THIS was the place that I first really started me urbexing. I first visited this with some friends, 25 years ago. Back then then place had just closed a few years before, having been private school for Iraqi kids. Wealthy Iraqi parents sent their kids there to dodge the Iran / Iraq war. Back then Saddam Hussen was a friend of the west! I still have pics of the place when it was still full of furniture, and no locks, no security (you could just walk in through on of the fire doors in one of the main turrets). There was red carpets everywhere and.the were still the last lessons left on the black boards! Picture 3 & 4 are the main quadrangle cloisters. Some of the stained glass is medieval, and was 'rescued' from the ruins of a nearby abbey, which was destroyed during the reformation, and installed in the old manor, which also burnt down. The ruins of this manor are still in the ground of the 'new' manor. The glass was moved again into this 'new' manor (1820). The best room for me was the billiard room. A stone room complete with a gentleman's bar the best billiard table I have ever seen. Late one night a group of us had a party in the room, just before one of us emigrated to Australia. We played several games on the billiard table and at the end of the night, each of us kept a ball. We all still have our balls (so to speak), one is still in Australia, one in New Zealand, one in the USA and several still in the UK. We all remember that night like is was yesterday. The place has been on the market for nearly 27 years, and was bought in 2005 by probably the only person who has the imagination (and money) to truly make it come alive again. I still have a number of the sale catalogues from various attempts made to sell it.
As for keeping the balls from the table, I let the new owner know of our tale through a mutual friend. He loved our tale, and loves the building, spending many millions on it!