One house, one family,one faith...

Tower room at Coughton Court, Warwickshire

Coughton Court is still home to the Throckmorton family. You can wander around most of the house, enjoy their fascinating collections and discover some of their secrets. For many years the family enjoyed estates throughout the country but hard times meant they had to sell off many of these. They brought back many of their treasures here where they now share them with our visitors.

Set in the once great Forest of Arden, Coughton Court and the surrounding land have been home to the Throckmorton family for six centuries.  In that time it has been a valuable asset, reflecting the prestige and success of its owners; but it has also been a burden, associating some with acts of treachery and treason.

" Around our home you will find all manner of family treasures that have connections to dark and dangerous times, rooms and hiding places which link Coughton with the fallout from the Reformation and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605."
- Clare McLaren-Throckmorton


On your tour of the house you will discover stories of some of the most notable characters of the family.  They include Sir John (5th Baronet) who is remembered for his 1811 wager that wool, sheared from a sheep at dawn, could be made into a coat by dusk, Sir Robert (8th Baronet) was the first Catholic MP to sit in Parliament since before the Reformation and several of the gunpowder plotters, including Catesby and Thresham were related to the family. Explore these stories and many more as you wander around the house.

It would have been very dark and stuffy down in the priest hole
Priest hole at Coughton Court, Warwickshire
It would have been very dark and stuffy down in the priest hole


The gatehouse at Coughton stands as a dramatic statement of Tudor authority and would have looked even more impressive than it does today reflected in the moat which once surrounded the house. The South Wing of the house is open to visitors for 8 months of the year and contains the principal reception rooms. These include The Saloon where you’ll be able to see the Throckmorton coat, The Tribune which houses a chemise (currently resting whilst a more supportive dummy is obtained to support it) reputedly worn by Mary Queen of Scots at her execution and The Tower Room where you can see the double priest hole constructed by Nicholas Owen.

Mary, Queen of Scots reputedly wore this chemise to her execution
Cape and chemise at Coughton Court, Warwickshire
Mary, Queen of Scots reputedly wore this chemise to her execution