The scandalous love letters of Witley Court

Discover a story of forbidden early 20th-century love, from the Worcestershire estate. The lovers share nicknames for each other such as 'Snuffy Scruffy' and 'Little Baby Gazelle'.

Dora Smith is the daughter of the last private owner of Witley Court, Sir Herbert Smith. The correspondence between her and Noel Murray 'Fred' Pearson were discovered in the archives of a local accountancy firm in the 1960s and preserved by one of their employees.

The letters reveal a warm, playful and intimate portrait of a young couple, writing in secret, after meeting when Dora was married to her first husband.

The pair married in 1929, after Dora's turbulent divorce.

Gavin Kermack reports.

Image credit: English Heritage/Jason Ingram