Charlecote Park

One of the advantages of having a National Trust annual subscription is that we do not feel uncomfortable going to a property with gardens, a splendid house and great views and spending much of the time sitting, reading and enjoying the late autumn sunshine. Charlecote Park is about 35 minutes drive from Brinklow Marina, quite straightforward save for a couple of rather complex intersections. Alas, Google does not always agree with the road signs regarding place name or the road number. Fortunately its sat nav map is excellent and makes it easy to follow he way around such roundabouts.

Charlecote has been the home of the Lucy family for many centuries, originating in northern France just after the Norman Conquest. The central part of the present house dates back to the16C but a major re-build took place around 1854. A young couple were the head of the family at that time and as soon as they moved in after the wedding they set about 're-edifying' the property with major extensions. Even so, the house lacked many comforts that we would consider essential today (like running water and toilets!)

The car park is a short walk from the house along a straight and open path from the main ornamental gates (currently having major restoration)

At the end of this approach stands an impressive gatehouse. In one of the rooms is a wall display of the major milestones in the family history. When the estate passed from one generation to the next in 1945, the new owner handed it over to the National Trust, with a condition that the family could continue to live in a substantial wing in perpetuity. (Hence only some rooms are open to the public)

A further open walk leads up to the front door of the house but we turned  right to go int the garden on the right. (We were in search of a coffee and scone - traditional NT fare!)

On the right of the above photo is an entrance to a raised part of the garden, with the steps 'guarded' by two rural, idyllic, figures: a shepherdess and a herdsman or piper. 

An intriguing little thatched cottage was originally built as a summerhouse or play room for young children and grand children of one of the ladies of the house (Lady Mary Elizabeth Lucy) - hence it is sometimes now called Granny's Summerhouse and is said to be modelled on Plas Newyyd in Llangollen which we visited last year. It is said that Mary Elizabeth had a holiday there when a young child.

After coffee we walked back to the front of the house is is a view from the top of the steps that we saw earlier.

In many ways the formal rooms held few surprises, even if there were many interesting items, collected by the family over many generations. This is the first room after the main entrance. One of the best features of the house - the Dining Room - is behind the closed door in the middle of the picture. What started as a small wet patch turned out to be a major restoration project, now thankfully approaching completion but until then it is closed to the public.

Above the bookcases in the Library is a set of 15 Greek vases, all but one found in an 18C/19C archeological dig and date back to fourth century BC. The last one was made when the vases were bought for the newly renovated house around 1840. (We were not told which one is the fake!)

This is the third year that the National Trust have had a pumpkin event in the house - this year it comprises two large 'heaps' of knitted or fabric pumpkins, one on the  billiard table and one in the main kitchen.

This is the Drawing Room - actually closer to the Dining Room than it at first appears - or so we were told - a special passage allowed the ladies to leave the gentlemen to their cigars and port without much effort!

It has a rather splendid ceiling. After seeing all of the rooms on view in the main house we adjourned to the Orangery for lunch - Cornish pasties!

Slightly away from the ain house is a large block of utility rooms where much of the work (by servants, of course) involved in running a large country house took place. First is the kitchen with two ranges (there is also a separate baking oven next door in the scullery)

The laundry took up two rooms - one 'wet' and one 'dry'. The first is where things are washed - in itself a major task in days before the introduction of cleaver detergents - and the other where they were taken once dry to be ironed, repaired or whatever. These two rooms were the only places which were exclusively  staffed by women (or young girls) The work was at least as heavy as that done by many men.

Another important feature on a large estate was the brewhouse. Beer was made for all those who lived or worked here - small beer (very low alcohol content) was much safer to drink that straight from rivers and wells.

The final wing was the Coach House. The Lucy family certainly built up a splendid collection of horse drawn vehicles. On formal occasions there was a grand Coach, drawn perhaps by four horses and controlled by a postillion - riding on the rear left horse. Whilst mainly for show, there is room at the back for several footmen to stand. It also has quite complex suspension rear and front, to take out the worst of the bumps from potholes and ruts - roads were (believe it!) even worse that some today . . . 

In marked contrast is the Battlesden Car, pulled by a pony and intended to be driven by a lady - even, perhaps, on her own! The design incorporates especially large mudguards (compare with the Whitechapel Cart behind), a selling point to the ladies, it is said.

At the rear of the house there is an impressive view across the River Avon which runs alongside a well maintained parterre.

The style of parterre (from French on the ground) here is typical of how the concept evolved by the mid 19C after which the whole idea fell out of favour and was replaced by more naturalistic landscaping. At the time this garden was initially created in the 1700s, the favoured design used miniature box shrubs, clipped into low hedges in complex patterns. What we see today is a modern re-creation based on the original plans. Even at this stage in early Autumn, it is immaculately maintained and still full of colour. We were able to sit for some time, directly overlooking the river and basking in rather warm sunshine.

Eventually we had to stir ourselves and make our third and final visit to the Orangery for tea and cake!