This week's outing was to Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, it's only 10 mins up the road from me - don't know why I didn't go sooner. There are some lovely walled gardens, and luckily it was a sunny day, a rarity during the summer (or any other time come to think of it). I thought I was going to be disappointed with the house when we first went in. The rooms were very 'put together' in much the same way as any other stately home, but as we continued the tour it really improved. The house is in various states of abandonment and decay, just as the family left it when they began to shut off areas from the 1800's onwards due to the cost of upkeep. The kitchen is exactly how it was when last used in the 1920's! It's a really lovely place and particularly appealed to my love of decay and memory. Well worth a visit.
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