Historic England
Holbeche House, sometimes Holbeache, is a mansion house about one mile (1.6 km) north of the village of Kingswinford, in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands.
Dating from about 1600, the house was the last refuge of the Gunpowder Plot
Attempt in 1605 to assassinate King James I and re-establish a Catholic monarchy by blowing up the House of Lords. conspirators after they fled London in 1605.[1] Then the home of Stephen Littleton, it was surrounded by a posse led by the Sheriff of Worcestershire on 8 November 1605, and in the ensuing skirmish the leader of the plot, Robert Catesby, was killed.[2]
The front rooms and façade of the house are much as they were during the siege. Some of the original windows have been bricked over, but musket holes in the wall are still visible.[3] Most recently Holbeche House was used as a private nursing home, which closed in 2022.[4]
Holbeche House was designated a Grade II* listed building in 1951.[1] It was added to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2023.[5]
Architecture
The house has a central block of three bays, with two stories and an attic. Projecting side wings have Dutch gables. Some original wood panelling remains inside. Stucco façades were added in the early 19th century.[1]
