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In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, Jonathan Thomas is joined by Magnus Birch Throckmorton, the latest custodian of Coughton Court — a Tudor manor house in Warwickshire that has been home to the Throckmorton family for over 600 years. Coughton Court is one of England’s most historically charged houses: its great gatehouse was built during the reign of Henry VIII, its walls conceal a double priest hole from the Reformation, and on the night the Gunpowder Plot collapsed in 1605, it was the very house where the plotters’ families waited for news. Magnus walks Jonathan through six centuries of survival, faith, and family — from Sir George Throckmorton’s audacious confrontation with Henry VIII over Anne Boleyn’s marriage, to the sacking of the house during the English Civil War, to the remarkable women of Coughton who kept it alive through every crisis. Magnus also shares what it’s like to raise his young children in this living, breathing house, what he and his wife Imogen have introduced since taking over direct management in March 2026, and why American Anglophiles should make Coughton a priority stop on any Midlands itinerary.
Links
- Coughton Court — coughtoncourt.co.uk
- Historic Houses Association — historichouses.org
- Harvington Hall (mentioned for priest holes) — harvingtonhall.com
- Doddington Hall, Lincolnshire (mentioned) — doddingtonhall.com
- Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon — shakespeare.org.uk
- Friends of Anglotopia
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Takeaways
- The Throckmorton family has lived at Coughton Court since 1409 — predating Columbus’s voyage to America — making it one of the longest unbroken family occupancies of any historic house in England.
- Sir George Throckmorton, who built the great gatehouse around 1530, was audacious enough to confront Henry VIII directly over his marriage to Anne Boleyn — and somehow survived by throwing himself on the king’s mercy.
- Coughton Court has a double priest hole: a decoy chamber above a hidden second chamber, designed so that searchers would find the first and assume it empty, never discovering the one below.
- The Throckmorton family were connected to — but not directly implicated in — the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The plotters’ wives and Father Garnet waited at Coughton for news of whether the plan had succeeded or failed.
- During the English Civil War, Coughton was sacked and plundered, leaving it in a state of ruin that took generations to rebuild.
- Among the most remarkable objects in the house are a chemise believed to have been worn by Mary Queen of Scots at her execution in 1587, and a cape attributed to Catherine of Aragon and her ladies-in-waiting.
- The award-winning gardens were designed from scratch in 1991 by Magnus’s mother for his grandmother, including a rose labyrinth deliberately full of dead ends, designed to slow visitors down and make them appreciate the colours and scents.
- Since taking over direct management from the National Trust in March 2026, Magnus and Imogen have introduced a café using hyper-local producers, a charity bookshop, artist residencies, workshops from willow weaving to botanical pottery, Tai Chi, yoga, a monthly supper club, and a summer programme of outdoor theatre.
- Coughton is just 20 minutes from Stratford-upon-Avon and easily reachable from the Cotswolds — making it a natural addition to any Shakespeare Country itinerary.
- The property includes two churches — one Catholic, one Protestant — with Throckmorton ancestors buried in both, a quirk that speaks directly to the family’s extraordinary journey through five centuries of English religious history.
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Soundbites
- “It’s incredibly exciting — quite scary that your ancestors are looking down at you judging every step of the way. They’ve got the lovely portraits as you walk up the stairs, so you can’t get away from them.” — Magnus on being the latest custodian of Coughton.
- “It’s still a family home. It’s not a statue in time. It’s still breathing, it’s still living, it’s still evolving — and it really tells the story of one family who’ve stayed true to being Catholic the whole way through.” — Magnus on what makes Coughton different.
- “He said it is wrong to have meddled with both mother and sister — to which the king replied, it was never with the mother. So Sir George obviously had a nature of being able to push the boundaries.” — Magnus on Sir George Throckmorton’s confrontation with Henry VIII.
- “The Throckmortons were not directly implicated in the Gunpowder Plot. They were one step away. None of the plotters had a Throckmorton name — which is probably the reason we’re here today.” — Magnus on the family’s Gunpowder Plot connection.
- “We have a chemise believed to have been worn by Mary Queen of Scots at her beheading. There’s a Latin inscription saying Mary Queen of Scots at her execution on the 8th of February 1587. She was an incredibly tall lady, so it is a very long chemise.” — Magnus on one of the house’s most extraordinary objects.
- “It was a thousand guinea bet — shear two sheep and wear the coat between sunrise and sunset. They shorn the sheep, wove it, dyed it, and it was worn at the feast that evening. The biggest travesty was the two sheep were served at the banquet.” — Magnus on the famous Throckmorton Coat wager of 1811.
- “The ladies are the ones who maintain and keep these houses going. They put their life and soul into it and the character of it. My grandmother was one of the first female QCs in the UK. These women are sometimes forgotten about in the grand stories.” — Magnus on the women of Coughton.
- “We are not necessarily close to anywhere, but we’re never that far away. You can get to anywhere within an hour and a half — and we’re 20 minutes from the Cotswolds, 20 minutes from Stratford.” — Magnus on Coughton’s surprisingly central location.
- “Some people come to the UK expecting these houses to be the new Downton Abbey. There is no grandeur here. This is a living and breathing family house — we’ll take you on our story, and you’ll get an insight into what it’s like living at Coughton.” — Magnus on the personal experience he and Imogen offer visitors.
- “My daughter is very good at watering on a Saturday. Mainly she waters the paths, not the plants — which is probably a thing, otherwise the gardeners would tell us off.” — Magnus on raising children at Coughton Court.
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Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction — Jonathan sets the scene at Coughton Court and introduces Magnus Throckmorton
- 01:58 A New Chapter Begins — Coughton’s March 2026 reopening under Magnus and Imogen’s direct management
- 02:19 600 Years of Continuity — What that extraordinary length of connection to one place feels like from the inside
- 03:11 Raising Children at Coughton — Hector, Isabella, hide-and-seek, and the priest hole problem
- 05:01 What Is Coughton Court? — A living Tudor family home, its history and why it matters
- 07:09 Sir George Throckmorton & Henry VIII — The courtier who dared oppose the king’s marriage to Anne Boleyn
- 09:07 The Reformation and Catholic Persecution — Fines, recusancy, and the double priest hole
- 11:35 The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 — How Coughton became the waiting room for the plotters’ families
- 14:30 The English Civil War — Sacked and plundered, and the long road to rebuilding
- 15:32 The Women of Coughton — The overlooked figures who kept the house alive across the centuries
- 17:00 WWII and the Speaker of the House — Coughton’s designation as a wartime safe house
- 17:38 First Impressions — What an American visitor sees walking through the gates for the first time
- 18:22 Where Is Coughton Court? — Geography, distances, and how it fits into a Midlands itinerary
- 19:40 Must-See Highlights — The panelled dining room, Mary Queen of Scots’ chemise, Catherine of Aragon’s cape, and the Throckmorton Coat
- 23:47 The Award-Winning Gardens — Designed in 1991, the rose labyrinth, and Imogen’s new influence
- 26:08 Two Churches, One Estate — The Protestant and Catholic churches and the ancestors buried in both
- 28:01 Taking Over from the National Trust — What it means to personally open the doors again
- 29:46 New Ventures — The café, bookshop, workshops, artist residencies, supper club and more
- 31:55 Coughton as a Community Hub — The village fête, dementia awareness days, and the volunteer team
- 33:19 The Historic Houses Network — What joining has meant for advice, connections, and visibility
- 34:43 Coughton’s USP — One family, one faith, 600 years, and gardens that change with every season
- 36:31 Why Americans Should Visit — The personal touch, the family access, and the Shakespeare Country connection
- 40:37 Summer 2026 at Coughton — Roses, herbaceous borders, outdoor theatre, and very good ice cream
- 41:43 Wrap-Up — Opening hours, website link, and how to find Coughton Court
Video Version
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