The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Compton Verney

Naked Venus is a sculpture by Erika Verzutti and is one of the exhibits in the Compton Verney Sculpture in the Park Exhibition. "For Compton Verney, Verzutti releases a new work as part of her long standing Venus series which references the Venus of Willendorf. Discovered in Austria at the beginning of the 20th century, this artefact was made around 25,000 years ago, and is often regarded as the mother of all sculpture. Here, Venus reclaims the female gaze, positioning Venus as a powerful figure in the landscape." Source: https://www.comptonverney.org.uk/whats-on/sculpture-in-the-park/

STANDTUNE is one of the exhibits in the Compton Verney Sculpture in the Park Exhibition. "Standtune is a sculpture developed at the Gotland Museum in Visby, a small island off the coast of Sweden. Standtune is a local and ancient fencing technique developed for defence purposes in Sweden. Repurposing this technique for this sculpture, Serapinas questions who has the power to decide on our common cultural heritage and what should be in a museum’s collection and exhibition? Which objects should stay on one or the other side of the “fence” and thus border?" Source: https://www.comptonverney.org.uk/whats-on/sculpture-in-the-park/

The Upper Bridge was an important feature in Capability Brown's new landscape. It can be seen from the highest point of the walk and from various other vantage points. It is also illuminated at night. Although constructed by Brown it is likely that the bridge was designed by Robert Adam.

There are great views of 'Compton Pools' from many vantage points along this route. The pools are really lakes as they were turned into a single expanse of water by Lancelot Capability Brown circa 1769. The hills, the house and the bridges provide a beautiful backdrop to the lakes.

"The Ice House was built in 1772 by ‘Capability’ Brown during the extensive remodelling. An Ice House was a ‘must have’ accessory of the day amongst leading gentry, with growing demand for refrigerated food, sorbets and ice creams. Ice was cut in blocks from the lake during the winter and dragged up to the Ice house. A drain at the bottom allowed water from the melted ice to escape. The structure was built mainly underground where the temperature is more consistently cool. The Ice House at Compton Verney was originally thatched, but after 1817 there are no further records of re-thatching or repair and the Ice House was either abandoned or possibly covered in earth and grass – an approach seen with other Ice Houses – as this was how it was found when the present owners took over Compton Verney in the 1990s. Clearance of the Ice House at Compton Verney started in 2008. The Ice House has now been fully restored" Source: Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton_Verney_House

"Combroke Village is also known as Combrook and, less frequently, as Combrooke. Its history is closely linked with that of the nearby Compton Verney estate, for which it once served as the estate village, providing living accommodation for a number of the servants. The village dates from at least the time of Henry I, circa 1086, when a small medieval church was built in the village. There is, however, no separate reference to it in the Domesday book. By 1279, following a stocktaking by Edward I known as the Hundred Rolls, Combrook was identified as located in the Kineton hundred. It remained part of the Kineton parish until 1858, when it was separated from Kineton and united with the ecclesiastical parish of Compton Verney. A number of the buildings in the village have a similar style, most easily seen in the church. The original church was modified in Tudor times, with the chancel being rebuilt again in 1831. The present building was erected in 1866, to a design by John Gibson, paid for by the Dowager Lady Margaret Willoughby de Brook of Compton Verney, keeping the existing chancel. John Gibson went on to design the Victorian neo-Elizabethan estate houses and the horse drinking troughs in the village in the same style as that of the church. A number of the other houses in the village are thatched, with clear signs of original thatched roofs visible on several other dwellings. Until the sale of the Compton Verney estate in 1929, Combrook was a "closed" village, entirely owned by the Lord of the Manor, who could determine who lived there, and Combrook today is still considered to be one of the best-preserved estate villages in the country. The largest house in Combrook once served as the school, and there has been a school on the site since at least 1641. The building which now serves as the village hall was built as the village school in 1855, and seems to have served as a design template for John Gibson's style for the church and estate houses. The village school was closed in 1966." Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combrook

"The church of St Mary & St Margaret at Combrook is an entirely 19th century creation but one of considerable charm and eccentricity. Most of it dates from 1866 to the design of John Gibson, though the chancel remains from a simpler structure of 1831. The church is unusual in both it's shape and detailing, from the wide but low-pitched facade to the multi-gabled aisle walls. The west door and bell turret above are adorned with somewhat over-large demi-figures of angels. The stonework attractively blends white stone with rich golden-brown ironstone details. The interior is dark and largely brick-lined with some small stained glass windows by Willement, Powells and Burlison & Grylls." Source: https://warwickshirechurches.weebly.com/combrook---ss-mary--margaret.html

Spanish cafe with nice quiet garden. Didn't try the food but made a lovely coffee stop!