An English interlude 3: Derbyshire

57 Comments
Bolsover Castle (Little Castle)

Bolsover Castle

On our way to Derby we stopped off at Bolsover Castle, another place we had not visited since living in South Yorkshire almost 40 years ago. It was more extensive than I remembered. Built by the Cavendish family in the 17th century on the site of a medieval castle it comprises three parts: The Terrace Range with state apartments, the Little Castle used for cultural and literary activities, and the Riding House.

The Riding House
Riding House Range

The Riding House is one of the earliest in England to survive complete and a landmark in British equestrianism. Here, William Cavendish indulged his passion for training great horses in stately dressage.

Riding House roof
Riding House from above
Riding House
The Terrace Range

By the 1770s the Terrace Range was already in ruins. What remains is still picturesque.

Terrace Range
Terrace Range
Terrace Range
The Little Castle
View from Bolsover Castle

The design of the Little Castle was intended to evoke a Norman great tower, both externally and internally. The windows of the upper floors were designed to give panoramic views across the landscape shown above in which the occupants would have been able to see two other Cavendish family houses, Hardwick Hall (which we visited two years ago) and Owlcotes, now lost. The view today is of modern Bolsover based on a colliery model village, built in 1894.

We approached the Little Castle through the Fountain Garden.

Entrance to Fountain Garden and the Little Castle
The Little Castle from Fountain Garden
Fountain Garden
Fountain Garden
Fountain Garden from Wall Walk

The interior of the Little Castle is what I remembered most from earlier visits to Bolsover. Many of the rooms are richly decorated with wall paintings – rare survivals from the early 17th century. It’s just stunning.

Wall panelling and painting
Wall painting
Panelled room
Fireplace
Wall painting
Tapestries
Wall painting and ceiling
Day bed
Wall painting and fireplace
Bench
Painted ceiling
Dome

On the top floor was an exhibition called Fame, Fashion and Fortune with recreated costumes worn by influential historic women of Bolsover. My favourites were the Votes for Women display and Bess of Hardwick, founder of the Cavendish dynasty.

Votes for Women
Bess of Hardwick

After this fabulous visit to Bolsover we continued our journey to stay with our friend Janet.

Sudbury Hall

Sudbury Hall

On our first day with Janet we visited a place I had never heard of, let alone visited: Sudbury Hall which bills itself as the Children’s Country House. The Hall itself, once the home of the Vernon family, played the interior of Mr Darcy’s home, Pemberley, in the BBC’s 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice and in Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary year it has an exhibition of costumes from the series. At the back of the house is the Museum of Childhood.

Hall and Exhibition

As well as the costumes I liked the way old books had been used in the displays.

Pride and Prejudice montage
Costumes worn by Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet
Pride and Prejudice paper sculpture
Persuasion paper sculpture
Darcy and Elizabeth’s wedding outfits
Staircase
Staircase detail
Library and paper sculptures
Gallery
Museum of Childhood

I didn’t take many photos in this section (sometimes museums of childhood can be alarming when I remember too many exhibits). I loved the wonderful definition of home.

Space suit
Dalek
Home
Gardens

The weather had been, and was, very hot, so the gardens were not looking their best: very brown. John enjoyed trying out one of the hammocks.

Back view from gardens
Hammock
Fountain
All Saints Church
All saints, Sudbury

Before going back to Derby we popped into the church next door which had a flower festival celebrating the saints. A few examples are below, but we were actually more impressed with the beautiful stained glass window. The Evacuee Window was commissioned by a group of evacuees from Manchester as thanks for the protection and affection they received in the village during the Second World War. It was designed and hand-made by Michael Stokes in 2000.

St Mark
St Michael the Archangel
St Andrew
Evacuee window by Michael Stokes (2000)

Haddon Hall

Our final Derbyshire visit was another familiar one, Haddon Hall. With nine hundred years of history, it is one of the oldest houses in England and one of the few to have remained in one family’s ownership for its entire existence (the Manners, who still live there). A highlight was the chapel with its 15th century wall painting.

House and Chapel
Haddon Hall
Courtyard
Clock tower
Drain pipe
Drain pipe
Chapel
Painted wall in chapel
Chapel
15th century fresco
Medieval hall
Medieval kitchen
Dining room
Panelling
Tapestries
Tapestry
Long Gallery
Gardens

As this was the hottest day of our trip (about 32C) it was a relief to take solace inside the Hall’s thick medieval walls. However, we still enjoyed a wander round outside. These gardens seemed to have suffered much less from the heat.

Windows
Gardens
Hall and gardens
Gardens
River Wye
Chapel, hall and gardens
Elizabethan terraces

Of all the places we visited during this tour I think Haddon Hall was my favourite. The day after our visit we left Derby and set off for our final stop, Aysgarth in Wensleydale.

England, UK , , , ,

57 Comments »

  1. The exhibit at Sudbury Hall looks especially fascinating. I love what they did with the books in the displays as well as the costumes from Pride and Prejudice. In my eyes, the 1995 mini-series of Pride and Prejudice was the best of all the movies made, and was exactly true to the book. I would have liked this a lot. Haddon Hall looks fabulous too.

    Like

  4. Pingback: This week’s small pleasures #455 – Thistles and Kiwis

  5. I really need to plan a trip to Derbyshire – all three places look spectacular and right up my street. I loved the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, and have always wanted to visit the filming locations for it.

    Like

  7. Very different places but all very interesting. The panelled room at Bolsover looks amazing and I love the red day bed and bench. I think the evil side would get the better of me and I would have tipped John out of that hammock 😀

    Like

  10. I am not even sure what to comment on as there was so much amazing stuff! The book displays were so unique, and the staircase showed such amazing workmanship. The equestrian center riding space reminded me of the indoor one in Vienna. What a great adventure this was – I need that hammock to rest now!

    Like

  16. Thank you so much for your post. We lived on the Nottingham/Derby border for 35 years and we visited these places many times and loved them all. Sometimes the visits were school visits and the children enjoyed the Museum of Childhood….I didn’t! Excellent photos of all the beautiful buildings but I’m with you …my favourite is Haddon Hall.

    Like

  18. You’re in my home territory here! Born and bred in Derby (Mickleover to be precise) and visited all of these places as a child – Haddon several times. I still love going back for walks in the Peak District and wandering around the villages. It’s many years since I left Derby but of course I still consider it to be in my DNA!

    Like

  19. I’ve heard of these places through reading various historical books so it’s nice to see them in reality. You both did well in that heat. I just stay indoors above 28c unless I go for a walk early morning or evening. The new normal temperatures in the UK for summer now. Bob. BSS.

    Like

  23. You packed a lot in! I have never visited any of these places despite living in Doncaster for 19 years. Though not all of those with a car. I don’t think I ever went anywhere at the weekends – simply catching up on household chores! So thank you for the virtual visits.

    Like

  26. Agreed, Haddon is my favourite too, and is somewhat under-rated in my view. Chatsworth House and Hardwick Hall get most attention amongst visitors to the county; Bolsover and Sudbury, meanwhile, are not in the same league, in my humble Derbyshire opinion (we Derbyshire folk are famously humble 😊). Having said that, I must confess that it’s years since I’ve been to Sudbury, and I reckon that anywhere with a life-size dalek deserves a return visit!

    Like

    • The main attraction of Sudbury for me was the Pride and Prejudice connection, though I did enjoy the rest and it was a nice bonus to see the flower show next door. Chatsworth is another one I haven’t visited for probably 40 years – I suspect I might find it too big, showy, and busy these days. Haddon is a much homelier scale.

      Liked by 1 person


  27. I’m here!! I will be checking out what I missed, but you had another wonderful visit that I would have loved to have seen. I love the walls in the first place…obviously, the man loved sex with all the lustful paintings. The chapel in the next place is a place I would be looking at in detail with all those wall paintings. The tree and leaves is very intricate.

    love, too the last place and that is amazing that it has stayed with the same family for centuries. I picture myself reading in one of those rooms.

    it has been too hot this past summer but glad you could still enjoy the gardens.

    Like

I'd love to hear what you think!