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A visit to the prestigous Home Design & Interiors Exhibition at Coughton Court can provide visitors with an exclusive accessory or an elegant piece of furniture to give their home added style whilst quality exhibitors will be anxious to show visitors the very latest design ideas for the home and some of the most stylish traditional furniture available. 

The setting for this exhibition is the historic Coughton Court, at Alcester in Warwickshire which has been the home of the Throckmorton family for almost six hundred years, although the present building only dates back to c.1530. 

The family first came to be noticed when Thomas de Throckermerton became the county representative in the King's parliament of 1402. His son married one of the two heiresses to Coughton court - Eleanor de Spiney, and upon exchanging lands in Warwickshire the Throckmorton family became the owners of the entire estate. 

The family (and the estate) have had a long and interesting past - partaking in Agincourt and fighting for Henry VII at Stoke, the men of the family have also held influential posts including Chamberlain of the Exchequer, member of the Privy Council and in 1529 the then lord of the manor was returned to parliament as the Knight of the Shire for Worcestershire. 
The Throckmortons have also been associated with some of historys' most interesting characters - the family was related by marriage to both the Catesby and Trensham families and thus two of the grandsons were chief Gunpowder plotters along with Guy Fawkes. Similarly one of the daughters of the family married Edward Arderne who was executed for plotting against Elizabeth I, another married Sir Walter Raleigh and a third was lady-in-waiting to Empress Elizabeth of Austria. 

The family was very prominent in the Tudor times and were instigators of Catholic emancipation. Within the estate there remains the Parish church of the Diocese of Coventry - built in the fifteenth century by Robert Throckmorton, and the Roman Catholic church which was the first private Catholic church to be built in England after a change in the law two hundred years ago. 

In the early sixteen hundreds the central gateway of the house was built and the house was extended to all four sides of the courtyard. This Elizabethan influence is still recognisable five centuries later, especially in the half timbered courtyard. 

The family gave the freehold of the buildings and the estate to the National Trust in 1946 and were granted a 300 year lease in return. The upkeep of the property is now partly funded by the National Trust and partly by the family. Mrs McLaren-Throckmorton the niece of the 11th Baronet Sir Robert manages the property and has refurbished many areas as well as adding a new walled garden in 1996, which was designed by her daughter Christina. 

Within the house there are some wonderful historical mementoes such as Mary Queen of Scot's chemise, Catherine of Aragon's cope and the letter of abdication written by Edward VIII. The Gunpowder Plot exhibition opened at the venue in 1994 and other historical exhibitions are permanently sited at the house. Details are available on application to Coughton Court. 
 
 

The exhibition will be open daily from 10am until 6pm (last admissions 5pm). Caterers will be serving coffee, sandwiches, pastries and a selection of light lunches, including a hot dish, enabling you to make the show a great day out. Car parking is free and admission charges are £4.00 for adults, £3.00 for seniors and £2.00 for children. 

Coughton Court is situated on the A435 south of Redditch and is accesible from junction 3 of the M42 and junction 15 of the M40. The exhibition will be signposted from the A422, A46, A435 and A448. 

We have FIFTY family tickets to give away for the show. Just answer the simple question below correctly and you could be a winner. The first  FIFTY correct entries drawn on 26th October will each receive a family ticket (valid for 2 adults and up to 4 children). Simply e-mail us your answer together with your address so that we can forward the winners their tickets.