Along the Moors - Apley

Apley and Dothill Today

While the Georgian mansion is no more, much of Apley’s inner park has remained intact, providing a diverse habitat for local wildlife that also houses a rich botanical heritage where over 71 different tree specimens are present, including a 300 year old yew walk and two Lime avenues. Ironically, the only notable traces of the ‘castle’ that now survive are those of the Elizabethan edifice; which was partially demolished and converted into stables and offices after the later house was finished. These buildings, which lie on the edge of the inner park, have been restored as private dwellings but retain a doorway and window that appear to date from Sir Alan Charlton’s 14th Century house, from which its successor was re-modelled. Other architectural evidence of old Apley can also be found nearby in the well-preserved remains of a walled garden, icehouse and dovecote associated with the 16th Century hall.

Further afield, much of the outer estate has been re-developed for housing and industry and the white Georgian gatehouse located at the former western entrance to the estate now sits isolated on Whitchurch Road, just outside Wellington town centre. Sadly, Dothill Park, which lay on the other side of the highway, endured a similar fate to Apley and was demolished by Wellington Urban District Council during the 1950s, after the estate became subject to a compulsory order for a large-scale housing project. Since then, much of the former park has been swallowed up by urban development, although Dothill Pool and the Tee-Lake have survived and continue to serve as a reminder of the area’s stately past.