I enjoyed doing this one and the weather on the days I visited were great! 👍

[@waddac2]

Your welcome buddy..... Going to fly you a question on GADC regarding my thumbstick video. Not been well, so will try do this in next couple of days.

[@DocColVideo]

No worries matey. Had a bit of the man flu myself. 🤧

[@inbetween-days]

Thank you for sharing and all the information. It's a few years since we've been here. Was good to see all the different views of this interesting place, inside and out. Is the museum still there ? A big like from us. Best wishes Dave and Dawn 👍

[@DocColVideo]

Hi peeps Thx for your support and comments. Yes the museum is very much part of the experience at Sudbury, it's not changed massively but geared more for small children now. I didn't film in the Childrens Museum thro' the ages part as it was a school holiday and you couldn't move in there! 🤣