Badminton's Historic Gloucestershire Roots

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Great Badminton, sometimes referred to as Badminton, is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It is home to Badminton House, a Grade I listed country house and the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The house is set among 52,000 acres of land, with rich woods and a deer park to the north and west. Badminton House is also notable for giving its name to the sport of badminton, which is said to have been popularised there.

Characteristics Values
Location South Gloucestershire, England
Parish St. Michael
Division Upper division of the hundred of Grumbalds Ash
County Gloucester
Distance from Chipping Sodbury 4-6.5 miles to the east
Post Town Chippenham
Roads A46, A433, B4040, M4 motorway
Railway Station Yate on the Bristol-Gloucester line
Nearby Village Acton Turville
Nearest Pub The Fox and Hounds
Country House Badminton House
Owner Duke and Duchess of Beaufort
Sport Badminton

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Badminton House

The origins of Badminton House can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded a manor at 'Madmintune' with 24 households. In 1612, Edward Somerset, the 4th Earl of Worcester, purchased the manors of Great and Little Badminton from Nicholas Boteler. The name "Badimyncgtun" was recorded one century earlier and had been held by the family since 1275. The dukedom of Beaufort was created by Charles II in 1682 and granted to Henry Somerset, the 3rd Marquess of Worcester, as a reward for his service to the Royalists in the Civil War.

The house was renovated and extended in the Palladian style by the architect William Kent for the fourth duke, who succeeded his brother in 1745. The Somerset family is descended from John of Gaunt, and successive dukes made significant enhancements to Badminton House, adding pediments, pavilions and cupolas. The Entrance Hall reflects the dimensions of a modern badminton court.

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The sport of badminton

Great Badminton, also known as Badminton, is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The village is home to the Badminton Estate, which includes the large country house Badminton House, which has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The sport of badminton was popularised at Badminton House, and the house gave the sport its name.

Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although the game can be played with larger teams, the most common forms are singles (one player per side) and doubles (two players per side). Badminton is often played casually outdoors, but professional games are played on a rectangular indoor court. Points are scored by hitting the shuttlecock with a racquet and landing it within the other team's half of the court, within set boundaries. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes back over the net. A game ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor or ground, or if a fault has been called by the umpire, service judge, or the opposing side in their absence. The shuttlecock is a feathered or (in informal matches) plastic projectile that has a different flight pattern to the balls used in other sports.

The roots of the sport can be traced to the ancient game of battledore and shuttlecock, which was played in ancient Greece, China, and India. The modern game of badminton developed in the mid-19th century among expatriate officers of British India as a variant of the earlier game. The Bath Badminton Club, established in Bath, England, in 1877, introduced new rules to the game. The formation of the Badminton Association of England (BAE) in 1893 marked a significant step in standardising the rules and regulations of the sport. The first All-England Open Badminton Championships, considered the world's first badminton tournament, were held in 1899. These developments laid the foundation for badminton's global expansion.

The International Badminton Federation (now the Badminton World Federation, or BWF) was formed on 5 July 1934 as the sport's world governing body. Its first world championships were held in 1977. Badminton debuted as a Summer Olympic sport in 1992 with four events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, and women's doubles. Mixed doubles were added four years later.

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Parish of St Michael and All Angels

The Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels is located in Great Badminton, Gloucestershire, England. It is a Grade I-listed church on the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, adjacent to their residence, Badminton House. The church is an active Anglican parish, with regular services, and is also a popular wedding venue.

The current church was built in 1785 by Charles Evans in the style of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, but with a plain tower. The exterior is in a plain rustic Italian style, with plain stonework and round-headed Georgian windows. The interior, in contrast, is grand and beautiful. The nave has a tunnel vault with ornamental panelled plasterwork, classical four-bay arcades, and aisles with four small saucer domes. The round-headed windows in the north and south walls are of plain glass, bordered with heraldic stained glass depicting the crests and emblems of the Dukes of Beaufort. The church is filled with monuments and memorials to the Dukes and Duchesses of Beaufort and their family. These include a 25-foot-tall Grinling Gibbons monument to the 1st Duke of Beaufort, which was moved to Badminton from St. George's Chapel, Windsor, in 1874. The choir stalls, organ case, and altar rail are all made of oak, created by Temple Moore in 1909.

The medieval predecessor church, which was then demolished, lay slightly further to the west. The chancel and apse were added in 1875 to accommodate the enormous monument by Grinling Gibbons. The eight windows for the aisles, four on each side, have stained glass from 1846-47 by Thomas Willement, featuring heraldic designs, blue borders, and badges in the yellow of the Beaufort livery. Until about 1910, the Dukes and Duchesses of Beaufort and their distinguished relatives were buried in a vault under the church. Today, the church serves as the principal burial place of the Somerset family of Badminton House.

Badminton House, a large country house and Grade I Listed Building, has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The house gave its name to the sport of badminton, which was either re-introduced from British India or invented during the hard winter of 1863 by the children of the eighth duke. Queen Mary stayed at Badminton House for much of World War II, and weddings and parties can now be booked at the house.

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The Duke and Duchess of Beaufort

Badminton is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The only settlement in the parish is Badminton village, sometimes called Great Badminton. Badminton House is a large country house and Grade I Listed Building in Badminton, Gloucestershire, England, which has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The house, which has given its name to the sport of badminton, is set among 52,000 acres (21,000 hectares) of land. The gardens and park surrounding the house are listed at Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The current Duke and Duchess are not the first to hold these titles. The dukedom was created by Charles II in 1682, making Henry Somerset and Mary Capell the first Duke and Duchess of Beaufort. The name Beaufort refers to a castle in Champagne, France (now Montmorency-Beaufort) and it is the only current dukedom to take its name from a place outside the British Isles.

Badminton House was occupied by Queen Mary for much of World War II, along with most of her staff, which was said to be inconvenient for the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort at the time.

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The village and its shop/post office

The village of Badminton, sometimes called Great Badminton, is located in South Gloucestershire, England. It is home to the historic Badminton Estate, which has been associated with the Dukes and Duchesses of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The estate includes the magnificent Badminton House, a Grade I Listed country house set within 52,000 acres of picturesque countryside. The house is notable for its beautiful gardens and park, which are also listed at Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

Badminton House holds a significant place in history, having served as a residence for Queen Mary during World War II. The adjacent parish church of St Michael and All Angels, built in 1785, serves as the principal burial place of the Somerset family, with nearly all Dukes and Duchesses interred there. The village itself is a small and peaceful community, offering a quaint shop that also serves as the local post office, providing essential services and convenience for residents and visitors alike.

The shop and post office on High Street in Badminton, Gloucestershire, offer a range of products and services to meet the needs of the village residents. The post office provides parcel services, including Collect+, Drop & Go, and Parcelforce Express, ensuring convenient delivery and pickup options for the community. Additionally, the post office offers a range of financial services, such as Lotto prize payments and travel money exchange, catering to the diverse needs of its customers.

The shop and post office's operating hours are designed to accommodate the village's daily needs, typically opening from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and then reopening from 2:00 pm to 5:45 pm or 6:00 pm, depending on the day. These hours provide flexibility for residents and visitors to run their errands and collect their mail at their convenience. The shop and post office are closed on Sundays, allowing for a day of rest and enjoyment of the idyllic countryside surroundings.

Badminton is easily accessible, situated close to the A46 and A433 roads, with the B4040 passing south of it. The M4 motorway can also be conveniently reached via the A46, connecting the village to the wider region. The nearest railway station is located in Yate, on the Bristol-Gloucester line, providing transport links beyond the immediate area.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, Great Badminton, sometimes referred to as just Badminton, is a village, parish, and ducal park in the Chipping Sodbury district of Gloucestershire, England.

Great Badminton is home to Badminton House, a large country house and Grade I Listed Building. The house is surrounded by a deer park and the Grade I listed parish church of St Michael and All Angels, built in 1785.

Badminton House has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The house is set among 52,000 acres of land and contains fine paintings, sculptures, and a good library. It is also known for giving its name to the sport of badminton.

Yes, Badminton House can be booked for weddings and parties. Houses and cottages on the estate can also be rented.

Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, was born, raised, and buried in Badminton. Queen Mary also stayed at Badminton House for much of World War II.

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