National Trust, English Heritage, museums etc.
Can’t stay in all day, but the weather’s poor and deteriorating… The China Museum at Coalport is worth exploring – the china is astonishing! (there are those who like it). We leave at about twenty to four – already it’s becoming dark, and the rain has turned to sleet – which turns to snow as we climb out of the valley.
It’s a National Trust property, tucked neatly between the M54 and the northern edge of Wolverhampton. It started life as a half-timbered structure – and remains so, though the original building was encased in brick when the hall was “modernised”, in the days before Victoria became queen. Its fame lies with an earlier monarch – King Charles hid there, in one of its priest holes. Whatever its history, it’s an interesting place to explore on a changeable Sunday afternoon.
That’s how its owners, the National Trust, describe Calke Abbey. Here, they talk of preservation not restoration – to provide a reminder of the state many such houses were in, at the end of their existence, with their last residents living in just a tiny proportion of the house. Preservation of the last lived-in parts of Calke means displaying the amazing collection of stuffed birds and other creatures; the disused parts are shown complete with their stored clutter.
There’s far too much here to take in on a single visit – we were beginning to suffer from overload when we left the walled gardens and headed for home. We’ll have to come again.
It’s a National Trust house near Hovingham in Yorkshire – perhaps five or six miles north of the much-better known Castle Howard. Among other things (peacocks, exhibitions etc) it’s noted for a collection of “miniature rooms” on display.
Tuesday: We’ve had a very pleasant overnight stay in Ludlow, and now we’re looking for some not-too-energetic entertainment – it’s a warm morning, though the weather is gradually changing. The view from the top of Titterstone Clee could be good, and it’s a gentle stroll up from the car, parked on the old quarry level (it was, and it was…).
The tea-room at Croft Castle would be good for a lunch break – afterwards, we would walk up to Croft Ambrey, where the hill fort provides fine views of the Welsh border hills. The chestnuts in the park are increasingly decrepit; replacement saplings grow nearby. We’ll return to the car by the wooded Fishpool Valley. There’s not much water in the pools – I suspect that’s going to change over the next couple of days.
Monday 28th July: it’s an impossibly quaint house, with matching gatehouse, in the depths of the Herefordshire countryside just to the east of Bromyard. One of those places where none of the floors are quite level, none of the verticals fit to be so described.
There are walks in the woods nearby (after the obligatory ice creams – it was a warm afternoon) – down to the brook where Harold the wooden horse drinks, then a gentle ascent to the Lawn Pool. Muddy water almost, but not quite, hides the huge carp cruising just below the surface.
We’d started yesterday’s outing relatively early in the day – there was plenty of time for another visit before heading homewards. Little Moreton Hall isn’t far from Biddulph – it ought to be good for a few photos, and perhaps an ice cream on this warm afternoon. It needs no introduction – must be Cheshire’s most-photographed building…
It’s a bright sunny day – far too good to stay at home. “How about Biddulph Grange? We could get some oatcakes on the way”. No further discussion required. The gardens at Biddulph are wonderful – different compartments connected by unlikely hidden tunnels and stairways – great fun! (The oatcakes – bought on the outward journey, and sampled when we’re home again, are pretty good too.)
We’re wandering around Attingham this afternoon – the walled garden provided colour, the rest of the estate just shades of green.
