National Trust 2.....

Baddesley Clinton....



This house was home to the Ferrers family for over 500 yrs. The house was built in the 13th century when sections of the Great Forest Of Arden was cleared.

The Ferrers were Roman Catholic recusants. They refused to attend Anglican services even though the Protestant Reformation, by people who were against the doctrines, rituals and leadership of the Catholic church, was in order and made people, especially Catholic Priests, in danger of death.
The house therefore features 3 Priest Holes. One in the wooden wall paneling of a room. A second in a ceiling and the third goes from a hidden trap door in a toilet on the first floor down the walls by ropes  to the sewers below the house.

The house was raided by the "Bounty Hunters" looking for Priests but they hid well and survived. One Priest thought quickly and even turned over the bed mattresses so they felt cold when examined.



Entering the grounds one passes through and by....

The out building... stables, courtyards now cafes and gift shop...

Approaching the main house you pass over...

A double arched bride, which crosses the moat surrounding the house, leading to the Gate House....

The house is small compared to the average English palace......

But well laid out within the moat...


And the.....

 

Inner courtyard and garden....


Inside the rooms......

 

All have low ceilings and door ways....

Looking out any window....

The moat is a feature..... It now contains large fish used to keep it from getting clogged with weed...

The house is described as a Medieval Manor House and...

 

All the rooms, like the Great Hall, are quite dark.....Large tapestries feature....

 

Also the.....

Dinning room....

And the...

Library.... Most rooms feature 15th century carved panels.....

Several artists painted from the house and grounds.....

This room was used as a painting room and featured unfinished art work.... Rebecca Dering was an artist of "note" to paint here...

The outside features fish  ponds and lakeside walks but the weather didn't allow us to partake......

National Trust Jaunt...

We joined the National Trust with the plan to visit plenty of Heritage properties throughout the country whilst we hang out in the UK. This time of the year the gardens aren't at their best but viewing any garden in winter, as the weather allows,  beats viewing a tv from the sofa on a winters day.

On Saturday night we had a  planned  trip to the Coventry speedway so with a bit of extra planning we left early, 11.30am,  and fitted in a visit to 3 Trust properties all within 40 minutes, driving from the NB.

The first was Charlecote Park which has been home to the Lucy family since ownership of the land, 1247. The house was built by Thomas Lucy starting in 1551 and completed 1558.


After parking the car you cross the country road to walk to the main buildings.


The car park is adjacent to a large plant & tree nursery also...

Selling fresh vegetables....

Up the drive and one...

Enters through the gate house which stands in "as it was built condition"...

Then the....

Magnificent family home fills your view...


The front entry has....

Shaped Yew trees.....

The weather was looking a bit Dodgy so we decided to stay outside and have a look around the gardens and deer paddocks....

Along the way was....

A small thatched building.... Summer house...

With...

A craftsman made door and  roughly trimmed branches as roof supports..... Awesome..

Out toward the paddocks and roaming deer where years ago a local of the area, William Shakespeare, was apprehended for poaching and appeared in court.
We passed this....

180 year old Mulberry tree..... looked like "Willy" had stolen all the bloody fruit....

 

Inside the house the first room visited was the Great Hall where...

Stands this Pietre Dure table. Originally from the Borghese Palace in Rome...
The marble flooring is Italian Marble from Venice...

Through the door into the dining room...

We've booked for our Xmas lunch....

 

A feature was this...

"Charlecote Buffet" carved by a local Warwick craftsman... only took 5 years....


Moved to the ...

Library... paintings adorn the walls  and those vases are from the 4th - 6th century BC...  

One of ......

 

The 3 most treasured collections of books in the National Trust...

Next was the billiard room. A Trust historian told me...

This was the "Mens Room". When occupied the Woman could go upstairs and get in the "Sack" to wait. Might be 2 -3am in  the morning when the gents retired and probably "Inebriated" would need a "Hand" to get it off... the clothes and things...

Queen Elizabeth 1 stayed at this "pad"... She liked to play.....

The Harp and probably "tickled" the fingers on this beauty.....


Sitting alongside was this.....

Chaise Longue.... more amazing craftsmanship.....

 

The "Ebony Room" contained this....

 

Bed which was originally a East Indian settee.... The servants would have had their hands full emptying "Potties and Buckets"...

The stairway....

Was a stairway.....

The view out of the dining and library windows...

A "Capability Brown" section of his landscaped grounds... and the Avon river flows by...

The kitchen contained... two rooms....

With this large range and a "Pizza" oven... Leonie contemplates her pizza order...

On the floor were...

Original Flagstone pavers... plate racks and washing gear...

The other kitchen room had.....

Another range and large open fire for cooking  with the "Flue" operated by chains....

A large....

Preparation table.....

And more...

Plates, jugs and "Gleaming" brass stuff....

How about this for ....

"High Tech" communication...From each room a "Get Me Another Bloody Tui" bell to the Servants working and "Hang'n Out" by the kitchen....

In an unattached building was the...

Laundry with tubs to heat and wash clothes.....

And adjacent was the.... every home should have one....

Brewery.... they made a thousand gallons for a wedding on site... Then everyone thought the "Bride" was a "Stunner"....

 

A two way....

Water pump... Hand driven... in the laundry with an upper chute to flow water to the brewery.....

 

To get around the family had many.....

Horse drawn carriages... This one being the "Top of the Range".... Fully enclosed with "Four On The Draw".....

Outside a "Well" preserved...

"Two Stroke" water pump.....

And how it was ......

"Viewed" in them days........

Tomorrow  more NT stuff.....