Mary Arden's House – Coughton Court loop from Wilmcote
Mary Arden's House – Coughton Court loop from Wilmcote
5.0
(2)
19
riders
Mary Arden's House – Coughton Court loop from Wilmcote
02:08
35.0km
220m
Cycling
Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.
Last updated: April 16, 2026
Tips
Includes a segment in which cycling is not permitted
After 562 m for 174 m
Waypoints
Start point
Train Station
Get Directions
649 m
Mary Arden's House
Highlight • Historical Site
13.2 km
Poole's Wood
Forest
17.9 km
Old Police Station, Studley
Highlight • Monument
Tip by
20.7 km
Sambourne Village Green
Highlight • Settlement
Tip by
23.5 km
Coughton Court
Highlight • Historical Site
The house has a long crenelated façade directly facing the main road, at the centre of which is the Tudor Gatehouse, dating from 1530; this has hexagonal turrets and oriel windows in the English Renaissance style. The gatehouse is the oldest part of the house and is flanked by later wings, in the Strawberry Hill Gothic style, popularised by Horace Walpole.
The Coughton estate has been owned by the Throckmorton family since 1409. The estate was acquired through marriage to the De Spinney family.Coughton was rebuilt by Sir George Throckmorton, the first son of Sir Robert Throckmorton of Coughton Court by Catherine Marrow, daughter of William Marrow of London. The great gatehouse at Coughton was dedicated to King Henry VIII by Throckmorton, a favourite of the King. Throckmorton would become notorious due to his almost fatal involvement in the divorce between King Henry and his first wife Catherine of Aragon.Throckmorton favoured the queen and was against the Reformation. Throckmorton spent most of his life rebuilding Coughton. In 1549, when he was planning the windows in the great hall, he asked his son Nicholas to obtain from the heralds the correct tricking (colour abbreviations) of the arms of his ancestors' wives and his own cousin and niece by marriage Queen Catherine Parr (see gallery drawing). The costly recusancy (refusal to attend Anglican Church services) of Robert Throckmorton and his heirs restricted later rebuilding, so that much of the house still stands largely as he left it.
After Throckmorton's death in 1552, Coughton passed to his eldest son, Robert. Robert Throckmorton and his family were practicing Catholics therefore the house at one time contained a priest hole, a hiding place for priests during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I of England. The Hall also holds a place in English history for its roles in both the Throckmorton Plot of 1583 to murder Queen Elizabeth, and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, although the Throckmorton family were themselves only indirectly implicated in the latter, when some of the Gunpowder conspirators rode directly there after its discovery.
The house has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1946. The family, however, hold a 300-year lease and previously managed the property on behalf of the Trust. In 2007, however, the house reverted to management by the National Trust. The management of the property is renewed every 10 years. The family tenant until recently was Clare McLaren-Throckmorton, known professionally as Clare Tritton QC, until she died on 31 October 2017.
The house, which is open to the public all year round, is set in extensive grounds including a walled formal garden, a river and a lake.
Tip by
23.9 km
Coughton Court Church
Highlight • Religious Site
24.1 km
River Arrow Ford at Coughton
Highlight • River
24.1 km
Coughton Court Ford
Highlight • Natural
Tip by
25.6 km
Coughton Ford
Highlight • Natural
Tip by
35.0 km
End point
Train Station
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
34.2 km
316 m
309 m
147 m
111 m
< 100 m
Surfaces
27.1 km
7.79 km
152 m
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Elevation
Highest point (110 m)
Lowest point (40 m)
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Weather
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Tuesday 26 May
28°C
13°C
31 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 21.0 km/h
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Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.