Harvington Hall up for prestigious award

Harvington Hall, in the hamlet of Harvington, south-east of Kidderminster, has been shortlisted for the 'Hidden Gem' category in the UK Heritage Awards.

Every year Visit Heritage puts on the awards to celebrate what is new and inspiring in the heritage industry.

This nomination for Harvington Hall comes less than three years after the hall's volunteers won the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the equivalent of an MBE for volunteer groups.

The historic hall is largely unchanged and boasts the largest surviving number of priest hides in the country.

A secret chapel and a chimney escape are just two of the hides in the hall, which would have been used by Catholic priests during the English Reformation.

The hall, which is open to the public, also has a number of incredibly rare original Elizabethan wall paintings.

The winners of the awards will be announced at a presentation dinner at Grocer's Hall, London, on Monday March 25.