Overnight there had been plenty more rain - perhaps not as much as in some parts of the country where flood-threatening rains were forecast.
However, the ground was very wet and the towpath beside the boat fast becoming a mud bath. Although it is fashionable in some quarters to criticise the conversion of towpaths to cycle and footpaths, usually funded by local authorities, it is instructive to be reminded what they were all like when we first took to the canals and many were at times impassable.
The day started and remained very grey, making outdoor photography (especially with compact cameras) not good. However, there was no wind, not even a breeze, so it was not as cold as yesterday.
Just as we were about to set off a boat came through so it was no surprise that we had to wait for them at the next lock, which was only a short distance from our overnight mooring. The photo makes it look as if it was either raining or had just been so but this is just the result of the overnight rain which left grass and lock surroundings wet and slippery all day.
Waterway Routes shows a proposed marina just south of Ingestre Bridge, close to the A51. However, as the photo shows, there is nothing to see apart from a field with a few cattle! Looking at the Stafford Borough website, it seems that planning permission was granted in March 2017, after more than two years of consultations, for a 196 berth marina. However the permission states that work must commence within three years of that date or it lapses so perhaps it is harder to fund than anticipated - or has the alleged down turn in marina mooring contracts started to bite?
A little further and we passed through Hoo Mill Lock, with a wait as we had caught up with the boat that was ahead of earlier.
At Haywood Junction we pulled in to the service mooring the usual range of filling and emptying. None was especially urgent, even if Christine had just done a load through the washing machine, but it is always wiser to take what is available as there is no knowing if the next place is out of order!
We continued until just below Haywood Lock where we tied up on the 2 day visitor mooring. It was early for lunch but we planned to make use of our National Trust membership and visit Shugborough Hall, very close to the mooring. We have seen the grand building across the parkland on numerous previous occasions but never taken a closer look.
So, after portions of Christine's latest soup, we set off, crossing Essex Bridge, just a couple of minutes from the canal.
It stands 100 m below the confluence of the Sow and the Trent - this is the longest surviving pack horse bridge in the country and was built in Elizabethan times by the Earl of Essex, originally with rather more arches than now remain. The water was running quite fast of the recent rainfall.
After crossing the bridge we reached the pedestrian gate (just to the right of the gate in the middle of the photo) where we were greeted and proudly presented our membership document! We were asked whether we wanted to book places on a visit to the Lichfield Apartments which have timed entry - the rest of the house is free flow. It turned out that the next was in just 12 minutes time!
As we walked up to the house we could see some very fine specimen trees in the parkland.
The estate was owned by the Bishops of Lichfield until the time of Henry VIII. Within a century it was bought by the Anson family who demolished the existing building and started on the first parts of what stands today - with succeeding generations gradually expanding it. Two brothers, Thomas and George who, in the 1740's, greatly expanded the house. Tomas (the elder brother) was an MP but George had a naval career, becoming and Admiral and the First Lord of the Admiralty before becoming a Lord. He served at a time when the British navy was collecting large valuable assets by beating up the best ships from other nations! His proceeds from the expeditions enabled him to spend extravagantly on the house. It was nit until the coronation honours of William VI that a later generation became the 1st Earl of Lichfield.
Visits to the house today fall into three main sections: the mansion rooms which house an exhibition about Thomas and George, the servants' quarters and the Lichfield Apartments - which is where we began.
When Patrick Lichfield became the Fifth Earl in 1960, he inherited the estate from his grandfather - his own father died two years earlier. As a result he was required to pay two lots of death duties and a house that needed a lot of work, especially on the electrical wiring and the roof - money which he did not have. He negotiated with the tax authorities and gave the estate to the nation in exchange for settling the tax and the right to use an apartment in the west wing, many of the rooms had originally been the servants's quarters. (It did have 32 rooms!) After just three years serving in the Grenadier Guards, he left and became a photographer's assistant until he was able to branch out on his own. Although he became a well-known and sought after photographer, his family connections to the royal family played an important role in his career. The apartment is now set out as in the 1970's and a umber of his photos are on display (with the result that copyright means that we could take no photos in that area) When Patrick dies in 2005, his son, now the Sixth Earl, had no interest in keeping on the apartment and relinquished it back to the owners.
The second part of the visit was to the main mansion - rooms on a much grander scale. When the house was donated to the nation via the National Trust, Staffordshire County Council took on a 99 year lease and the responsibility to maintain and operate it. However, it was gradually costing the council significant sums of money and they handed back the lease to the NT in 2016. The estate is gradually being brought up to National Trust standards but this also means that for now, far fewer rooms are open to the public.
At present the rooms contain displays about George Anson's expeditions and how he collected so much wealth and treasures.
And finally we visited the Servants' section, the places where they laboured for very long day to support the 'upstairs' family. The kitchen was one of the most important parts of the operation - the chef in this estate was the highest paid member of staff.
On one window cill we saw these: there was no description but subsequently we have discovered that the Pasteur-Chamberland Filter was invented in 1884 by Charles Chamberland who worked with Louis Pasteur. As well as filtering water for use in the laboratory, it was sold for purifying drinking water in a time when supplies were often contaminated by micro organisms causing diseases such as cholera.
The Servants' Hall was where most of the staff gathered to eat their meals. Seating arrangements were strictly controlled according the hierarchy amongst the staff.
The laundry, along with the kitchen, was one of the main activities of the house staff. Lots of clothes, table cloths and other items had to be cleaned every day and it was labour intensive, although there were gradually a few machines introduced to help.
After completing our tour of the house we walked back to the canal. As we crossed the Essex Bridge we could see a rather ornate bridge ahead of us. It is actually under the railway and appears to have been one of the main entrances to the estate at one time. It usefulness now is limited as the pack horse bridge is only wide enough for pedestrians.
Back at the boat we changed and set off to move the boat into a more open location about a mile further on. By then we were close to the next lock so pulled in when we found a suitable bank edge.
4.4 Miles - 3 Locks
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