The Herefordshire Wye Valley Holme Lacy Shipley Estate
History
Shipley lands stand upon an Iron Age Trackway. Coins of every period occasionally come to the surface, or are found with Metal Detectors. Three from the Roman period of Constantine were found in 2006.
Shipley is about 800 metres from the site of one of the earliest Equestrian academies in the British Isles. Sir James Scudamore who lived in the now demolished house, was Queens Champion in the Tilt Yards to Elizabeth the first in 1598. His Tilt Armour is in the Metropolitan Museum New York, and very similar to the one illustrated. Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth the second visited Shipley in 1970 to compete in an Equestrian Event. She competed and won in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
During the last fifty years, Bob Macadie, owner of Shipley, has created a Garden Landscape as a fragment of the worlds temperate trees, shrubs and plants intermixed within indigenous British flora. He built the 1970 Equestrian Cross Country Course and organised the Event.
Charles Villiers, The Duke of Buckingham , lived nearby. He was Master of the Kings Horse to Charles the First in the 1620’s, and is said to have often visited Shipley to renew acquaintance with a seductively interesting girl groom who worked at the Equestrian Academy. This is the Buckingham from Hollywood's ‘Three Musketeers’ of Atos, Portos, Aramis & D’artanion. Buckingham was assassinated in 1627 on his journey to Paris .
It was Buckingham who imported bloodstock from the area we call the Middle East, that formed the original bloodlines of the worlds present day Racing. England's ‘Cheltenham’ Race Course is about 30 miles from Shipley. It is best known for the National Hunt festival held in March each year, and includes races such as the Gold Cup and Champion hurdle.
A great Feast was held in 1639 for the Scudamore who was Ambassador to the Court of Louis the XIII. It went on for three weeks. Shipley holds a copy of the Menu listing the extraordinary variety of differing fish, fowl, & meats that were eaten. Including Peacocks. Which may still be seen at Shipley. There are also White Pigeons, which are reduced in number by being on the Menu of Sparrow Hawks and Hobbies in the January and February of each year .
ROMAN COIN
ROMAN COIN
PEACOCK
HORSE & RIDER
PHEASANTS
