Before we set off, Mike walked to the village shop near our mooring for a newspaper and some milk.
As we left the main road to find the Heart of England path, we passed through the Castle Dressage base with its handsome horses being prepared for their day.
The white one was checking out passers by - as we set off up the footpath. Initially it was a quite substantial path but gradually turned into a trodden line across fields. It is only a gentle slope and we arrived before the house opened at 11 am.
We started by taking a walk through the bluebell woods to the parish church, very much connected to the house and its famous owners.
It is a traditional church, in many senses, but obviously well cared for and in regular use. This Sunday they have a special annual bluebell event.
In the centre of the chancel is a long memorial stone, commemorating twelve generations of the Ferrers family.
In the tower we saw this inscription: "Nicholas Brome, esquire, Lord of Baddesley, did new build this steeple in the raigne of Kinge Henry the Seaventh. He died in October 1517". Later, during the house tour, we heard about the story behind this inscription. Nicholas worked in London as a lawyer but one day when he returned home unexpected he caught the local vicar in too close contact with his wife. He ,lost his temper and, whipping out his sword, promptly killed the priest! Although he bought his pardon from the new king, he still had problems with the pope who imposed a penance which included repairing and extending the parish church, most especially the tower. However, it took a long time and in old age, fearing that he might die without fulfilling his penance, he negotiated a full pardon.
The gardens and restaurant are open from 9 am and as the house was still yet to open we started off with coffee! Alongside the restaurant stands the original memorial stone from the church's chancel. The one we saw earlier is a recent copy as the original was becoming badly worn.
A guided tour around the gardens was next: one of the volunteer gardening team was on duty and he showed us many of the features - not always obvious why they are there.
We gathered outside the main entrance to the house which today crosses over a brick built bridge. It is likely that this replaced an earlier drawbridge. The moat dates back to soon after the clearing was made in the Forest of Arden. A local farmer Badde made the clearing, which at the time was called ley - hence Baddesley. Later the house came into the ownership of a Clinton who added his name to the current title.
Nest we were shown two stewponds, which were used to keep larger fish, ready for the table, back in times when fish were a much larger part of the regular diet, more especially for devout Catholics. They were spawned in the larger Great Pond, caught and then transferred, mostly into the larger pond. However, the second pond was used for pike who would otherwise at the others!
As we walked alongside the moat we could see all three of the major stages of the house: The larger blocks left and right were completed in Tudor times, although built on stone foundations from the medieval period. Next came the brick section at the back and then kin modern times a kitchen and servants rooms were added inside the right hand block. Although it seems to match the stone it is actually formed from concrete blocks! At one time there was a wooden hall the spanned the space which is now just a gap - to date no traces of it have been found in the ground.
We continued passed the great pond until we arrived at the Walled Garden. The side borders have different planting - this one is used for perennials - they are experimenting this year for the first time with hazel branches to support the new growth.
Time then to begin the house tour. The entrance bridge leads into the inner courtyard which still has diamond beds created a long time ago and annual planting is limited to the three armorial colours of the Ferrers family.
In the first room - part of the kitchens - we were introduced to the special display for this year (the centenary of the first time that some women could vote) which particularly celebrates four of the women who have played important parts in the history of the house. The two on the left, aunt and niece who, with their husbands, lived together here for many years until both the aunt and the other husband both died. Two years later the surviving two married - although there are stories that this simply recognised a relationship that pre-dated both of their earlier marriages.
The next room contains part of the famous priest hole - there may have been others. This shaft gave access to the sewers but the main escape route came down a narrower hidden shaft alongside from the sacristy above. The most famous use was in 1591 when priest hunters arrived in pursuit of a group of about six Jesuits. They were hastily bundled down the hole, beds they were asleep in were quickly changed so that they would not feel warm to the hunters. The lady of the house plied the hunters with food and drink to distract them and after they had gone, leaving long enough to make sure that they did not turn back to surprise them, brought the priests back up. It is said that no Catholic priest was ever arrested in this house, although it was a centre for resistance to the Protestants.
The Quartet were Victorian artists and writers - Rebecca, the youngest, was a prolific painter although it seems she did not sell her work, just occasionally giving them to friends.
The painting shows The Quartet in an intimate domestic scene - this is how the room look to visitors today.
This bedroom, with its later bed canopy, was once occupied by the grandfather of three generations of men who stayed here for some time. The son kept a tight rein on money (the families resident here were always short of cash, mostly because of their persecution as Catholics) but was eventually persuaded to commission the ornate over mantle. Victorian developetrs coverdd it over so muich of the colour has gone.
At the far end of the sacristy, under the altar, is where the priest hole trap was hidden and it was from here the the Jesuits dropped down into the sewer. (How long did it take for them to wash off the stench once they were released?!) Much later, the bedroom alongside was converted into a chapel - perhaps because the family could not afford to build a separate structure on the estate.
We were rather surprised to see this indulgence on the chapel wall as it is dates from 1876. It granted forty days Indulgence in return for providing a picture in the chapel of the Virgin Mary.
Quite early on a tradition was established to put into the windows the armorial design of each generation. This one is of Marmion, the oldest of The Quartet and he wife Rebecca, the painter.
A large room, once a hall used for entertaining and dancing, was used by The Quartet as a studio, especially for painting as it has two large windows either side and lets in lots of light.
The last room in our house tour is the library. It was here that the amorous priest was killed and it is said that the stain in the floor is his blood from where he fell.
By the time we completed the tour it was well after lunch time so we beat a trail quickly to the restaurant where we had bowls of soup and crusty bread.
Finally, we turned up for the last Intro Tour of the day - really intended for visitors before they went around the house so we have done things entirely the wrong way around! However, the talks did not start until after midday.
By the time we had walked back down to the boat it was too late to make a move - fortunately we were on a 48 hour mooring!
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