Monday's outing this week was to somewhere I haven't been before, Charlecote Park near to Wellesbourne and about four miles outside Stratford-upon-Avon. It was about 45 minutes in the car but pretty straightforward to get to.
Charlecote Park was built in 1558 by Sir Thomas Lucy, the Lucy family had owned the land since 1247 and Queen Elizabeth once stayed in the room which now the drawing room.
Only the lower floors were open to the public and we couldn't spend too much time reading or looking at all the lovely things because we had three children in tow. So I think a child free trip might be in order so that I can appreciate it and find out more.
The servants quarters were interesting, Arty took a liking to the stove of all things
And they were all fascinated to see how washing used to be done. What hard work it must have been, I wonder what they would think if they came back now and saw our washing machines and tumble dryers.
The grounds are huge, 185 acres, and there were lots people taking advantage of the good weather that day. It mentioned on the NT site that deer roam freely around the estate, we found a bunch of them on one side of the estate and a bunch on the other side of the lake.
Jacob sheep have been kept at Charlecote Park for over 200 years. They were introduced by George Lucy from his travels through Europe back in 1756 and were the first managed Jacob flock to be introduced into England. Today they have one of the largest flocks in the country
It was a great day out and I can highly recommend a visit, especially if the weather is good because the walks around the estate are so lovely, there are plenty of things to see and lovely big open spaces for the kids to run around. There was even a bit of den building, Arty's not afraid of getting his hands dirty that's for sure, lol
-X-
8 comments:
I did enjoy seeing all of your photographs from your visit to Charlecote Park, it looks a lovely day out :)
All the best Jan
Not my nature to envy, but I do envy you this trip.
The paintings are glorious and do I spy a dummy board
there near one of the fireplaces? Having lived in the
New Forest a short while away from the States, I am
given a welcome Anglo treat/treatment through your photos while touring beside you and the little ones, bless you.
Great Photos you are sharing .
I love to see these lovely old homes .
Looks like a nice day out.
It looks like a lovely place to visit, I find these old homes fascinating, another one on my list to visit for the future. Have a lovely weekend. Xx
Another great day out. There looks to be something for all ages there, plenty to see and do. I always find the servants quarters fascinating in these big old houses, how they managed to get all their work done with the basics they had, well, I wouldn't fancy it. The stags are gorgeous, they look so regal don't they. It looks like the kids had another good day out too.
Perfect place for making memories, so much better now the sun is shinning.
what a gorgeous place. We want to visit the Stratford area next time we visit the UK. I will have to remember this place it would be a lovely day out.
Thanks for the great pictures, I enjoyed the trip, wonderful stories.
Martina
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