Calke Abbey and Park

March 28 2017.

This is a place I've intended to visit for some years - I remember a nature ramble one Saturday with our junior school teacher, Winifred Hopper, when I was about eight or nine. At that time the Hall was still occupied and not open to the public.
Then later, my mother told me about an article in the local paper - the last member of the eccentric and rather reclusive Harpur Crewe family had died and the estate had been taken over by the NT, as a sort of time capsule. 

Stables - room for a cart too?

Turnip chopper

The house 

The inside is a clutter of furniture and collections of rocks, of insects, of books, of stuffed animals . . .

A huge rocking horse - and a sedan chair

Gruesome trophies

Bells for the servants

It's just as well most of us don't have the space to keep everything.
The grounds are extensive with a pleasure garde, kitchen garden with orangery, now a fern house. The church is close at hand, reached through an avenue of trees.

The Harpur Crewe graves are adorned with heather mounds.

Daffodils were still in bloom. 

This is a tunnel so that gardener could access the kitchen gardens unseen by any family or guests!

There are glimpse of the lake.

 and the herd of deer.

 In the gardens is a romantic grotto

 More deer close to the house 

 Behind the car park, there is a walk along by some large ponds, where a heron was waiting for fish for quite some time.

I can't resist a good reflection. . .

. . .or two .

Canons Ashby

Visited on Friday 25 Feb 2017. Still considering whether to end my membership over the fox-hunting issue . . . or shall I just write to them in protest??

I forgot to pack my 'big' camera, so all photos here were taken with the phone.

Canons Ashby house was built by John and Elizabeth Dryden around a small farmhouse and the remains of a large medieval priory. John inherited the estate through his wife in the 1550s. Some interesting aspects of the history of the place can be found here.

The gardens, were laid out from 1708-1710 by Edward Dryden, nephew of the poet John Dryden.

The sundial dates from 1710

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The shepherd boy died when he warned the family of a Royalist attack by blowing his flute. The Drydens were Puritans, and supporters of Cromwell and the Parliamentarians. The statue was made in 1713.

The house from the Lion gates - the lion and sphere was a family crest.

The priory church

Tree shadows

The first lambs I've noticed - and they are huge.

Part of the church

This window was originally in the priory, but was removed following its dissolution.

A heavy Jacobean plasterwork ceiling in the drawing room has had to be supported by metal braces.

The wall painting is an example of late 16th century decoration.

I enjoyed the nursery with its rocking horse

high chair . . .

and puppet theatre.

Small domestic objects intrigue - like this hot water bottle.

I'm told this is "bargeware". Tea for two, anyone?

Figs

The lake at the bottom of the parkland area.

Some rather jolly topiary.

The church and a picnic area.

Twelve days of Christmas children's trail at Mottisfont

Where is the partridge??? Higher . . 

onward to the house, which was originally a priory.

No photo of the two turtle doves, but below are three French hens - you can tell that they are French because they are made from Le Monde, le Figaro and l'Équipe.

Where's the next one?

We could hear the beat of drums and had to investigate - at this point any idea of following the numbers was abandoned. Hazel was unimpressed and took me for a quiet walk among the fallen sycamore and oak leaves. The huge sycamore leaf I found was dismissed as "not as big as my oak leaf".  This legendary object seems to have been hidden and can only be seen by Hazel!

We followed the trail into the house . . .

A cake to conjure with? 

One of the costumes for "nine ladies dancing" - Carabosse, the wicked fairy from Sleeping Beauty.

Outside once more and we find a mosaic angel, designed by Maud Russell's lover, Boris Anrep.

Plenty of space to run around.

Ah, eight maids a milking . . 

and a real swan

but we need to find six geese a-laying. Luckily they lay bouncy rubber eggs that we can throw into their nest baskets . . .

and finally, we find the seven swans a-swimming.

A full afternoon, on a fine day, and not cold either.